What happens if Trump is guilty?

WEBVTT

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Calarogu Shark Media from New York,
where at least one of the words will

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be guilty. This is ballot.
That's right. Trump's trial heads for closing

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arguments. Dust off that holiday weekend
sunscreen and buckle up because it's going to

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be a busy week. Let's hit
this, folks. The Trump legal circus

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is reaching its climax in the Big
Apple, and let me tell you it's

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a doozy. As the Manhattan trial
over that infamous Stormy Daniel's hush money payment

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winds down, a jury of brave
souls will soon decide whether to slap the

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orange wrist of the former president.
The closing arguments in the Trump hush money

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trial will be a critical moment for
both the prosecution and defense teams. After

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weeks of testimony and evidence, prosecutors
now have the daunting task of tying everything

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together in a compelling narrative that proves
Trump committed felonies by falsifying business records.

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Given the complexity and length of the
trial, the prosecution's closing will be vital

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in guiding the jurors through the key
pieces of evidence and testimony that they believe

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demonstrate Trump's guilt. Beyond a reasonable
doubt. As former prosecutors pointed out,

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this is where the boring details of
financial records and testimony need to coalesce into

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a coherent criminal case against the former
president. Prosecutors are likely to emphasize that

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while witnesses like Michael Cohen have credibility
issues, the documents and accounting trails speak

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for themselves and corroborate the broader narrative
of hush money reimbursements intended to unlawfully influence

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the twenty sixteen election. They'll argue
that most key witnesses were in Trump's inner

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circle, making their accounts even more
damaging. The defense, on the other

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hand, will surely double down on
attacking the credibility and motivations of witnesses like

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Cohen. They'll contend the documentary evidence
is subject to interpretation and doesn't conclusively prove

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criminal intent by Trump. Expect them
to sow as much reasonable doubt as possible

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about the prosecution's case. With so
much at stake, you can bet both

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sides have been meticulously preparing and rehearsing
their closing arguments. The prosecution especially has

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a heavy lift to make their complex
financial case sizzle and resonate with the jurors

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after a long trial. The defense
only needs to plant a seed of reasonable

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doubt. These closing arguments could very
well be the career defining performances for the

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lead attorneys. It's their last best
chance to encapsulate the narrative they've been building

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for weeks into a pitch that jurors
find compelling. The high stakes and potential

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history making implications only amplify the pressure. Now, if teflon Don gets convicted

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on those thirty four felony counts of
fudging business records, will be in totally

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uncharted waters. He'd be the first
express ever hit with a criminal conviction,

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putting a serious crimp in his twenty
twenty four plans. But don't worry,

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a felony rap sheet won't technically disc
qualify him from running again. The constitution

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doesn't discriminate against allegedly crooked candidates.
The big question is whether Trump could actually

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end up in the slammer. Most
legal eagles say it's unlikely he'll get thrown

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in prison given his senior citizen status
and lack of a criminal record, but

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the possibility of America's former leader trading
his mara a Lago digs for a cozy

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cell at Riker's Island is certainly tantalizing. More realistically, if found guilty,

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Trump may just get hit with some
fines in probation, although imagine the comedy

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gold of him having to report to
some underpaid city bureaucrat for supervised meetings.

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Hi, I'm Melvin from probation.
Let's discuss your life choices. Of course,

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guilty or not, you know that
Donald will cry witch hunt and play

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the victim card harder than ever.
He's already priming his supporters for that narrative.

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An acquittal means his persecution was proven, while a conviction just proves the

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deep state is out to get him. It's a win win for his fundraising

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at least. But let's not forget
this hush money trial is just the opening

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act. Trump still got those pesky
classified documents and election interference cases looming.

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While a conviction here wouldn't directly impact
those, it could sway public perception and

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make cutting plea deals more tempting.
Who knows, maybe cellmate negotiations will be

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next. I'll take that bottom bunk
if you make the Georgia case go away.

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Okay, maybe I'm getting ahead of
myself. At the end of the

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day, whether Trump gets convicted or
skates free, the twenty twenty four race

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just got a whole lot spicier,
failed president and fell and have a nice

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anti establishment ring to them for his
campaign rallies. Just wait for the lock

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him up chance from his devoted fans. Buckle up, America. This is

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only the beginning of an absolutely wild
ride through uncharted legal territory, and I

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for one can't wait to see how
this clown show of a circus ends.

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Let's get ready to gabble. It's
interesting to see Biden's cautious approach towards Trump's

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trial in New York. While some
Demoocrats or urging him to be more aggressive

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in highlighting the charges against Trump,
Biden seems intent on avoiding any perception of

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interference or politicization of the legal process. At the same time, his team

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doesn't seem to believe that even a
conviction would significantly alter the trajectory of the

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twenty twenty four campaign. They likely
recognize that Trump has a talent for spinning

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narratives to his advantage, whether he's
acquitted or found guilty. An acquittal would

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allow him to claim vindication, while
a conviction would feed into his long standing

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claims of being a persecuted victim of
a deep state conspiracy. Biden's restraint could

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be a calculated strategy. By not
appearing overly invested in the trial's outcome,

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he avoids giving Trump more ammunition to
rally his base around claims of political persecution.

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Additionally, by focusing on issues like
abortion, inflation, and foreign policy,

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Biden keeps the spotlight on the substantive
policy debates that may resonate more strongly

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with voters outside of the media echo
chambers. However, if Trump is convicted,

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Biden may eventually need to address it
more directly. As Jennifer Palmieri suggests,

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having a convicted felon as a major
party's presidential nominee could damage the credibility

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of the democratic system. Biden might
need to make a case for why such

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a scenario would be detrimental to the
country's standing and institutions. Ultimately, Biden's

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team seems to be betting that the
trial itself won't be a game changer for

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most voters. Instead, they likely
see the upcoming presidential debates as a more

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pivotal moment to confront Trump directly and
potentially shift the campaign's dynamics. It's a

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delicate balance for Biden, acknowledging the
gravity of a potential conviction without appearing overly

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invested in the legal process or giving
Trump more fodder for his victimhood narrative.

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How he navigates this tightrope could have
implications for both candidate's ability to capture the

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moderate, persuadable voters who may decide
the election's outcome.