CNNanchor Fareed Zakariasuggested that the hush money charges against Donald Trumpmay not have been filed if the defendant had been somebody else, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The outspoken Trump critic discussed the potential consequences of prosecuting the ex-president on Sunday's episode of Fareed Zakaria: GPS. The host argued that the hush money trial and other ongoing criminal cases against Trump could benefit his 2024 bid for president.
“The trials against [Trump] keep him in the spotlight, infuriate his base, who see him as a martyr, and even may serve to make him the object of some sympathy among people in general who believe that his prosecutors are politically motivated,” the host said.
“This happens to be true, in my opinion," Zakaria continued. "I doubt the New York indictment would have been brought against a defendant whose name was not Donald Trump.”
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business documents to conceal payments aimed at suppressing negative stories, including those involving the alleged affair he had with adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The embattled former president has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which he has also repeatedly claimed are politically motivated and part of a "rigged" trial — an assertion he made again ahead of proceedings on Monday.
Zakaria, who has identified as Democrat-leaning but is known for his independent analysis, expressed skepticism about the indictment brought by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and led by DemocratAlvin Bragg.
He also referenced a CNN poll indicating that 44% of Americans were confident a jury would come to a fair verdict.
About 75% of Trump voters also said they would continue to support the candidate even if he is convicted of a crime, while about 24% said that a conviction may prompt them to reconsider their vote.
Zakaria's comments came in the context of a broader analysis, where he also evaluated President Joe Biden's standing leading into the election and suggested that support for the president was weaker than he had anticipated. He noted that Biden was trailing Trump on key issues like the economy and immigration.
"The economy has been in a robust recovery for more than two years now, with unemployment hitting a 54-year low in 2023 and increasing only slightly since then," Zakaria explained, "but Biden is getting little credit for it. The shift here is stark."
The host also mused that support for Biden was waning due to his actions in the war between Israel and Palestine.
"Meanwhile, Republicans seem to be united behind Trump," the host argued, "Whatever opposition he faced in the primaries has largely melted away."