Are Democrats going soft on the Trump conviction?

Donald Trump is the first American president to have a felony conviction on his record. That's a big deal. But some critics say that Democrats aren't doing enough to keep that fact in front of voters. President Joe Biden is being "prodded by Democrats" to highlight Trump's felony conviction, said The New York Times. Biden has started to include his rival's legal problems as an occasional talking point on the campaign trail, but some allies have "called for him to be more aggressive."

They might have to keep prodding. Other Democrats are "far from certain that Trump's criminal record matters to voters at all," said The Associated Press. Whether to emphasize that record — or whether to sidestep it — "could prove pivotal in the evolving Biden-Trump rematch." There are skeptics, like former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. "We've got to get out and win the election talking about the things that are important," he said. But others want to hit the topic harder. "This conviction makes voters really queasy," said one pollster.

What did the commentators say?

"The conviction has the potential to hurt Trump," Michael Tomasky said at The New Republic. But that damage will happen only if Democrats decide to make it happen. One poll taken after Trump's conviction showed that 10% of Republicans — and 35% of independents — were less likely to vote for him as a result. That 10% "is a huge number" in an era when presidential elections are decided by a few thousand votes either way. This is why Democrats should spend the campaign referring to the former president as "convicted felon Donald Trump." 

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"It's doubtful the conviction will have any lasting impact on Trump's election prospects in November," Jamie Dettmer said at Politico. The percentage of Republicans hesitant to back Trump after the conviction is roughly equal to the number who voted for Nikki Haley during the GOP primaries. "So, essentially, no Republican minds seem to have been changed by the hush-money trial." That means the conviction won't alter the election results — but it will accelerate the "downward spiral in tit-for-tat partisan retaliation."

What next?

Some Democrats are already making their choice, NewsNation said. "I try to stay away from anything that isn't a uniting topic," said Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), one of several "vulnerable Democrats" in Congress who are sticking to other topics in their campaigns this fall. "If anyone running in a competitive state right now wants to talk about Trump, they don't want to talk about a New York courtroom," said one operative. There isn't total silence on the topic though: The party also sent out an email criticizing GOP incumbents who "have endorsed the now-convicted criminal."

There is one candidate who will try to use the conviction to his advantage: Donald Trump. In interviews with Dr. Phil and Sean Hannity, Trump has suggested he would use his return to the White House to pursue revenge prosecutions against Democrats, said The Hill. "Well, revenge does take time, I will say that," Trump told the TV doctor. "And sometimes revenge can be justified, Phil, I have to be honest. Sometimes it can."