Republicans Question Donald Trump's Electability After Trial Verdict

After a New York jury found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing writer and magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll on Tuesday, several Republicans have spoken out to question the former president's 2024 election bid.

Carroll alleged that Trump attacked and raped her in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman store in New York in 1996. She first made her claim in 2019 in the wake of #MeToo, but Trump denied any wrongdoing, calling the writer a liar and accusing her of making the incident up to sell books. Carroll later sued him for defamation and sexual assault.

On Tuesday, the civil trial sparked by Carroll's lawsuit closed with the jury finding the former president liable for sexual abuse and defamation, but not rape. Trump was ordered to pay $5 million in damages, but his attorneys are likely to appeal the jury's verdict.

Trump's supporters have dismissed and sought to undermine the importance of the verdict, and Trump has called the trial "a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time" which he maintains is being waged against him by Democrats and said that he has "absolutely no idea" who Carroll is.

While Trump has faced numerous sexual misconduct allegations in the past years, it's the first time that the former president has been found legally responsible. But because the trial was a civil rather than a criminal case, Trump will not be registered as a sex offender and will not serve any jail time.

As of today, the embattled former president remains the Republican Party's frontrunner for 2024. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to be his main challenger for the party's nomination but hasn't yet confirmed he will run, is trailing in recent polls.

But not all Republicans are happy with the way Trump is heading towards the election. In the wake of the New York jury's verdict, several Republicans, from Senators Mitt Romney to John Thune, expressed their dissatisfaction with the former president.

Some disgruntled comments from GOP lawmakers were broadcast by Stephanie Ruhle, host of The 11th Hour and a senior business analyst at NBC News, on MSNBC on Tuesday. "I hope the jury of the American people reaches the same conclusion about Donald Trump, he's just not suited to be president of the United States," Romney told reporters.

"I think it's a factor that gets to his electability. It's not a disqualifier at this point, but it's certainly not a check in the plus column," Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said.

South Dakota Senator Thune said on Tuesday that the case "has a cumulative effect. People are gonna have to decide whether they want to deal with all the drama."

Senator John Cornyn told journalists he doesn't "think [Trump] can get elected," NBC reported. "He's got a solid, supportive base, but you can't win a general election with just your base," the Texas Republican said.

But most Republicans have remained relatively quiet about the verdict. The video played by Ruhle shows House Speaker Kevin McCarthy walking away as a reporter asked him for his reaction to Carroll's case. Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming said that she will remain "neutral."

There hasn't been much of a stir on the other side of the political spectrum either. Mike Tappin, a U.S. politics expert and honorary fellow at Keele University in the U.K., told Newsweek that it is "interesting" that "none of [Trump's] major opponents to date have made any comment about this verdict."

"As far as his legacy is concerned, that is already tarnished. This is one of a series of cases that Trump is going to face in the next few months, if not years, over his behavior and attitude towards women. If he is going to be appearing in court at several stages then it will obviously affect his nomination, because it will take time out from his campaign," he said.

Update 5/10/23, 9:44 a.m. ET time: This article has been updated to include a comment from expert Mike Tappin.