Opinion | How Many Americans Will Rationalize Voting for a Felon?

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With Lydia Polgreen in South Africa covering its elections, Ross Douthat out on parental leave and Michelle Cottle reporting from a saloon in Colorado, Carlos Lozada turns the “Matter of Opinion” mic over to his Times Opinion colleagues to respond to the news about Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in the New York hush-money trial.

The columnists Michelle Goldberg and David French — who calls himself “a recovering litigator” — join the deputy Opinion editor, Patrick Healy, to discuss Trump’s 34 guilty counts and debate what they mean for the former president, whether he’ll face prison time and how it will affect the 2024 presidential race.

Below is a lightly edited transcript of their conversation. To listen to this episode, click the play button below.

Patrick Healy: Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the hush-money case. There’s really no other word but “historic” for this moment. And we’re in uncharted waters, in terms of the political implications of Trump’s conviction and what it’ll mean for the presidential race, for American unity and for the future.

Guys, we’re recording this just two hours after the verdict was delivered. In one word, how are you both feeling?