An undecided swing state voter pushed back Friday on CNN as he told the outlet that the guilty verdict against former President Donald Trump made him “more relatable.”
During a segment on “Anderson Cooper 360” questioning Bucks County, Pennsylvania voters following Trump’s guilty verdict on all 34 felony counts over alleged falsified business records, CNN correspondent Danny Freeman was seen asking undecided voter Rudolph Richardson about his thoughts regarding the issue. (RELATED: ‘Rigged’: Death Of The American Voter | WATCH NOW)
“I know what’s coming. Everybody knows what’s coming,” Richardson stated.
“Really?” Freeman asked.
“Yeah. You can‘t escape the mousetrap every time,” Richardson replied.
As a screenshot showed an image of Trump and Biden, Freeman could be heard saying that while Richardson is still undecided on the upcoming election, notably voting for President Joe Biden in 2020, he told the outlet that the conviction gave Trump an appeal.
“Could you imagine voting for someone who has been convicted of felonies?” Freeman pressed.
“I don’t judge. I‘ll never judge so — it’s all if you do right. Like I said, if you do what you say you’re going to do. I‘m more straightforward, if you gonna do what you say you’re gonna do then that’s the horse you gotta go with,” Richardson pushed back.
Freeman additionally questioned both Trump and Biden supporters in the major swing state, as both sides appeared firm in their stances regarding their decision on who to vote for this November.
“It didn’t surprise me. I was highly disappointed, but I wasn‘t surprised at all,” Trump supporter Lisa Von Deylen told Freeman at her store which sells Trump merchandise.
“It just made me angry because why is this even — you know, anything to do with what‘s going on now in a world. We have like so much going on and we’re worried about this? Like c’mon. I feel like justice was just thrown out the window,” Trump supporter Ann Marie Ciambella stated.
“I know there are some people who won‘t change their mind no matter what. They will believe the things he says, like the judge is corrupt and everybody’s corrupt— except him, of course. I worry about that, but I‘m hopeful,” Biden supporter Randee Tecklin told the outlet.
“I felt that the jury did their job. They actually stood out to me — they turned out to be [a] hero of the day,” Biden supporter Tunde Daniel stated.
Trump was found guilty Thursday by a New York jury that unanimously agreed that the former president falsified business records, which was brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
While polls prior to and following the verdict are split on the effect it may have on the outcome of the 2024 elections, data shows that many Americans were not paying close attention to the trial. According to a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National Poll published at the beginning of May, 55% of Americans revealed they were “not closely watching or not watching” the trial at all, as 45% stated they were “following the trial either closely or very closely.”
Notably, 64% of Americans, which is up 4 points from the last survey by the group, stated that they will not be changing their minds as to who they will vote for in 2024, as they’ve already decided regardless of Trump’s verdict.
