To the editor: Reading the coverage of the Trump verdict has been disheartening. As a subscriber to several newspapers, he feels that once again the media is wrong. (“Trump is officially a convicted felon, but that may not stand in his way,” column, May 30)
Much of the analysis revolves around polls showing whether former President Trump's guilty verdict in New York will change voters. Others wonder if he will win the appeal or if the case should have gone to trial. Some articles place him on equal footing with President Biden.
Instead, it should be stated clearly and repeatedly that it is truly serious that a former president and presumptive candidate of a major party has been convicted of falsifying documents in a scheme to pay hush money and influence the outcome of the 2016 election.
Trump is now a criminal, but he is still treated like a celebrity. This type of coverage is lazy, and when people wonder how he keeps getting away with this, part of the reason is that the media has been blinded by his personality.
That would be fine if they were writing about a reality show personality, not a criminal running to be president again.
Bonnie Voland, Los Angeles
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To the editor: Trump “has shown that felony convictions don't have to hinder success,” writes columnist Doyle McManus.
Not so fast. The Teflon Don still has to face the electorate like a criminal. Most polls show the election is close right now. Even a modest change in sentiment could be significant.
Trump's conviction on 34 charges is unlikely to swing the election in his favor.
Ivan Goldman, Redondo Beach
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To the editor: Well, Trump was convicted. But these are minor accounting crimes. Just read the list of felonies: forgery of checks, invoices and general ledger entries. Many businessmen in New York do things like this and get away with it. In fact, Trump was the subject of selective prosecution.
First time offenders usually receive a fine and probation, so I'm not impressed. And Trump probably sees this as beneficial to him, or at least he will when the pain of conviction wears off. For him, that should take about a week.
But the most important thing for me is that Trump and his henchmen are angry and will campaign harder. I wouldn't be surprised if Trump pulled ahead in the polls and won.
Democrats laugh today. But when Trump is fined and given parole, they will discover that they have once again formed a circular firing squad.
Mike Barrett, Ashburn, Va.
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To the editor: If you're surprised by the fact that MAGA is still behind Trump after his conviction in New York for 34 felonies, a quote most often attributed to Mark Twain explains it best:
“It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they've been fooled.”
Patty Shenker, Woodland Hills
