NEW YORK CITY — Donald Trump would have Americans believe that his conviction on 34 felony counts last week proves that their legal system is rigged and corrupt and that he’s a victim.

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Diane Francis: Convicted Donald Trump is now at his most dangerous Back to video

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The United States has many challenges, but its legal system remains intact. The fact that a rich, influential former president and powerful billionaire was held to account by a jury of his peers, and that Hunter Biden, the son of the sitting president, goes on trial this week, shows that the rule of law is alive and well in the United States.

Trump’s trial wasn’t a hit job by Washington. He was charged by a New York prosecutor and convicted by a jury of 12 New Yorkers who were vetted and approved by both sides. The trial was overseen by Judge Juan Merchan, and the jury’s verdict was swift and unanimous on all 34 charges. And Trump can, and will, appeal.

New Yorkers either celebrated the verdict or rolled their eyes. There were no giant crowds of MAGA hats outside the courthouse sitting vigil. This is because the city has witnessed decades of Trump’s grandstanding, scandals, bankruptcies and promotions for his overpriced, gaudy real estate developments.

Trump has been described as a “conman” by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, billionaire George Soros and Sen. Mitt Romney. In New York, Trump is a punchline.

Now that it’s over, Trump can take his case to the American public as he seeks re-election. A recent poll found that a majority of Americans believe he got a fair trial. Another poll found that 49 per cent of independent voters and 15 per cent of Republican voters believe Trump should end his campaign because he is a convicted felon.

However, Trump has launched a “revenge tour,” delivering self-absorbed rants about trying to save the constitution from the country’s rotten legal and political establishment. But his life is littered with litigation and legal tangles. Currently, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization is in jail serving time for committing fraud, and Trump was recently fined US$355 million (C$483 million) for fraudulent practices by a New York judge.

What’s shocking is that the Republican party establishment continues to rally around him despite his track record of lawlessness, dishonesty and unethical behaviour. Prominent Republicans appeared at his trial to show solidarity and now parrot accusations that the American legal system is rigged and corrupt and that Trump is a victim. Fox News amplifies this.

Trump will get worse because of this. After the verdict was handed down, he labelled Joe Biden as crooked, dumb and a “Manchurian candidate.” He’s now calling the United States a “fascist state.” It’s likely that his foreign policy pronouncements will worsen, putting the world and stock markets on edge. He will upend America’s foreign commitments, including the NATO alliance, or threaten to do so, in order to win benefits for his country.

But a poll released last month highlighted the biggest domestic concern about Trump going forward. Two-thirds of Americans believe violence is a real possibility if he loses the next election. This happened in 2020 after Trump was defeated by Joe Biden. Weeks later, the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., was attacked by Trump supporters who wanted to prevent the handover of power to Biden.

“Some 68 per cent of respondents to the online poll — including 83 per cent of Democrats and 65 per cent of Republicans — said they agreed with a statement that they were concerned that extremists will resort to violence if they are unhappy with the election outcome,” reported Reuters.

Trump is no longer just a punchline.