Trump convicted! What does this mean for the working class?

By Editor-in-Chief on May 30, 2024

Leon V. | Red Phoenix correspondent | Florida–

Donald Trump has just become the first U.S. president to be convicted as a felon. Today, May 30, 2024, Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of fraud related to the “Hush Money Trial.” While there is currently no date slated for sentencing, one can assume it will be coming soon.

While many will be celebrating this turn of events the elephant in the room still stands. How will this affect Trump’s campaign? Currently, there is no restriction on felons running for president (remember that the socialist Eugene Debs ran his 1920 campaign while in prison) and nearly ¾ of Trump supporters say that a guilty verdict has no impact on how they will vote. While this conviction may deal a considerable blow to his candidacy, a Trump presidency is still not out of the question.

Biden is an extremely unpopular president. According to the latest Gallup Polls, Biden is hovering around a 39% approval rating. Trump averaged out a 41% approval rating during his term in office. Biden’s handling of inflation, employment, and the ongoing genocide in Palestine are destroying any hopes he may have had to beat Trump. The failures of the bourgeois electoral system are again in full view for all to see.

Another potential problem is how this verdict will influence the die-hard Trumpites in America. The MAGA fascists already have a low approval of the trial and Trump himself is invigorating his base, decrying the verdict and trial as “rigged.” Could we see another January 6? Will we see an American “Years of Lead” post election? No matter what happens in 2024 the position of the Communists in America will remain disadvantaged: if Trump wins, we aren’t effectively organized enough to fight back, and if Biden wins then the progressive liberals return to their status quo and the problem is pushed back another four years.

While a Trump guilty verdict is certainly a victory to be celebrated, it is not the death knell for Trump that we hope to have. Nor would a Biden victory be a win for us. It is paramount that as Communists we continue to organize our communities and workplaces for the inevitable strife that will happen regardless of the outcome in November, and to continue this work in the class struggle long after election season. As the crises in capitalism continue to intensify around the world, we must build our bases of support, expand our parties, and protect the democratic rights of the oppressed. We have a world to win!

All Power to the Working People! Workers of the World Unite!