CT voters react to Trump court appearance on federal charges

With former President Donald Trump pleading not guilty to all charges in a Florida court, how do some voters here in Connecticut feel, especially from towns where a majority voted for Trump in 2020, in the run up to the 2024 election?

“It’s a crime."

“I think it’s a political witch hunt.”

There was mixed reaction to the news relating to the handling of classified documents. Jim Conway, a voter from Torrington, says he’s convinced of the former president’s guilt.

“He’s not above the law. He should go to court, and he should go to trial and the appropriate punishment, so be it,” Conway said.

Mark Albino, a voter from Plymouth, feels the former president is being treated differently. He questions why President Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton aren’t facing scrutiny for their handling of classified documents.

“They had stuff and the FBI didn’t kick their door down. I just honestly believe that he’s not being treated fairly,” Conway said.

Jennifer Hopper, a Southern Connecticut State University political science professor, says the Clinton and Biden cases are different. In July 2016, the FBI found no wrongdoing with Clinton’s emails and no charges or evidence of wrongdoing have emerged in the ongoing investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.

“What really seems to have set the Trump case apart is his actions to try to retain those documents, even after the government was actively trying to get them back,” Hopper said.

Hopper says based on Trump’s first indictment, the former president will try to rally his base again.

“In the court of public opinion, Trump will do everything that he can to cast the charges as politically motivated, a case that his group of supporters find very convincing," Hopper said.

Some voters have already made up their minds.

“If you’re not going to enforce it with Hillary or Biden, then you can’t enforce it with him,” Albino said.

“No one’s above the law. Not you, not me and not him,” Conway said.