Donald Trump's Scarlet Letter

But will his conviction matter to voters?

Just about every time you hear the name Donald Trump between now and Election Day, you’re also going to hear two more words — convicted felon.

Biden’s campaign started calling him a convicted felon just one day after the hush money trial ended.

An opinion piece in USA Today refers to him as the “Former president and convicted felon Donald Trump…”

A headline from the New Republic reads: “Convicted Felon Donald Trump Is Facing a Long and Daunting Road.”

Convicted felon is Trump’s version of Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter — something he must carry with him (as far as Democrats are concerned) so everyone knows, and no one forgets, that he has sinned. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, Hester Prynne must wear the scarlet letter (‘A’ for adulterer) for the rest of her life. Trump presumably would have to carry his “convicted felon” label only until an appellate court overturns his conviction.

The question, as the debates approach and the presidential campaign kicks into high gear, is whether “convicted felon” will matter with voters. If it hurts Trump, it likely won’t be by much. People already know how he is. And just about nothing he’s done so far has scared off his fans, so why would a felony conviction in a Manhattan trial that stinks of politics have much influence on the election?