Among partisans, though, there’s more (predictable) consistency.
One of the odder aspects of the publication of Donald Trump’s mug shot has been that partisans on both sides have embraced it.
This is an unquestionably historic and unquestionably unusual occurrence, having a former president booked at an Atlanta jail on criminal charges stemming from his efforts to retain power. But thanks to Trump’s assiduous, effective, extended efforts to cast the investigations into his actions as partisan, the photo documenting his status as a criminal defendant has become a bipartisan totem.
Democrats love it because it shows how the system is trying to hold Trump to account. Republicans love it because it shows how the system is trying to stand in Trump’s way.
Which made me wonder: How much do Americans differentiate among them?
As you are probably aware, Trump has been indicted four times and faces 91 criminal charges in four jurisdictions. There are the charges in Manhattan, related to a payment made before the 2016 election to a former adult-film actress. There are the charges in Florida, centered on Trump’s retention of national security material, some apparently classified, after he left office. In D.
