Friday morning brought with it some electrifying news that quickly jolted me out of sleep: Trump is guilty.
After only two days of deliberations, a jury of his Noo Yawk peers returned with a verdict that will mean kajillion more in legal expenses for the presidential candidate. But that isn’t even the most harrowing part of it. If the presiding judge wants to stick a knife into this pesky defendant who has attacked him and his daughter and countless witnesses more if not for the eventual gag order, Trump might just get served with a jail sentence.
I’m sure a lot of people are celebrating the possibility of jail time (drinks at my place!). My favorite meme is of Hillary Clinton visiting an incarcerated Trump, with a quip about how she had brought him email to read while behind bars. Remember that time when the MAGA crowd would chant “lock her up”? That was during the tumultuous election when Hillary’s private email server was revealed, and suddenly, she was looking at a criminal investigation.
Meanwhile, we await the spin doctors. How are they going to put their bravest face forward? Trump has accused the judge of being biased and a tyrant. He has accused the prosecutor of being an “animal”, and on a witch hunt. He has accused the jury of being left-leaning and “95 percent Democrats” (and hence, biased against him, the Republican kingpin). All these, even before the trial was over.
The blame game was very much playing during the trial. Trump blamed Biden (of course). He blamed the Democrats. He blamed the justice system (the trial was rigged). What’s left for him to deploy that he hasn’t used already? Isn’t he running out of insults?
It didn’t take long for Trump to capitalize on the conviction. He has started passing the hat around, asking for even more campaign donations. He has cast himself as a political prisoner, oh woe is the billionaire, and he is requesting dole-outs from his gullible base.
And yes, we have discovered that there are many donors who still have some bucks to give. Which leads us to think, why are they still sympathizing with him? Why do they want to contribute hard-earned dollars to someone even richer than they? Was it because television burnished the image of Trump with a series casting him as a know-it-all mogul? Was it even earlier, when his self-help-ish book about getting rich (the quintessential American dream) was foisted on the bestseller list?
Where is his ability to resonate with voters coming from? His womanizing (three wives!) didn’t deter the devout Christians. Boasting about grabbing genitals was not a turn-off. Porn star liaisons wasn’t a big deal. His voters are still with him.
Is he the secret fantasy of Americans? All the red-blooded males want to be him while all the females want to, well, vote for him? Is it the burger-chomping, pizza-devouring ideal of a regular Joe in a mogul’s body? The coke-slurping (not sniffing) in private jets, the ten-buck haircut in the thousand-dollar suit?
Whatever it is, his unique formula has allowed him to destroy other, more staid Republicans who stood in his way. Does this mean that if anyone wants to be the Republican standard bearer, they have to be even more radicalizing than he is? Pick fights with the woke movement (De Santis versus Disney)? Align with the gun movement and preach about space lasers (Marjorie Taylor Greene)? Ask for charitable contributions to pet societies and pocket the money while lying about résumés (George Santos)?
It is a weird world out there at the moment. The fact that a court has convicted Trump does not mean the American political system is working, and will somehow stay stable. Already, Trump is sure to appeal to a much-criticized and just as polarized Supreme Court that is showing ethical cracks in its august facade. Even while he harangues the “crooked” justice system and attacks its foundations, he is working within it to obtain his release.
Russia and China must be relishing this schism within America. See, democracy is not the way forward!
And so we watch what used to be considered the mightiest nation slowly crumble. Nuclear launch codes in the hands of a crotch-grabber? Not again!