The commencement of Trump’s hush-money trial brings out disagreements among NR staff, in writing and on today’s edition of The Editors, where Jim and Noah air different views on just how influential Trump’s court appearances will be with voters.
Jim tells Noah: “Everything you wrote in your piece there, Noah, it’s logical, it’s clear, you link to the polls, everything’s appealing to my noggin, but my gut is like, ‘Everybody knows what they think of this guy.’”
He is unconvinced by Noah’s assessment of the trial’s significance, saying, “I just have a hard time believing people are like, ‘Well, I was on board with everything he was doing. The foreign policy, the domestic policy, he says he is our retribution. I am on board — but not if he falsifies business records! That’s just a bridge too far.’
“I just don’t believe there are Americans who think that way.”
Noah doesn’t completely discount Jim’s points: “I suppose I mostly agree, and I think I pretty much said as much in that piece that most people who are inclined to vote for Trump will find some rationalization to do so to minimize their discomfort with his felony conviction if he is convicted of a felony, but I don’t think that’s true of every single person who’s saying this.”
Jim isn’t persuaded, however, and to hear the rest of their lively conversation, listen below.
The Editors podcast is recorded on Tuesdays and Fridays every week and is available wherever you listen to podcasts.