On Thursday evening, Corey Bova-Wamsganz from Saranac Lake got an eager text from his aunt.
"It was one of the first things she sent out to everybody, she was like ‘Oh are you looking at the news, you see the news? You see what’s happening?’ And I’m like, oh shoot, what’s going on?’”
What was going on was that former president Donald Trump had been indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney. Bova-Wamsganz said his aunt was gloating. She doesn’t like Trump, but Bova Wamsganz does. Still, he wasn’t surprised by the indictment.
"I knew it was coming, [Trump] knew it was coming. These people aren’t going to stop. They’re not going to stop. It’s ridiculous.”
By "these people" Bova-Wamsganz means Democrats. Bova-Wamsganz believes the indictment is part of a larger, hidden agenda, one aimed at creating a new world order. There’s no evidence to support that conspiracy theory.
The evidence against Trump in this trial will likely focus on his business records and a payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
David Thomas-Train from nearby Keene Valley thinks Trump had it coming.
“What’s clear is that he’s been playing fast and loose with the law his whole life and is this a surprise? No," said Thomas-Train. "I think it’s probably long overdue."
A recent poll from NPR, PBS Newshour and Marist found that before the indictment, 46% of people thought Trump had done something illegal. The divide was much starker between political parties. Among Democrats, 9 out of 10 said the investigations into Trump are fair, while 8 in 10 Republicans called them a witch hunt.
“These divisions, the Democrats and Republicans, I think it’s gone way too far," said Christine Prosser, "way, way, way too far.”
Prosser, who is from Keene, is a registered Independent. She thinks the indictment could further divide the country, but hopes that if the evidence leads to a conviction, that might change the minds of some Trump voters.
“Sooner or later you’re going to actually have to look at it and say, ‘Well maybe he isn’t a good guy,’” said Prosser.
It’s not clear, though, how likely that shift could be. The message from some top Republican lawmakers is outrage and denial.
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who represents this part of upstate New York, said on Twitter on Friday "There is NO Crime. There is NO Case. This IS a witch hunt."
Trump doesn’t deny the payment to Stormy Daniels, though he does deny the affair. Trump supporter Bova-Wamsganz said he doesn't believe Trump has done anything wrong.
“So what? So what?" Bova-Wamsganz asked. "Look at Clinton. He had relations in the oval office.”
The indictment is the first for a former president, but it might not be the last for Trump. He could face charges in Georgia over election interference and one or two more indictments from federal prosecutors. Trump is scheduled to be arraigned in court on Tuesday.