Growing up in Nativity grade school, we were immersed in tales of martyrs who were brutalised for their courageous actions and words. Suddenly, however, my siblings are equating these revered figures with Donald Trump. Concerned by the constant turmoil and derogatory comments Trump is known for, my sister and brother saw their hopes for alternative leaders, such as Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley, disappear.
I got in touch with my Republican relatives on Friday, curious to see if the 34 guilty verdicts pronounced in a New York courtroom had finally severed their ties with Trump. After all, we are the offspring of a police detective.
My sister, Peggy, confessed that she had been unable to sleep the entire night.
At the courthouse, Robert De Niro’s fervent tirade against Trump was an unparalleled event in American public life.
“Did you decide not to cast your ballot for a criminal?” I asked her. “I had planned not to vote for Trump,” she replied, “but after realising this was all a farce, I’ve changed my mind.”
She attempted to donate $100 to Trump’s campaign, but due to a surge in contributions, the website crashed. Following the verdict, the campaign announced that it had raised $52.8 million within the first 24 hours on the Republican fundraising platform.
Peggy is of the belief that Alvin Bragg, who famously claimed to have sued Trump 100 times as a federal prosecutor, fabricated the crime by exaggerating the charges from a minor offence to 34 felonies with the intention of ousting Trump.
The fact that the jury sided with the “dishonest, thieving scoundrel, Michael Cohen” incenses her. Along with CNN legal analyst Elie Honig, she questioned the integrity of the judge who made a small contribution to a pro-Biden, anti-Trump political initiative. She sympathises with Barron Trump, the former president’s 18-year-old son, and wonders how those on the Democrats side would feel if the judge had instead donated to a MAGA cause.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she confessed. “I was having nightmares about being incarcerated following a bogus trial. I pondered over what would happen if I got arrested. I’d be in real trouble. My father’s gone, and so are two of my brothers. Who would come to my rescue?”
What an absurd farce! Trump’s claim of being sacrificed on our behalf has always been laughable to me, yet it appears to resonate with some, including a few close to me.
My sister, far from being a devotee of Trump, cast her vote for JFK in 1960, Jimmy Carter in 1976, Barack Obama in 2008, and even wrote in Joe Biden’s name in 2012. However, she’s of the opinion that President Biden’s competence has noticeably waned and it would be optimal if he gave way to fresh leadership. The escalating cost of groceries, $100 for just 10 provisions, has left her disgruntled. Furthermore, she’s annoyed by the Democrats’ fervid rush to incarcerate Trump.
“Are they planning to imprison him three days before our own convention?” she questioned. “He has Secret Service agents constantly shadowing him. Will they lock him in a cell and station four Secret Service agents around him?”
In her view, Alexander Soros and other Democrats insistent on Biden relentlessly labelling Trump as “a proven criminal” should tread cautiously, especially considering Hunter Biden is facing a trial related to weapons-related felony charges, one of which is being dismissed by Trump’s camp as a mere bureaucratic misstep.
My brother, Kevin, asserts the takeaway for Democrats should be: “Be cautious of what you crave.”
“This is reminiscent of Republicans rejoicing when they managed to impeach Bill Clinton,” he commented regarding the Democrats’ jubilation over Trump’s conviction, forecasting a likely boost for Trump, akin to what Clinton experienced post-impeachment due to the GOP’s pursuit.
“The dozen jurors lacked even the basic courtesy to deliberate sufficiently to demonstrate that they had given the matter proper consideration,” remarked Kevin. “If you want to discuss election interference, take a look at this.”
Contrary to my siblings, the decision of guilt invigorated me. At long last, twelve Americans managed to penetrate Trump’s reality-altering influence and overtly state: “You’re lying and cheating and it’s unacceptable.”
While not the most robust case against Trump, the jury’s ability to stand up to him in a way that even sycophantic Republican legislators, a seemingly corrupt Supreme Court, and the sluggish Merrick Garland could not, was indeed a breath of fresh air.
The jury members were not equals to Trump as his deceitful behaviour is incomparable. However, it was refreshing to observe the dozen jurors unanimously rebuff his claim that using his servile assistant to bribes a porn star he had relations with, while his wife was at home with an infant, could be regarded as a legal expense.
As per Chris Christie’s discussion with David Axelrod on the Hacks on Tap podcast, it may be more insightful to consider the impact of the verdict on Trump rather than its effect on electorate.
Though Trump has been portraying himself as Al Capone- who was also defeated due to financial corruption- the verdict seemed to unnerve him. A history of escaping liability instilled a false sense of invincibility in him.
When Trump graced the stage near his ostentatious escalator on Friday morning- this time without Melania, who consciously distanced herself from the Stormy trial- he initiated his retaliation tour starting with a passionate speech, resorting to his old methods.
He invoked his preferred menace, immigrants of darker complexion, stating “people in million are swarming in from all corners of the globe, not just confined to South America- but from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, including from prisons and mental facilities”. He argued that young men infiltrate our borders, including terrorists from obscure places speaking languages unheard of, stating “It’s not like Spanish or French or Russian.”
According to him, immigrants “are occupying our posh hotels” while “our commendable veterans have been pushed to the streets”.
For Trump, the real “criminals” were not the ones who assaulted the Capitol on January 6th, but the legislators who probed into the events of January 6th.
The mogul of Mar-a-Lago pictured himself as the victim, arguing that the prosecution are attempting to wreck his life over “a legal expense”. Emphasising on the martyr aspect, he claimed that his supporting witnesses were metaphorically “crucified”.
In his perspective, anyone who isn’t a grovelling admirer must be mercilessly mocked. Justice Juan Merchan transforms from an “angelic” figure into a “corrupt judge” who’s essentially a “devil”.
It is fascinating to observe how self-proclaimed champions of justice manipulate the system in order to challenge Trump’s conviction for his misdemeanours, identified by Cohen as part of a fetid obsession. The party renowned for its commitment to law and order seems to despise any legislation it didn’t endorse.
JD Vance, a would-be successor to vice-presidency, dodged reporter Wolf Blitzer’s persistent attempts to get him to renounce Trump’s assertion that we inhabit a ‘tyrannous regime’, choosing instead to bewail the attempts to indict Trump for ‘a mere bureaucratic misstep’. Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson proposed that the Supreme Court – of whom he claims to have personal acquaintance – intervene and overrule the decision.
In terms of Trump, he consistently employs his well-known tactic of projection by deflecting accusations aimed at him and returning them with interest. Once again, he has portrayed Biden, aged 81, as weak and muddled, conveniently overlooking his own nearing 78th birthday and slowing stride. Trump, a master of deception labels Biden as ‘the most untruthful president ever’. According to Trump, we are dealing with a president and ‘a team of despots’ that are ‘tearing our country apart.’
However, Trump’s persistent self-castigation using dramatic language might provide Biden with a much-needed advantage. And an opportunity is something Biden is desperately lacking.
– It’s to be noted this write-up first surfaced in the New York Times.