'Giant time-suck': Trump's trial is already crippling his ability to campaign

Based on just three days in the courtroom where Donald Trump is facing 34 felony counts related to hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election, campaign advisers and GOP consultants are already dealing with the crippling effect it is having on his 2024 presidential bid.

Pointing to the four days a week the former president must be in the courtroom or face possible jailing, Trump's inner circle is watching President Joe Biden move about the country and raise massive amounts of campaign cash while the ex-president is limited to using his Truth Social platform and making proclamations on the courthouse steps.

That has some in Trump's world worried when looking down the road at a trial that could last six weeks or more.

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According to a report from the Daily Beast's Jake Lahut, "… it only took a few days to show that Trump’s hush money trial will be even more damaging, more constraining, and more significant than anyone expected.”

While some within Trump’s campaign are saying the constant coverage of the Manhattan trial is giving the former president a platform with free press coverage every day, one longtime GOP strategist worried about the chaos and messaging problems it is creating

“I had sort of underestimated just the giant time-suck this is going to be for him as a candidate,” Alex Conant explained before adding, “He could be raising six, seven figures pretty regularly at major-dollar events around the country... That’s literally what Biden is doing. So Trump’s fundraisers are probably frustrated that because he’s in New York, they can’t schedule that stuff.”

Conant also warned that the clock is ticking while Trump cools his heels in court.

“The most valuable commodity in any campaign is the candidate’s time,” Conant remarked. “It’s the only thing you can’t get more of. And the fact that he’s going to have to spend weeks in the courtroom is time his campaign isn’t going to get back.”

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