Na’ilah Amaru, a Democratic advocacy and policy strategist, doesn’t think Trump’s guilty verdict will help the former president, but she can understand how people might feel that way. A self-described “urban planning nerd,” Amaru had booked herself on a tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the “Juror’s Guide to Lower Manhattan” — a compendium of neighborhoods walking distance from the courthouse. When the conviction news broke, she just happened to be across the street.
Taking in the vibes, Amaru was struck by the joy from the anti-Trump crowd on one block and the anger from the Trump supporters on another. She watched as two men argued about whether the trial was “rigged,” and about who this would ultimately benefit in the November election.
Later, after she left the scrum near the courthouse, she would reflect on a few things she believed to be true: Trump’s base is going to love him no matter what, she figured. Persuading undecided voters will be just as important as mobilizing committed ones. And anyway, she couldn’t imagine swing voters deciding to vote for Trump because of his felony convictions.
But that sense of perspective was not immediately clear amid the noise. “When you are in the middle of it, the emotions are so intense, so strong,” Amaru says. “You can’t help but feel like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is huge, and people are upset, and Trump’s going to win all over again.’”
Read the full article, “The unbearable heaviness of thinking everything is good for Trump,” published June 18, 2024 on washingtonpost.com.