On Friday, Donald Trump vented his intense frustration at the judge, prosecutors, and witnesses involved in his historic criminal trial, marking him as the first former U.S. president to be convicted.
However, among Republican circles, the reaction was predominantly one of sorrow rather than outright anger.
A unique survey conducted by J.L. Partners for DailyMail.com sought the emotional responses of 403 likely voters to Trump’s conviction in the hush money case.
The most frequently expressed emotion was ‘sad,’ closely followed by ‘sadness,’ ‘angry,’ and ‘disappointed.’
“I just can’t believe they found him guilty,” expressed a 47-year-old Republican woman from Arizona, a pivotal swing state, adding, “There are more pressing issues we should focus on right now.”
J.L. Partners poll for DailyMail.com asked 403 likely voters to describe their main emotion when they heard the verdict in Trump’s hush money trial
In contrast, Democrats predictably celebrated the outcome, with terms like ‘happy,’ ‘happiness,’ ‘relief,’ ‘joy,’ and ‘elation’ surfacing prominently in their responses.
Overall, the responses mirror a nation divided by politics.
But they also show Trump could benefit from a bump in favorability. The results showed that 22 percent of respondents said they viewed him more favorably, while 16 percent said they saw him less favorably.
Drill into the reasoning and there are a range of views that explain that snapshot finding.
‘Our country should be embarrassed at how he was treated as president,’ said female retail supervisor from Ohio, who voted Trump in 2020.
And for every Republican who expressed anger there were others who spoke in more measured tones, or who voiced embarrassment.
‘For a Republican like myself it’s all very embarrassing. It’s like finding out your sister is a prostitute,’ said a retired electrician from North Carolina.
‘I feel that it was an untimely chain of events that were unfortunate and were brought on due to his campaigning for reelection,’ said a 41-year-old independent voter, who also plumped for Trump last time around.
James Johnson, co-founder of J.L. Partners which conducted the survey, said it was notable that sadness came ahead of fury among Republicans.
Donald Trump expressed his fury at the verdict during a speech at Trump Tower Friday
Democrats and Independents expressed happiness as the number one emotion
Trump supporters outside Trump Tower on Friday as the former president gave his speech
‘People fearing an angry surge of Trump voters onto the streets or political violence have misunderstood who the vast majority of Trump voters are,’ he said.
‘Most of his voters are not reacting with anger but sadness, at a system they feel is rigged against the former president.
‘Grief can be a powerful thing though, and it is likely to rally support for Trump with his base.’
The crowd that gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse in support of Trump on Thursday looked as if it was mourning. Some burst into tears as the verdict was announced before the gathering descended into gloomy silence.
The opposing crowd expressed glee.
‘No one is above the law no matter who you are that’s my view,’ said a stay-at-home mother in Pennsylvania.
J.L. Partners polled 403 likely voters immediately after Thursday’s guilty verdict to assess its impact on the November election. The results suggest a slight bump for Trump
Donald Trump listens to the jury foreman deliver the guilty verdict
A 48-year-old general contractor in Ohio said: ‘I believe Donald Trump will continue to make a mockery of the American legal and political systems. He’s a clown with a captivated audience.’
Last year Trump went up in the polls with every new criminal indictment.
And his Fulton County, Georgia, mugshot became a key part of fundraising and merchandise pushes.
In the days leading up the verdict, Trump’s campaign aide and allies began preparing the ground for a guilty finding.
They repeatedly denounced the hush money prosecution as political and as a ‘kangaroo court.’
When it finally came on Thursday evening, it triggered a fundraising bonanza.
The Trump campaign said it raised nearly double its record daily haul in the hours after the jury delivered its verdict.
‘From just minutes after the sham trial verdict was announced, our digital fundraising system was overwhelmed with support, and despite temporary delays online because of the amount of traffic, President Trump raised $34.8 million dollars from small dollar donors,’ said Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, Trump Campaign senior advisers.
