What will be the reaction to Trump's conviction?

[PuppyBismark]

After he leaves office and is convicted of sedition and sent up the River for 20 years. How will the trial be received? What will be his supporters reaction and what will happen to the country?

I’m surprised this has not been discussed.

[elleng]

1. BIG reactions come soon, imo, next days/weeks/months;

later, 'they'll' find other things to consume their time/grievances.

[stopdiggin]

10. yep. with the general population especially

(there will probably be some residual reactionary pockets -- but I think that would be the case regardless of anything that happens with impeachment -- so, in that context, sort of moot?)

But as far as the regular media cycle -- protests and demonstration -- Average Joe kind of stuff? I think it goes away pretty quickly.

(and Trump is NOT going to jail -- for anything having to do with the impeachment issue)

[CountAllVotes]

2. Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here

& recommend !!

[Cicada]

3. He won't be convicted of sedition

He did not tell the crowd to use violence. He caused the violence, by lying about voter fraud, but he did not tell the crowd to use violence.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

5. Did President Trump commit an act of sedition?

A number of historians, lawyers and business leaders say that when President Donald Trump addressed the pro-Trump mob in Washington D.C. yesterday, he encouraged them to march on the U.S. Capitol Building commiting an act of sedition.

“Part of the speech that Donald Trump gave was basically egging people on. He was sitting here saying you need to march on the Capitol you need to march down there. I'm going to march down there with you. And then of course he didn't because he's not going to stand in the line of fire."

Jeffrey Swartz is a criminal law professor at Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law school. He says those actions amount to sedition.

“Sedition is doing anything by word or act that encourages councils or involves other people in an act of insurrection. Insurrection is an act against the government in an attempt to overthrow the government. And here the attempt was to overthrow the government by throwing the House and the Senate into shambles and not allowing them to do their work to select another President of the United States. That's what this was all about. And so, it is sedition to attack the U.S. Capitol and that's what they did, they attacked the US Capitol."

https://www.wgvunews.org/post/did-president-trump-commit-act-sedition

[SheltieLover]

9. This!👆

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

25. Some folks here seem to want to make up their own definition of sedition,

pretending it requires violence, for one thing. So, I thought I'd provide one from experts. To no avail, apparently.

To them.

to you!

[SheltieLover]

26. Ty!

[Cicada]

12. Voting fits his definition of sedition

If telling people to protest at the capitol is against the sedition law, then the sedition law is unconstitutional because it prohibits political speech, it prohibits the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Indicting Trump for sedition would have a beneficial result. It would cause the seditious conspiracy law to be struck down as unconstitutional.

I hate Trump. I think he is guilty of obstruction of justice related to the Mueller investigation. He probably committed tax fraud. But were I on a jury charging him with seditious conspiracy I would vote not guilty. Because I don’t want our right to protest government actions declared illegal.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

29. How does voting fit this definition?

“Sedition is doing anything by word or act that encourages councils or involves other people in an act of insurrection. Insurrection is an act against the government in an attempt to overthrow the government. And here the attempt was to overthrow the government by throwing the House and the Senate into shambles and not allowing them to do their work to select another President of the United States. That's what this was all about. And so, it is sedition to attack the U.S. Capitol and that's what they did, they attacked the US Capitol."

Voting isn't overthrowing the government.

[patricia92243]

7. Is fighting not violence?

[Cicada]

13. Sure. Trump did not fight and did not tell anyone to fight.

[patricia92243]

18. I thought he said "fight like hell." Wish they would show his speechs -

from beginning to end - not just snips of it.

[Cicada]

22. Is it certain beyond a reasonable dought that he meant they should use physical force? No.

If you chant fight fight fight at a football game, and the coach punches an opposing player and breaks his jaw have you broken the law? That is what you are arguing.

[Dave Starsky]

19. Let's check the tape, Bob, shall we?

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/06/metro/heres-what-trump-told-his-supporters-before-many-them-stormed-capitol-wednesday/

Guess you missed his little "pep talk" he gave before the chaos.

[Cicada]

20. Is fight fight fight on the football field a crime? Fight has more than one meaning

If I say we should fight hard to get environmental protection laws passes I am not guilty of urging physical violence. It is not certain beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump urged people to use physical force. Only if it is certain beyond a reasonable doubt that he meant people should use physical force is your argument correct.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

23. Sedition does not require physical violence.

So, your focus on that is moot.

[Cicada]

27. I think it requires force, here is a link confirming that

See this https://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/sedition.html

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

30. Ah yes, I see, now. Force does seem to be key.

LII U.S. Code Title 18 PART I CHAPTER 115 § 2384
18 U.S. Code § 2384 - Seditious conspiracy
U.S. Code

If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2384

I read the pertinent part this way:
If two or more persons...conspire to
overthrow (with or w/o force) the Government of the United States
put down (with or w/o force) the Government of the United States
or to destroy by force the Government of the United States
they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned...

I still believe that Trump incited his mob of insurrectionists to use force for one or more of the reasons cited, and that many of them are guilty of seditious conspiracy.

However, reading further, I was reminded of how sedition laws have been used just to silence vocal critics of the government, rather than to protect the nation & uphold democracy. Especially certain iterations and prosecutions which blatantly violated free speech.

[Mr.Bill]

31. He does it at every rally. n/t

[Eyeball_Kid]

4. If you're talking about the Senate vote,

a conviction ONLY means a removal from office and, in this instance, a prohibition from ever holding public office.

Impeachment and conviction are political events with no criminal prosecution. That will come AFTER he is out of office. If it happens that Trump is the defendant in a Senate conviction, his future looks worse than ever, and beforehand, it was pretty bad already.

As an amateur analyst, I'm guessing that Trump will/should be named in two or three RICO prosecutions aside from his sedition/insurrection charges, his bribery charges, extortion charges, and his wire fraud charges. And then there are the hundreds of civil lawsuits that have been held off because of his term in office. Were I the DA or prosecutor who is assigned to any of these criminal cases, I'd be arresting Trump, taking him into custody until arraignment, then either requesting that he be held without bail, OR that he is released with the stipulation that he must surrender his passport.

[Kablooie]

6. They will scream and threaten for a couple of weeks then forget all about him.

There will always be some new criminal enterprise to support.

[patricia92243]

8. Yes!

[Mr.Bill]

32. Yeah. Ted Nugent will announce his candidacy for president in 2024

and they will rally around him and forget Trump.

[uponit7771]

33. +1

[Downtown Hound]

11. There will be big reactions.

Huge reactions. Beautiful reactions. Really the best reactions.

[SmartVoter22]

14. Will some leave the GOP, like they did with Nixon?

There were a few back in 1974, but not sure if any would leave the GOP party today.
I have read that some state party officers have quit since the insurrection, like NH.

It would be interesting if one or two left, just before the House or senate floor votes on Impeachment.
Even becoming indies would doom the GOP in 2022 elections.

[stopbush]

16. I think most will follow Yertle's lead and say that ridding the GOP of tRump

allows them to reset the GOP.

By 2024 tRump won’t be much more than a bad memory, a 4-year bender that the GOP will relegate to the “what were we thinking?” gallery.

[stopbush]

15. I'm still in shock that this is happening to the greatest president ever.

[fescuerescue]

17. It won't happen for years so it's hard to say

Probably around the mid terms or the next General Election. So much will change between now and then.


That's if it happens of course. Publicly Biden will not be within miles of it, but it does depend on whether Biden wants to keep it in the spotlight, or move on. His wishes would of course be communicated through back channels.


I think people will lose interest in Trump. Both haters and lovers. We saw the same thing with George W. Remember when we were wondering when he would go to the Hague?

[Buckeye_Democrat]

21. Weeping and gnashing of teeth, among his cultists.

Many of them will also scream it's "tyranny" for our government to not permit their side to threaten and kill them, or to represent anyone but THEM.

[former9thward]

24. Since none of that will happen there will be no reaction.

[grantcart]

28. Trump will receive it magnanimously with good humor and alacrity.

And after that he will perform the mythical "Trump Pivot" and proceed to the unicorn petting zoo.

[Volaris]

34. Who gives a fuck?!

If his trumpers wanna have a sadz cause their God-emperor actually wasnt, what do I care?

Let them cry. What are they gonna do, have another insurrection that doesnt work?
Fuck their feelings.