Keller: Arraignment marks another banner day in Trump's political windfall
BOSTON - The magic number is 62. That's the percent of independents in a new CNN poll who approved of the decision to indict former President Donald Trump, after weeks of claims by Mr. Trump and others that it's a nothing case and a political witch hunt.
In the coming days the details of the indictment will become widely known and those voters - far more important than the Democrats and Republicans who've long since made up their minds about Trump - will have a chance to hear from both sides and assess their conduct. If that number moves significantly in either direction it will tell you which way the wind is blowing.
READ: Full Trump indictment charging him with 34 counts
Meanwhile, the arraignment marks another banner day in Trump's springtime political windfall.
We live in a political culture that's driven by grievance, and if you ever watch right-wing media you can see how this case fits perfectly into the narrative of sinister deep-state forces conspiring to unfairly attack Trump.
All of a sudden, Ron DeSantis and his feud with Disney is an afterthought. But as for any long-term political boost for Trump, keep in mind the Democrats have their share of motivational grievances as well, and Donald J. Trump is number one on that list.
That said, this did not appear to be a happy day for Trump. He is a master of non-verbal political communication, the power of facial expressions, hand gestures and so on. A wave to the cameras or a smile in court today could have conveyed a lack of concern, even contempt for the case against him. A raised fist would have signaled to his supporters he's fighting back.
But there was none of that, not on his way in and out of the courtroom or in the still photos from inside. And despite advance hints that he might have something to say inside the courthouse, that didn't happen.
His lawyers likely had something to do with that. The topic of his broadsides against the judge and the DA was reportedly brought up in court today, and it's a safe bet the judge was none too pleased about it. If his lawyers didn't advise him to cool it while in court today, they should be fired for malpractice.
Keep in mind, Trump's public offensive in recent days has fueled some of his best poll numbers in years. But he left it to his lawyers to do the talking Tuesday outside court so maybe he'll split the difference and leave most of the pushback to others.