• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, May 31, 2024

On the dark side, the campaign news cycle has shifted from MAGA attacks on democratic institutions to the rule of law: "Today is a shameful day in American history," tweeted Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, underscoring the new political polarization, with Republican leaders calling the due process and verdict by a jury of Trump's peers an example of a "Banana Republic," ignoring that those steps are fundamental parts of the American Constitution.

Amplified by the most extreme elements of the right-wing media -- from Fox News to X's Tucker Carlson -- Republican leaders immediately called on Trump to exact retribution if/when he becomes president again, including drawing up a list of Democrats to be prosecuted without citing another element of American rule of law: probable cause.

"Suffice to say, that unhinged, reckless, and dangerous rhetoric is not normal," writes CNN Media Critic Oliver Darcy in his "Reliable Sources" column, adding, "That rhetoric is, obviously, detached from reality. The U.S. is not a third world country. Trump got his day in court and was treated by the judge, by all accounts, quite fairly. Biden did not direct so-called deep state forces to engage in 'lawfare' against Trump." 

And so begins the post-convict Trump campaign news cycle with a score of weeks before the election. Just wait until he's sentenced on July 11th.