The Campaign: Boredom and Belligerence
The campaign process and the judicial process have officially merged
One week into the trial that Beltway wisdom had dismissed as unimportant, we already have evidence of the potential it has to upend the presidential campaign and permanently change Donald Trump.
While pre-trial discussion focused heavily on the relative insignificance of the charges and potential weaknesses in the case, I’ve always had my eyes on the process. And although I believe the case is serious and a conviction could have profound implications for the election, just the fact that it is happening will shape the campaign in a meaningful way.
It already is.
The past few days gave us a glimpse into the split-screen reality that will define the next couple of months of the race. On the left side, Joe Biden is conducting a campaign swing through Pennsylvania. On the right side, Donald Trump is trapped in a courtroom, alternately fuming about the injustice of having to stand trial and falling asleep.
That’s your itinerary for the two presumptive presidential nominees during the next long stretch of this long campaign. For the rest of April, likely all of May, and potentially into June, Biden will be acting like a presidential candidate and Trump like a criminal defendant. Remember, campaigns are about contrasts. If you were a political advisor, which side of the screen would you choose for your candidate?
This was the week when the reality of what it means for a former and potential president to stand trial started sinking in.
That reality is at once extraordinary and commonplace.
The unprecedented and mundane elements of the proceedings were on vivid display this week. Both will figure prominently in the trajectory of the campaign.
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