With recent court rulings, it would appear that Donald Trump is 50-50 at best in terms of beating the federal cases that would have an impact on him being elected as president.
So, it is only natural to wonder if his opponents would pardon him if he were convicted. Nikki Haley finally answered that question during a recent town hall event.
Talking Points…
- Trump cases and the election
- Haley says she would pardon Trump
- Analysis
Trump is currently involved in four federal cases that could dramatically impact how he fares in a general election against Joe Biden. Two of the cases are suspect, that being the case by Fulton County DA Fani Willis and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. The Willis case is now up in the air after allegations of an affair between Willis and one of her prosecutors. As far as the Bragg case goes, even if Trump loses the case, I would suspect a fine with no jail time.
The two cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith have more teeth, and while I can see Trump’s side of the argument in these cases, it would not surprise me one bit to see a guilty verdict come down in either of them. If Trump loses, he stands to do decades in jail as well as some very hefty fines, which polling shows would devastate his chances of winning the general election.
Haley was recently asked a question by a voter at a town hall even if she would pardon Donald Trump were she elected as president. Haley responded:
“If you’re talking about pardoning Trump, it’s not a matter of innocence or guilt at that point, because that means he would have already been found guilty.
“I believe, in the best interest of bringing the country together, I would pardon Donald Trump. Because I think it’s important for the country to move on.”
Haley further explained that his is about moving the country forward and ending the obsession with Donald Trump. She added:
“We’ve got to leave the negativity and the baggage behind. I don’t want this country divided any further. I don’t think it’s in the best interests of America to have an 80-year-old president sitting in jail and having everybody upset about it.
“I think this would be the time that we would need to move forward and get this out of the way.”
This statement by Haley falls in line with something she stated last month when she was asked if she would pre-emptively pardon Donald Trump. At the time, she stated a pre-emptive pardon was not on the table, but she would consider a pardon to unite the country. She stated:
“Instead, we want to say, ‘OK, how do we put the past behind us and move forward as a country?’ And I think that by pardoning him, that absolutely would move the country forward, instead of dividing it further. And so I think you always have to look at what’s in the best interests of the country.”
My opinion on this is that regardless of what were to happen, the country will remain divided on this issue. If Haley pardons Trump, Democrats are going to go through the roof with allegations of a corrupt GOP that does not hold people accountable, the opposite of what the GOP preaches on the campaign trail. If the pardon was not issued, that opens the door to MAGA holding a grudge in the future.
Ultimately, however, Haley will never have to make that decision because her last stand is likely going to be in South Carolina, where she is currently trailing Trump 64.7-31.6. When you consider this is Haley’s home state, there is really no sense in moving forward to Super Tuesday other than vanity. Like it or not, Republican voters are going to have to stand with Trump, convicted or not, if they want to beat Democrats in November.
