OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A top pollster sounded the alarm for Democrats hoping that New York Attorney General Letitia James will soon move to seize former President Donald Trump’s assets if he can’t pay a now-reducted $175 million penalty resulting from his civil fraud trial earlier this year.
During an appearance on CNN, Frank Luntz suggested taking Trump’s properties would serve as proof of the 45th president’s claims that the legal system is tilted against him, bolster his arguments of victimhood, and will dramatically increase his election chances.
“I want you to remember this moment and don’t forget it. If the New York Attorney General starts to take his homes away, starts to seize his assets, it’s all going to be on camera. Pundits are going to sit there and scream about this, this man cannot be elected. You’re going to create the greatest victimhood of 2024, and you’re going to elect Donald Trump,” Luntz told CNN’s John Berman.
“If they take his stuff, he’s going to say that this is proof that the federal government and the establishment and the swamp in Washington and all the politicians across the country and the attorneys general and all of this, that this is a conspiracy to deny him the presidency. He’s going to go up in the polls just like he went up every single time they indicted him,” Luntz added.
He continued: “The indictment, let’s not talk about whether it’s justified or not, but it will prove the things that he’s saying on the campaign trail, and he will go up, and it may just elect him president. Do not forget that. And I say this to the Attorney General right now: if you play politics on this, this is what the secretaries of state did in Colorado and what they did in, I believe, Maine. His numbers went up in both states.”
“I don’t understand. I’m almost speechless in how pathetic the opposition to Trump has been and how completely misguided, and this is a perfect example of it…How is Donald Trump beating Joe Biden? He’s got 85 indictments that still exist, felonies. How is he beating Joe Biden with the economy getting better and things cleaning up? Okay. We got – you still have inflation. You still got immigration. Trump is leading. And in the seven swing states, Trump is up by the margin of error in five out of seven. Why is that happening?” Luntz asked.
“Because his critics are stupid, and they’re running a horrible campaign. And for those people who do not want Joe – Donald Trump back, they should be thankful that the people who are orchestrating his loss are as pathetic and they don’t understand the American people,” he concluded.
WATCH:
Initially, Trump’s fine was $454 million, but the New York Appellate Court reduced it by more than half on the day that James was preparing to make the first moves to take possession of some of Trump’s properties in the state to satisfy his fine. The appeals court gave Trump 10 days.
That said, Trump was already a wealthy man, but now he’s even richer, thanks to soaring Truth Social stock following the merger of Trump Media & Technology Group and Digital World Acquisition Corp.
Trump’s overall wealth has climbed to north of $6.5 billion, making him one of the world’s 500 richest persons, USA Today reported, citing the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Trump’s previous net worth high of $3.1 billion was based mostly on his real estate holdings, the outlet reported.
“Trump and his company were accused of grossly inflating the value of those holdings to get better loan and insurance terms in the civil fraud suit,” USA Today noted, without adding that the judge, Arthur Engoron, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, charged and convicted Trump of ‘crime’ in which there were no victims and that James campaigned in 2018 on “getting” Trump.
