Former Trump administration aide Alyssa Farah Griffin brushed off assertions by supporters of former President Trump that his legal troubles may actually help him win the election in November.
Trump is set to go to trial next month over allegations he illegally covered up hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign, the first of four criminal trials against him.
Griffin, now a co-host on ABC’s “The View,” called the idea that the trial would give Trump a popularity boost “complete lunacy” Tuesday.
“There’s this myth out there that somehow these trials are going to make him — win him over more voters, and there’s going to be sympathy,” she said on the show. “I reject that as a Republican because, yes, his base is going to be with him, and they’re going to vocally defend him.”
“But to this sort of 30 percent, call them the Nikki Haley voters or the ‘somebody other than Trump’ Republicans, there is no way that hush money payments to Stormy Daniels or this fraud case in New York are going to make them more sympathetic to him,” she continued. “I find it to just be complete lunacy.”
Trump himself said the upcoming trial could make him more popular “because the people know it’s a scam.”
Steve Bannon, Trump’s former White House adviser, made similar remarks Monday, claiming the legal cases are political attacks, which he dubbed “lawfare,” and that the free press only helps Trump.
“One of the reasons President Trump is back and leading is because half of his campaign is these court appearances,” he said. “All the world media has to cover him.”
“The lawfare is not working,” he added. “It’s a major part of Trump’s campaign.”
The hush money trial is scheduled for April 15, a judge announced Monday. Trump said he would be willing to testify in the case, but it is unclear if his lawyers will support him taking the stand.
“I would have no problem testifying,” Trump said Monday. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
The former president, the presumptive GOP nominee for the White House, is neck and neck with President Biden in general election polls, with Biden making small gains against Trump in recent weeks.
Trump leads Biden by 1 point nationally, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ average of polls.