Attack Trump verdict or be exiled - a new test for Republicans

Donald Trump is facing a new challenge in his quest for re-election. After being found guilty on all 34 felony counts, there is now a divide within the Republican Party. The party is split between those who will defend the former president and those who will defend America's legal system. Larry Hogan, a moderate Republican, urged all Americans to 'respect the verdict and the legal process', but was met with a clear message from a top official on Trump's campaign: 'You just ended your campaign. ' This indicates that if you're not supporting Trump, you're politically finished. Despite this, the majority of Republican politicians are publicly supporting Trump, with Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson calling Thursday 'a shameful day in American history' and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis comparing the process to a 'kangaroo court'. Even Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who was once a vocal critic of Trump, has fiercely defended the former president, calling the trial 'a quintessential show trial'. These defenses align with Trump's belief that many of the structures of American government are unfairly rigged against him, and criticizing him risks alienating his base of supporters within the party. It's too early to tell whether this moment could still bubble into a civil war among Republicans or whether Trump's years-long grip on his party will ultimately stifle any meaningful wave of dissent. Throughout Donald Trump's political career, there have been a handful of scandalous moments where there was a very real risk that he could lose the support of his party. For now, he seems to have avoided losing the most prominent politicians within his party. But the same might not be true for voters. Earlier this month, an ABC News/IPSOS poll found that one fifth of Donald Trump's supporters said they would either reconsider or withdraw their support for him if he were convicted of a felony. In an era when presidential elections are ultimately decided by a few thousand voters in a few swing states, it remains to be seen whether this guilty verdict will ultimately move that dial.