On May 30th, 2024, the former president of the United States was found guilty of 34 felony charges in one of the most convoluted, corrupt prosecutions in modern history. Pursued by a district attorney elected on the promise to "get Donald Trump" no matter the cost, an unprecedented legal theory that still makes no sense was used to upgrade misdemeanors to felonies past the statute of limitations. Worse? A corrupt judge stacked the deck at every opportunity, up to and including the insane jury instructions.

BREAKING: The Jury Returns Guilty Verdict Against Donald Trump

The reactions were swift, with many on the right calling out the travesty of justice. Meanwhile, Democrats and their press allies celebrated, calling it a win for the rule of law. What law specifically? The judge decided that the supposed underlying crime didn't need to be agreed on, with the word of a witness who admitted to grand larceny on the stand being the entire basis of the case.

So now what? 

Some aren't going to like this, but the answer is to suck it up and do what it takes to win in November. Shouting at the sky, making all-caps posts on social media, and continuing to talk about how unfair everything is won't move the needle. Trump was nominated knowing this was the likely outcome. None of this is a surprise. This is not the time to quiver. It's the time to strike back.

There is a window of opportunity here to build on Trump's lead, and Republicans should take advantage of it. The former president will appeal this, and it's likely that will delay the execution of any sentence until after the election. 

Things shouldn't stop there, though. Democrats have set a precedent, and you better believe they should be made to live by it. Republican states need to be prepping charges as I type this. There is a long list of Democrats in red-state jurisdictions that should no longer get the benefit of the doubt. That includes Fani Willis in Georgia, who admitted under oath to keeping money from her political campaign for personal use. Any Democrat who has so much as jaywalked needs to be prosecuted. 

The genie is out of the bottle, and it's not up to Republicans to unilaterally shove it back in. Make Democrats suffer under the new rules they set until they beg for mercy, and when Joe Biden walks out of the White House, he should be immediately prosecuted for illegally retaining classified documents, among other alleged crimes. 

Time for Red State AGs and DAs to get busy.

— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) May 30, 2024

There is no option to play nice anymore. Republicans tried to keep things within the lines. Democrats stepped over them for what they feel will be cheap political gain. Forget the crying. That's not going to help anything. Make them pay, and make them pay hard. Any Republican not willing to do that doesn't deserve to be in office. 

This isn't about liking Trump or not. It's not about whether he should have been the nominee. There will be time for post-mortems after the election. Right now is the time to get up off the mat and do everything possible to make Democrats regret this for the good of the country and the credibility of the judicial system.

Editor's Note: This article was edited post-publication for clarity.