In an episode this Monday of the MSNBC program “Morning Joe,” co-host Joe Scarborough — formerly a Republican Congressman in Florida before this media career — predicted that Republicans were hurtling towards electoral defeat amid their continuing freak-out at the recent conviction of former President Donald Trump in a New York City courtroom.
Trump was on trial over felony allegations of falsifying business records in connection to hush money from before the 2016 presidential election for a woman named Stormy Daniels, and a jury convicted him on all counts. Though appeals are also looming, he’s now moving towards a sentencing scheduled for next month.
And the Republican reactions have been extreme. “I grew up listening to people tell me about show trials and things that happened in Cuba,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). “And this is a show trial!”
“You’re losing when you talk this way,” Scarborough said, responding to the Senator’s comparison. “When you attack the rule of law, when you attack the FBI, when you attack jurors. Maybe you get $25 in fundraising blitzes, but you lose independent voters. You lose swing voters in Wisconsin, in Michigan, in Pennsylvania, and you lose elections. They keep doing this, and they keep losing elections.”
A disparaging tone towards the United States has been consistent in some rhetoric from Trump and his allies comparing the U.S. to Communist regimes like, besides Cuba, the Soviet Union. An important difference is that Trump’s trial was not based on mere speculation or undefined acts, let alone simple politics. He faced specific, detailed allegations from prosecutors that connected to established portions of law, and throughout the process, Trump had opportunities to challenge the case at both the trial level and with appeals court judges. He still has opportunities to appeal after the jury’s conviction.
