The conviction of Donald Trump in New York should not have been a surprise. Others had already been found guilty of related offences. The fact that the person who ordered the actions of those who have already served time in prison was guilty of similar offences to those for which they had been punished should not have been unexpected, barring three things.
The first is Trump‘s willingness to use threats to bully and intimidate. Throughout this trial, he has maligned the judge and the prosecutors. It took considerable courage for ordinary American citizens to accept the task as a juror in this case. I sincerely hope that there will be no backlash against them now. However, all of them must be at risk from a person who clearly sees himself as being above the rule of law.
Second, there is still considerable media backing for Trump's claim that he is a man subject to persecution, rather than a criminal seeking to be above the law.
Third, as is apparent, a significant proportion of the US population has taken leave of their senses when it comes to the appraisal of the actions of Donald Trump, believing him untouchable however obvious the evidence is that he is guilty of serious sexual offences, is a philanderer, a participant in corrupt practices, and now a convicted felon.
Put these facts together and Trump's conviction was not a forgone conclusion. The difficulty in selecting a jury was clear evidence of that fact. Trying to find twelve apparently impartial people who might prove acceptable to the Trump regime was in itself difficult. The fact that they were found makes the outcome all the more remarkable. When the evidence of his actions was pitted against the opinion of a jury, Trump lost.
The question that now arises is what happens next? Will Trump supporters simply dismiss what has happened as evidence of a witch hunt against their chosen hero?
Will the wealthy billionaires who are desperate for the continuation of the tax rates that Trump introduced to favour them, at considerable cost to the US government and economy, continue to provide financial support?
Will the appeal of Trump's fascist rhetoric, coupled with the image of the superman that is an inevitable part of the cult that surrounds such rhetoric, continue, and even be reinforced by this conviction, which it will be said is all part of the conspiracy against him?
I do not know the answers to these questions. I am not sure if anybody does. We have not previously witnessed such a deliberate attempt to subvert and destroy US democracy.
In few other countries where the cult of fascism is now strong is there a personality as divisive in their approach as Donald Trump. In this respect, he stands out in the class of his own, leaving the likes of Hungary's Orban far behind.
The result is that I can take pleasure in Trump‘s conviction. I want to know that justice can still be done in the USA. At the same time that conviction does little to convince me that Trump will not be president again, a fact helped by Biden‘s very obvious increasing incompetence, coupled with his utter failure on issues relating to Gaza.
In that case, I suggested any celebration of what has happened would be decidedly premature. US democracy, or at least what approximates to democracy in the US, continues to be at significant risk. The chance that there might be a fascist regime in that country before the year is out is very real. Let's not pretend otherwise.
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There already /is/ a fascist regime in America. Your choices are demented fascism or insane fascism.
As Laura K has just remarked, this shows what happens if one continually votes for the “lesser of two evils”.
Trump and Biden are both older now than Reagan was when he completed his second term. Only one other US president reached 70 in office: Eisenhower shortly before the end of his second term. (After three terms, FDR died aged 63. JFK was in his 40s.) They are also both older than King Charles, who is also not in the bloom of youth or even the vigour of middle age.
There must be at least one other person in the US who could take the office – perhaps not a white man in his late 70s or early 80s.
So true
This on Politico:
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/30/gop-trump-verdict-2024-elections-00160830
Headline: “Hill GOP blasts ‘travesty’ Trump verdict — and vows it will motivate party base in November ”
Re-framing: 12 US citizens were shown evidence of wrong doing & all 12 on all 30 odd counts found Trump guilty.
Politicos unhappy with the result then resort to insulting the 12 citizens. I have yet to see and commentator characterising it like this.
It could have been any 12 & I have no doubt they would have reached a similar verdict. Politicos holding citizens in contempt……….The world over.
A wholly trustworthy source told me of a conversation with a leading Republican in their state. The belief is that the election of Trump will hasten the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. That, of itself, demonstrates that the American Evangelical Right believe that they can strong-arm God into a specific course of action. It is truly frightening!
Agreed
And utterly bizarre
Yes it is truly frightening.
Many people in the USA voted from Trump for the same reasons many people in the UK voted for BREXIT, they wanted problems solved.
The irony is that neither Trump or BREXIT could solve these problems or new problems that now exist.
Hard to believe he may be running the US from a prison cell. Are they allowed Twitter in the penal system? Mencken showed great vision in describing democracy as ‘the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage’. Indeed.
Per the New York Times: Trump will have a Secret Service detail team in prison if he is sentenced to jail time.
I can do no better than Robert Reichs summary of Trumps conviction.
“ Twelve Americans have now spoken about Trump’s criminal lawlessness. They have spoken clearly, without partisanship or rancor.
Donald Trump is guilty, as charged. He is now a convicted felon.”
There is the strong possibility that he will be convicted of even more serious offences. There have been some very large donations to his campaign following his conviction and more will follow. Scary stuff.
One of the jurors, during selection, revealed that they get all their news coverage from just Twitter and Trump’s own Truth Social. Even they found him guilty on all 34 counts. Bang to rights doesn’t even cover it.
🙂
I looked at Reich’s video. On the same playlist is one by Freddie Gray deputy editor of the Spectator saying Trump’s conviction should make us worry about democracy.
We have Trump sympathisers in our midst in the supposedly respectable journal which is part of the Establishment.
We should be vigilant. Fascism comes in many guises.
Agreed
There is a weary and scary inevitability about this. In a recent conversation I said the best outcome is Biden having a CVA and Harris taking over, which might swing the election. However, the GOP has so deeply tied up so many states with partisans I can see Trump elected. All hell will break loose, and not just in the USA. EU is in danger, all Russian border states etc., and potential Middle Eastern war, not to mention potential for secession in the USA by the western coastal and NE states.
I share your concerns
Even if he doesn’t win the election, what’s to stop his supporters rioting with more effect than the last time? Already some are stating the only outcome they will accept is a Trump victory.
They may be small[ish] in number, but they are strong enough to cause severe problems and, if the police/military do not intervene, take over the government.
They will also have learned from their last failure, much like Hitler learned from the Munich putsch in 1923.
Nellie the Elephant, Trump & Existentialism – a short detour into the surreal.
In the song Nellie the Elephant sung by Mandy Miller, the word trump often appears. Not only does Nellie “trump trump trump” but she also “packs her trump” leaving us to wonder, as the late great Jean Paul satre did in “Nothing and Nothigness (written in fact at Southend on Sea – in the winter and later amended to Being & Nothingness, once he got back to Paris, presumably his mood lightened – whose wouldn’t?) that everybody has to have a trump, a small blond rag doll one uses to take out one’s frustrations of the world. In later years Satre switched to young ladies – but … c’est la vie?
This does not however, detract from his searing observations on the need for a trump, even Nellie had one which brings us to America and Trump, escaped from the clutches of Nellie and Mandy (who later went on to become the amour of Barry Manilow) now wishing to take his revenge on the world that rejected and abused him. Satre would recognise this as an existential act of cathasis, after all, when you have all the money in the workd, have been absued by a large pachyderm and her singing companion, have married a number of beautiful east Europeans with unfortunate names (I-wanna?) what is there left to do… but act!
The latest poll which asked the question ‘Would you vote for Trump if he is convicted’. Was published on the same day that Trump was convicted (Rachel Maddow discussed it with other MSNBC hosts last night). In it 17% of independent voters and 10% of registered Republican voters said they wouldn’t vote for the ‘Orange Turd’ (to use a nickname referenced in the recent trial) if he was found guilty. That’s more than enough to tip the balance in favour of Biden.
That said, as the US electoral college system is even less democratic and more bonkers than our first past the post approach this will all come down to how those margins play out in the six key states. But I still believe most sane Republicans will not vote for someone whose incessant whining and increasingly mad lies are demonstrably false.
That said, it seems that most US commentators agree that about 30% of the US population is totally on board what is now quite obviously the cult of Trump, and so, perhaps with people like Musk on board and other extremely rich right wing zealots, not to mention the Supreme Court, maybe Trump will win, or, quite likely attempt to seize power by force. In which case, I understand there’s a film already on general release that rehearses the consequences. I hope not, but, speaking personally, were I living in the US I’d be happy to take up arms against anyone who thought they could force Trump as President on me. I’m sure I’m not alone in that regard.
Let’s hope it does not come to that
Satire Alert!
The Evangelical American Right holds some frighteningly bizarre views and it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest, if Trump were to be elected again as POTUS, if they portrayed it as the Messiah’s Second Coming, to the dismay of the rest of the World apart from Putin who would view it as “job done”.
I didn’t notice the satire 🙂
I think it’s a pity that the first criminal case to be dealt with was the least important. True, it revealed some pretty unpleasant and despicable behaviour on Trump’s part, but less serious than misappropriating classified documents, trying to bully officials into “finding” extra Republican votes and, above all, inciting an insurrection to prevent Biden’s victory from being formalised. Having the bare facts of what happened on 6th January laid out in court might have made more people question their loyalty to Trump.