LARRY KUDLOW: Trump has brilliantly combined his legal battles with the key issues

Finally, some grown-ups entered the Donald Trump lawfare fiasco as the New York State Appellate court slashed Mr. Trump’s bond payment by nearly 70%, knocking it down to $175 million, payable in the next 10 days from what would’ve been a combined $550 million had he been able to post an outrageous bond. It is a positive day for former President Trump. 

Legally, I don’t understand why any defendant has to pay money in order to exercise their constitutional right of appeal. I don’t get that but, regardless, the grown-ups emerged just hours before the crazy people, New York AG Letitia James, and Democratic club house hack judge Arthur Engoron would’ve had their way. 

I’m not a lawyer, and actually I’m more interested in the political fallout, although I try to keep up with the legal stuff, but politically, I thought it very interesting that Mr. Trump said this about the Biden legal weaponization attack on him. take a listen: “I think so far it’s backfiring because the people of this country understand it. It’s backfiring, but they’re being run and they’re running all of these different cases. So ridiculous. This is all weaponization of DOJ and FBI. They raided my house in violation of a thing called the Fourth Amendment.” 

Actually, Biden’s attempt to throw Trump in jail for 700 years and take all his cash and businesses away is blowing up in Biden’s face as Mr. Trump suggested. A new poll, by McLaughlin and associates showed a clear majority of 56% believe Joe Biden is looking to win the 2024 election by jailing his opponent, Donald Trump. 

56%, while only 30% said no. Independents agreed by a margin of 50% to 33% is seeking to jail Trump for political reasons. The poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters between March 9 and 14. Those are likely voters, very important. It also showed Trump with a 6-point lead over Biden 49 to 43%. 

Another political point, I think is important is that during Mr. Trump’s press conference outside the courtroom today, even though he blasted the lawfare crusade from Biden, James and Engoron, he also injected a key issues-message. Take a listen: 

“We’re going to get our country back. That’s what’s going to happen. November 5, I believe, will be the most important day in the history of our country. We’ll get these people out of there. We will seal up the borders and we’ll, as I say, drill, baby, drill. We will be drilling. We’ll get energy costs down. We’ll get rid of the ridiculous electric car mandate. So, nobody’s ever heard of anything so foolish and so stupid and we’ll bring crime back to law and order.” 

These are such important issues, the border catastrophe, the crisis of affordability, where middle class working folks can’t afford the Biden economy because of huge gains in basic consumer goods – like groceries and gasoline while they suffer declines in real wages. 

Trump reminds folks of this when he talks about “drill, baby, drill” and the ridiculous electric car mandate, where people are sick and tired of having Washington bureaucrats tell them what to buy or not to buy, denying their freedom, and consumer choice, and trying to jam these regulatory decisions down their throats.   

Elsewhere in his news conference today, the president mentioned the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan. So, Mr. Trump has brilliantly combined his legal battles with the key issues. It’s a brilliant strategy. That’s why he’s way ahead in the polls. 

This article is adapted from Larry Kudlow’s opening commentary on the March 25, 2024, edition of “Kudlow.”