Forget silver linings, the guilty verdict levied against former President Donald Trump is lined in gold, according to Trump campaign pollster Jim McLaughlin and political analyst Mark Halperin on Newsmax.
"As I always say, the American people, they're way smarter than the Democratic Party and the national elites, because what's happening here, it's backfiring on the Democrats," McLaughlin told Saturday's "The Count." "And you see it with the donations that are just pouring into President Trump's campaign."
In less than 24 hours after a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records by calling a payment to attorney Michael Cohen a "legal expense," the Trump campaign has reported nearly $53 million in donations — mostly from small donors.
"It's a record sum, and it's more than some campaigns raise during their entire course," Halperin told host Joe Pinion, who once ran against Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in the deep-blue state. "Politics is about passion and emotion.
"The money will be used not just for the McLaughlin brothers, but to help the Trump campaign. But small dollar donations matter for three other reasons: One is, most of those folks, can still give more, and they will now that they're engaged. So that spigot will continue to have cash flowing through it.
"Two, it's a lot of new donors in there. And new donors, again, are a great thing for a campaign to bring in, because it speaks to the grassroots enthusiasm and the outrage that so many Americans feel about the verdict.
"And then finally, when somebody gives money to a campaign, they've got skin in the game. Even if they give $5 bucks, their level of engagement as volunteers, as activists, as online warriors, it tends to go up higher.
"No one wants to be convicted of a crime, but if you're looking for a silver lining, that's gold. That's what this is for the Trump campaign."
McLaughlin is partner in Trump campaign pollsters McLaughlin & Associates, noting to Pinion the polls are surging in Trump's favor even more than they were before.
"Mark makes a great point: Three out of 10 of those donors are new donors, folks that have never given to Donald Trump before," Jim McLaughlin told Pinion. "And now we're actually seeing some polling, the Democracy Institute did polling: 6% of Americans are more likely to vote for Donald Trump based off of the indictment, because they see this as a fake, phony indictment.
"And that memo that the Biden campaign put out today was just ridiculous, and I think they literally have their heads in the sand on this."
McLaughlin noted some key polling in states won by Biden over Trump in 2020:
- Arizona, up 4
- Georgia, up 8
- Michigan, up 2
- Nevada, up 5
- Pennsylvania, up 2
- Wisconsin, up 1
- Statistical ties in Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Virginia, which McLaughlin stated Trump doesn't have to win.
"And probably the most important number in that survey was they asked: 'Were you better off or worse off when Donald Trump was president?'" McLaughlin added. "And by a 56%-37% margin, they said they were better off when Donald Trump was president."
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