Wall Street Journal reporter Catherine Lucey was criticized after she tweeted a quote from a New York Times piece that claimed former President Donald Trump "has embraced a more humbling and traditional style on the campaign trail in recent months."
The piece, by journalist Michael C. Bender, goes on to observe that Trump appears to have toned down his typically bombastic campaign style for a more low-key approach because of a looming indictment in New York.
Bender himself wrote that how Trump "responds to this moment could determine whether he continues to stabilize his standing as the Republican presidential front-runner or whether he further alienates the voters he will need to return to the White House."
These are bold statements to describe a man infamous for being thin-skinned and for whom launching personal attacks is practically second nature.
But Lucey didn't do herself any favors when she tweeted the article and highlighted Bender's opening sentence.
You can see Lucey's tweet below.
Initially, Trump was expected to be indicted on Tuesday, March 21. However, it appears it could possibly happen later in the week.
Trump's indictment is expected to relate to a $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final days of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
It is one of several potential criminal cases facing Trump, with investigations into his handling of classified documents and his role in the Capitol riot—a calculated attempt by him and his supporters to overthrow the government that resulted in several deaths and millions of dollars in damages—also underway.
Naturally, Trump's biggest supporters have attempted to excuse the hush money payment and campaign finance fraud violations that were in part what landed Trump's former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen in prison.
Given these facts, it should come as no surprise that Lucey's post was not well-received online.
The condemnation was swift and many had incredulous reactions.
The investigation into the hush money payment for which Trump faces a potential indictment is led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
House Republicans have kept their promise to investigate Bragg and suggested Trump's prosecution is politically motivated.
The respective chairs of the Judiciary, Oversight, and Administration committees sent a letter to Bragg accusing him of “actions [that] will erode confidence in the evenhanded application of justice and unalterably interfere in the course of the 2024 presidential election” if Trump is indicted.
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