The bizarre trial of Donald Trump, commonly referred to as “the hush money” case, will be written about 100 years from now. We call it the “hush money case,” but if Trump is found guilty, it will not be for paying to prevent the publication of the story about Trump having sex with a porn star. It will be for falsifying business records.

To prevent the story of his encounter with Stormy Daniels from coming out and sinking his 2016 bid for the presidency. Trump had his attorney, Michel Cohen, pay “hush money” to The National Enquirer and recorded it as legal fees to keep the payments secret. That falsification of records is a felony under New York law.

Last week, I discussed the case with several friends who had diverse opinions about the case. One friend questioned whether it is remotely possible for Trump to get a fair trial in New York City. Another said she prayed that Trump did not get off on a technicality. She was disappointed that the case was about “bookkeeping” and was disturbed those two lawyers, whom she sees as the type of persons who might “let Trump off,” were accepted as jurors. My female friend also opined that a conviction should not require a unanimous verdict as she worries about a stealth juror.

Diplomat that I am, I did more listening than opining. But part of my reticence to debate the trial is that I also wonder if a fair trial in NYC is possible. I am also trying to figure out why Donald Trump glowers at the judge, refuses to stand up when the jury enters the courtroom and has violated the “gag order” (I wish it were described differently) seven times. Why, I wonder, is Trump begging to be convicted?

Trump has insulted everyone remotely connected with his portfolio of legal cases. I am waiting for him to blast the janitors in the courthouse or the New York City police who anxiously patrol the area. Trump himself says the case is a sham brought about by Democrats and other America-haters to keep him out of the White House. Trump thinks that he did nothing wrong. Who was hurt by his disguising the “hush money” payments through Michael Cohen?

Trump may yet be found in contempt of court. If that happens, will Judge Juan Merchan lock him up? I find that hard to imagine. Trump apparently agrees. He is not acting like jail for contempt is a possibility.

Trump’s social media posts are nauseating. I refuse to join his social media platform to see them all, but those I have seen are a potent emetic. But the posts are also working. If you can believe Trump, he recently raised $50 million in a single fundraiser. Business titans, the type of people I like to think have some sophistication, are comfortable with Trump’s opus.

Is Trump begging the court to convict him to enhance the urgency for his supporters to vote for him? Given that, the only way Trump will escape accountability for his federal crimes will be to pardon himself. That requires winning election in November, or does it? Kari Lake, now a Republican Senate candidate in Arizona, suggests that violence may be necessary to get Trump back in the White House. She urged supporters to “strap on a Glock.”

Trump’s base also assumes that a win in November (or reclaiming the presidency through some other means) will make a conviction in New York or Georgia go away. Once in the office, he will ignore any order to surrender himself and use the Secret Service to shield him from marshals.

Simply put, Trump’s supporters do not believe he did anything wrong and are okay with any judicial determination of guilt being swept away. Trump and his supporters do not take the judicial system seriously. That is why Trump is comfortable begging for conviction by disrespecting the court and even falling asleep in the courtroom.

As Trump would put it, “Sad!”

Does Trump expect to be convicted? Maybe, but he may not think it matters. He will appeal the decision if convicted, delaying accountability until after election day. After that, Trump believes, he will be president.

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and, all too infrequently, other subjects.

Donald Trump made history Monday in New York as the first American ex-president ever to face trial for a felony. Trump himself said he “was honored” to be in court Monday, which was curious given that he characterized the trial as a witch hunt, blamed it on Joe Biden, and cried, “Election Interference!”

As I watched the proceedings on MSNBC, I was disgusted. The Morning Joe personalities seemed happy to see Trump in court. They ridiculed his ridiculous statement made before entering the courtroom. They speculated what embarrassing evidence would surface during the trial and seemed happy about the possibility of Trump receiving a jail sentence.

I wondered, even though I want Trump to lose in November, why would I be happy to see him in jail? If Trump is convicted, his sentence would be too much or too little. Both sides will claim political favoritism. Trump himself will claim “victory” if the jury fails to reach a verdict or if Trump’s sentence is suspended. Trump will also use his prosecution to raise funds for his presidential race and to pay for the other trials he may face this year or later.

Regardless of your view of Trump, it is sad for an ex-president to face jail time. This is not to say that Trump should not have been indicted. If you commit the crime, you should do the time. But the spectacle of a grim-faced Trump facing a trial for paying hush money to kill a story of his affair with a porn star is sordid. The sad fact that the country elected a man who had affairs with Stormy Daniels and the Playboy Playmate McDougal suggests that something is wrong with the Constitution and with how our democracy has evolved.

The Trump prosecutions are shaking our faith in our judicial system and, to a significant extent, democracy. 

Trump has promised to testify at the trial. Given his penchant for lying, his lawyers are likely to prevent that. If he did testify, however, I would expect him to use the opportunity to blast the judge, prosecutor, the Justice Department, and Joe Biden again. Trump would see it as an opportunity to get free airtime to broadcast a message to his base. I find that depressing. 

Although I am a lawyer and ought to know better, I think that Trump ought to be gagged if he engages in conduct demeaning to the court. (Of course, Trump might be hoping he is “gagged” so he can claim a mistrial.)

I tend to dismiss everything Trump says. For example, Trump’s suggestion that Iran would never have sent 300 drones and missiles to Israel if he were president is nonsense. But Trump may have a point about election interference. Trump will likely spend 15, 20, or more days in court in the coming weeks instead of campaigning. That shouldn’t happen, but that doesn’t mean he should not be tried despite being an active presidential candidate. Trump should have quit the race once he was indicted. That’s what a decent human being would do.

Trump will not be quitting his quest to return to power. He has to finish the race and win the presidency to avoid jail. If you can believe the legal pundits on MSNBC, CNN, and a few other channels, Trump is guilty and most likely will be tagged with at least one conviction by November 5, 2024.

If all were right with America, a criminal indictment would have ended Trump’s 2024 presidential quest. It didn’t. Trump’s supporters think Trump should pardon himself on January 20, 2025, and initiate retribution against those who indicted and prosecuted him. What are these people thinking? 

The start of the Trump trial eclipsed news coverage of Iran’s attack on Israel. Amazingly, Israel, the U.S., and others shot down 99 percent of the missiles launched by Iran. Had that not happened, the day’s news would be “World War III has started.” Unfortunately, the first Iran attack may not be the last. As Israel contemplates a retaliatory measure, Iran is most likely exploring how to deal a more devasting blow to Israel. As this happens, President Biden is walking the tightrope between support for Israel and trying to avoid a world war. At the same time, too many of us are watching the Trump trial.

Yes, history was made this week as the Trump trial began. This is a sad time for America. Trump must be held accountable but holding him accountable complicates the sacred process of electing a president. Prosecuting Trump might help him get elected. Those two things are one reason that the hush money trial is historic. It is also a reminder that much of history is tragic.

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics and, too infrequently, other subjects. 

 

I was overcome by nausea when the news broke that Donald Trump had spent Easter writing 77 posts to his social media platform. Easter is supposed to be a time of reflection and happiness. It has a special meaning for Christians, but even non-believers celebrate the holiday. It marks the beginning of Spring, a time of year that offers hope and renewal. I planned to write about Easter in this week’s column but cannot ignore the melt-down of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. 

If you have not noticed, today’s Donald Trump is slowly melting, or, if you prefer, imploding. His speeches are progressively less coherent while at the same time more bellicose, angry, and paranoid. The failing United States, Trump believes, is out to get him. He is not being prosecuted for crimes; he is being persecuted by evil people. He is a victim, much like Jesus Christ.

When Trump compared his own prosecution to Christ’s crucifixion, I was shocked. If Trump’s sacrilege does not offend you, what does? 

 Does Trump believe that “evil” is behind his legal problems? Or is he just “playing to his base?”  After reading several of Trump’s Easter rants, I concluded that it is the former. The ex-president has “lost it,” and his party is too far gone to recognize it.

A short book appropriate for the mental health section of a bookstore could be written on Trump’s 77 Easter social media posts. Was Trump going for a Guinness Book record? I quit reading them after the first dozen. They are repetitive and devoid of anything a future president should be contemplating on Easter. 

One of the 77 posts seems to be getting more attention than others. This one, I am happy to report, does not include a self-comparison with Christ or plagiarism of any of Hitler’s speeches. Instead, Trump summarizes his defense in some of the legal actions against him. The post reads:

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL, INCLUDING CROOKED AND CORRUPT PROSECUTORS AND JUDGES THAT ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO INTERFERE WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2024, AND PUT ME IN PRISON, INCLUDING THOSE MANY PEOPLE THAT I COMPLETELY & TOTALLY DESPISE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA, A NOW FAILING NATION, LIKE “DERANGED” JACK SMITH, WHO IS EVIL AND “SICK,” MRS. FANI “FAUNI” WADE, WHO SAID SHE HARDLY KNEW THE “SPECIAL” PROSECUTOR, ONLY TO FIND THAT HE SPENT YEARS “LOVING” HER, LONG BEFORE THE GEORGIA PERSECUTION OF PRESIDENT TRUMP BEGAN (AND THEREBY MAKING THE CASE AGAINST ME NULL, VOID, AND ILLEGAL!), AND LAZY ON VIOLENT CRIME ALVIN BRAGG WHO, WITH CROOKED JOE’S DOJ THUGS, UNFAIRLY WORKING IN THE D.A.’s OFFICE, ILLEGALLY INDICTED ME ON A CASE HE NEVER WANTED TO BRING AND VIRTUALLY ALL LEGAL SCHOLARS SAY IS A CASE THAT SHOULD NOT BE BROUGHT, IS BREAKING THE LAW IN DOING SO (POMERANTZ!), WAS TURNED DOWN BY ALL OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES, AND IS NOT A CRIME. HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

As they taught us in law school, Res Ipsa Loquitor–the thing speaks for itself. In writing this post, Trump shows himself for who he is. 

For one thing, the post shows Trump to be a liar. The prosecutors and judges in the cases against Trump are not “Crooked and Corrupt.”  Nor are they doing everything to interfere with the presidential election. If they were, at least two of the cases already would have gone to trial. And “EVIL and ‘SICK'” Jack Smith, who is “DERANGED,” would have brought his indictments against Trump in 2021 rather than 2023. 

In the same post, President Trump demonstrates a flawed understanding of the law. He writes that the Georgia “PERSECUTION” is NULL, VOID, and ILLEGAL because of Fani Willis’ personal relationship with Nathan Wade. He implies that Willis and Wade are married, which is untrue, and that they are motivated by a desire to destroy America.

Would the conviction of Trump destroy America? Will America be destroyed if Trump is not elected president in November? I don’t think so. 

Election Day is only seven months away. If Donald Trump’s melt-down continues, the Republican party will have to find somebody else to run against Joe Biden. It is premature to talk about what such a development would mean or who the Republican Party, which has been gutted since Trump appointed his daughter-in-law to help lead it, would appoint. What is certain is that the Trump that some of us (mistakenly in my view) admired and voted for, has left the building. 

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and, all too infrequently, other subjects. 

 

Representative Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has filed a motion to oust Speaker Mike Johnson and throw the House of Representatives into another month of chaos. Representative Ken Buck (R-OH), who had already announced his retirement at the end of the current Congress, suddenly resigned, further narrowing the Republican majority in the House (a good thing) but also further empowering nutcases like Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, and a host of other Freedom Caucus members.  

Do you need more evidence that idiots, or, in the case of some elected representatives, simply dysfunctional people, should not be in Congress?  I do not think so.

Today’s Congress includes people disinterested in legislating.  Some of them facilitated the January 6th attack on the Capitol, needed the help of Capitol Police to avoid being killed by rioters, and have since joined Donald Trump in dubbing the insurrectionists “patriots” and “political prisoners.” Who can forget Senator Josh Hawley  (R-MO) fist-pumping rioters as they marched towards the Capitol with the intention of ransacking it and later witnessing Hawley running towards safety to escape the same people a few hours later?

I count Hawley, educated at Stanford and Yale, among the idiots. He should not be in Congress. And what about Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, a vocal Trump champion, being called an enabler of Russian disinformation?  If the allegation is true, Johnson should face trial for treason.

Although I follow politics closely, I am more familiar with the likes of Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and the right-wing dentist Paul Gosar (R-AZ), whose “service” in Congress has been condemned by his own family, than I am with members of Congress who view service in Washington as a sacred trust. This situation is sad. It should not be this way. The problem is that while constructive members of Congress do their best to make Congress work, the idiots are often in charge and use their power to block aid to Ukraine, hold ridiculous hearings, and attempt to shut down government by blocking essential appropriations.

I fear we are reaching the critical mass of idiots that renders Congress the joke that authoritarians think it is.  As Congress becomes irretrievably deadlocked, arguments for more executive power are strengthened. The idea of a president becoming a “dictator for a day” becomes more appealing to many voters, especially if that president shares their values and is effective in painting their political opponents as communists, lunatics, RINOs and worse.

Many of us wish there were provisions in the Constitution that would preclude the likes of Matt Gaetz (R-FL) from being elected to Congress. Should candidates for Federal office be required to swear an oath to uphold the Constitution and support the functioning of Congress?  Maybe. But it is easy to imagine dysfunctional candidates ignoring whatever pledge they make. 

Should candidates running for election to Congress be required to pass a test demonstrating knowledge of how Congress works?  I wonder whether Marjorie Taylor Green can differentiate between authorizing, appropriations, and budget committees. Could Paul Gosar explain how a bill becomes a law?  Does Matt Gaetz understand Separation of Powers and why the framers included it in the Constitution?  I doubt it.

And let us add one more requirement—any legislator winning election must pledge to serve the entire term except in truly exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness or incapacity or the need to care for an ailing child or spouse. Other than that, election to Congress should be seen as a contract. Legislators leaving office early should forfeit their retirement benefits, and any unused campaign funds should be seized to pay for any special elections held to fill their vacated seats. Sorry Ken Buck.

Should a member of Congress, such as New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), facing criminal indictment for bribery, be allowed to run for re-election?  No. No more than a man facing multiple indictments and dozens of felony counts should be allowed to run for president.

Although new Constitutional provisions designed to keep idiots and compromised candidates out of Congress and the presidency may not work, they may be worth a shot, even if political parties and individuals seek to circumvent them. It is worth a try.  

Americans are losing faith in the structure of government specified in the Constitution.  In the last week, I have heard various people suggest the Supreme Court’s transition into a political entity has destroyed the balance of power in what are supposed to be three separate and equal branches of government.  I have heard people suggest that “every” member of Congress is “crooked.

Can  American Democracy, as reflected in the Constitution, be saved?  I hope so. But it may depend on driving the “idiots” out of government. 

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and, all too infrequently, other subjects. 

 

Mike Pence will be best remembered as the man who told Donald Trump “No” at the right time. Without his courage, Trump may be running for a third term in the White House, not a second. For his efforts, Pence became an outcast in the Republican party. His brief run for president has already been forgotten. Until last week, I had not seen Pence in the news for months.

Does Pence deserve a chapter in a modern version of John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage? No.

Last week, Mike Pence announced that he would not endorse Donald Trump. The announcement was a surprise, even though Pence almost lost his life to Trump supporters on January 6, 2021. Dozens of other Republicans who, like Pence, believed that Trump lost the 2020 election and were appalled at the army of thugs carrying Trump banners rampage at the Capitol have endorsed Trump. Among the endorsers are Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio.

The absence of George W. or Jeb Bush from the list makes me feel better about both of them, even though their distaste for Trump may have more to do with how Trump treated “Low energy” Jeb in 2016 than January 6. I also think Ronald Reagan would have spoken out against Trump if he were still with us. But maybe he would not. Reagan was a second-tier actor when he entered politics. He paved the way for Trump’s entry into politics in multiple ways. Remember Reagan telling us, “Government is the problem?”

When I learned that Mike Pence was not endorsing Trump, I felt sympathy for him. The announcement is tantamount to a resignation from today’s Republican party. Pence will never again hold elective office, and Trump will shun him should the ex-president win the election this November.

When I read Pence’s announcement, I noticed something. After writing, “It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” Pence arguably endorsed him by writing: “I am incredibly proud of the record of our administration.”

In his announcement, Pence also noted, “I made it clear there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues. And not just our differences on our constitutional duties that I exercised on January 6.” Somehow, those words do not ring true to me.  Absent January 6, I think Pence would have found a way, like McConnell, to put party ahead of principle.

And what differences are troubling Pence?  The former VP would like to see more abortion restrictions, curiously argues that Trump’s plans to address the national debt are inadequate, and would like to see TikTok banned. (Pence is troubled that Trump now opposes banning TikTok despite its Chinese ownership.)

So Pence is saying he is proud of the first chaotic, racist, and dysfunctional Trump administration–four years that started with Trump lying about the size of his inauguration crowd on January 20, 2017, and ended with the Big Lie, a lie that Trump still repeats.

Pence did not say anything about Trump’s plans to seek retribution against his political enemies; his plans to jail or institutionalize (mental institutions) his prosecutors and various federal and state judges; and to build detention camps to hold undocumented migrants. Pence has also said nothing about Trump’s temperament and declining mental state. Pence also has taken the position that. as a former president, Trump should not have been indicted. Pence commented, “I would just hope there would be a way for them to move forward without the dramatic and drastic and divisive step of indicting a former president of the United States. We have to find a way to move our country forward and restore confidence in equal treatment under the law in this country. We really do.”

So, Pence does not think Trump should have been indicted for the Mar-a-Lago documents or the election interference and argued that not indicting Trump would be a way to restore confidence in equal treatment under the law? Give me a break.

Let us thank Mike Pence for what he did in January 2021 and send him on his way into history. He earned my thanks by thwarting Trump in 2021, but as some said when he was running for President, he is Trump without the baggage.

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and all too infrequently, other subjects. 

 

Assuming your friends are a politically diverse group, including liberals, moderates, and conservatives, if you ask about the 2024 election, you will get answers that reflect that diversity.  The liberals may be hopeful but worried about President Biden, the conservatives anxious that their candidate will self-destruct before election day, and many moderates will admit they don’t know.  Some of them will even answer they are not sure whether they will vote in November. 

Regular readers of my columns know I consider Donald Trump so unfit a candidate for the presidency that I assume he will lose.  That view embodies the hope that eventually, enough of us will see Trump and Biden for who they are and vote for Biden. 

From responses I have received to previous columns, I sense that another condemnation of Trump from me will not sway anybody’s opinion. So, earlier this week I persuaded Spy Columnist Maria Grant, a Biden supporter, to sit down with me and talk about her thoughts on the 2024 election.  Her answers were, to me, insightful, so much so that I asked her if I could share them in this week’s column.  So, here goes. . .  

Will Joe Biden and Kamala Harris be sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2025? 

Yes. The election will be close, but they will prevail.  

Polls show that Donald Trump with a higher approval rating than Joe Biden.  Very concisely, why? 

A lot of those polls came from the exit polls from the primary.  If you look at the limited number of Republican voters that participated in those primaries, you have a very small, probably non-representative picture of these voters.  My take-away from those polls is that the polls may not be reflective of the true situation.  

In his state of the union address, President Biden reiterated the importance of American support for Ukraine.  Will that help or hurt him in November? 

That will help him.  I thought he could have been stronger in his speech.  It deserved more attention than he got in the speech.  I also know that many Republicans support more aid for Ukraine.  

The President also talked about the overturning of Roe v. Wade and reminded listeners that women are politically powerful.  How central is the abortion issue to Biden’s campaign?   

I think it is front and center.  It is one the reason he will get voters under 40 to vote for him.  He needs to continue stressing it as the campaign continues.  

In your view, what issue is most important to Biden’s campaign? 

His age.  On Thursday, he showed vigor and wisdom.  This contrasts, to me, the doddering, confused Trump.  As the campaign continues, Biden needs to continue to show vigor and emphasize his experience, including his service as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations committee and eight years as Obama’s vice president.  I also note that Trump doesn’t know basic civics—things like how a bill becomes a law.  Biden’s experience is a huge plus for his reelection bid.  

Let’s talk about a few of issues polls indicate are voter concerns about President Biden.  Is he too old to run? 

In a perfect world, we would have a younger candidate.  The question is moot now, I think.  Biden and, 77-year-old Trump are running.  So, we need to focus on which of them is more fit to be president. It is Biden.  

Do you sense a lot of Democratic voters will stay home on election day? 

Democratic turn-out will be strong.  More Republicans will stay home or vote for an independent or Biden.  As you know, Larry Hogan says he will not vote for Trump.  As has Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski, the Senator from Alaska.   I also think more Haley voters will vote for Biden than Trump.  

Some suggest President Biden should replace Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket. Would you like to see her replaced?   

No. Her performance has improved over the last few months.  Also, replacing her now would risk alienating Blacks and other voters. He will stick with her.  She is prepared to be president.  

Will Harris on the ballot as vice president cost Biden the election? 

No. She might even help the ticket.  She has been effective on women’s issues. 

Let’s turn to Donald Trump.  I know you don’t like him, so let’s set that aside.  How about the 91 felony counts pending against him?  Why haven’t Republican voters fled from him? 

His so-called base has dwindled.  His hard-core base may still support him, but even some of those voters will leave him if he gets convicted of a felony before they vote.  Just watch.  

Polls indicate a majority of Republicans still believe Trump won the 2020 election.  Does that surprise you? 

Yes. Case after case showed no voter fraud. Where is the fraud? 

The State of the Union address brought us a more energetic, combative Joe Biden than many of us expected.  What will coming weeks and months show us in terms of Trump? Will Trump step up his game and become even more aggressive in attacking Biden’s record and his age? 

Yes. A case in point is the reprehensible ad that came out on the day of the State of the Union Address.  It showed Biden slipping on the stairs going into Air Force One on a split screen showing Kamala Harris laughing.  Given who Trump is, and the more he realizes he is losing the election, the nastier he will become.  We have not seen the worst yet.   

Okay, now the hard question.  On election night, 2024, who will win?  And by how much? 

Biden will win. If forced to guess, I think it could be 55-45, but it will probably be closer.  

Do you agree with Maria?  I would welcome hearing from you. 

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other topics.  Maria Grant is a Commentator with The Spy and Dean’s spouse.  She was principal-in-charge of the Federal Human Capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, gardening, piano, kayaking and nature. 

 

 

 

 

 

Generalizations are dangerous. Not all Trump supporters are, as Trump would say, “deluded lunatics.”  But maybe some are. Donald Trump has a remarkable record of offensive behavior. Some of it is racist. Some of it is criminal. And much of it is hypocritical. Does support for Trump entail accepting everything that Trump has said or done? Of course not. But I wonder how Trump supporters can look at themselves in the mirror while knowing the ex-president’s record.

As I thought about how people can support Trump, I jotted down a list of things that Trump has said or done. 

Trump confused Nikki Haley and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Several times in recent weeks, he has referred to Obama when he meant Biden. He called Joe Biden “Sleepy Joe” and said, “He doesn’t even know if he’s alive.”  Biden is showing signs of age. But what is a 77-year-old, who regularly makes similar misstatements, doing, saying Biden is too old to be president?

Not paying taxes. Do Trump supporters support tax evasion? Should a billionaire pay $750 in taxes a year? If everyone were as successful at avoiding taxes as Trump has been, the federal government, including the Department of Defense, Medicare and Medicaid, and Social Security, would collapse.

Claiming to win an election in 2020 that he clearly lost. This is a tough one–especially when Trump insists that voter fraud won the election for Biden. Trump no longer discusses the details of how he lost the 2020 election. Instead, he relies on generalized allegations of fraud by Democrats, “RINOs” and communist lunatics. 

Making questionable political appointments to the Cabinet and federal agencies and subsequently firing many of them, sometimes on Twitter.  As president, Trump engaged in personnel practices that would get any corporate executive fired.  Remember the appointment of Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as Attorney General.  After Sessions refused to recuse himself from the Russia probe, Trump fired him and call him “mentally-retarded.”  He also referred to Sessions as “Mr. Magoo, “an idiot,” and “mixed-up and confused.” 

Dozens of former Trump appointees oppose his attempt to return to power, including General John Kelly who Trump called,  “a lowlife with a small brain and a big mouth.”  He also called for the execution of the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  What does this behavior say about Trump’s fitness to serve as president?

Bragging about being famous allowing you to grab women by the “pu**y.”  What adult says things like that? Trump claims it was locker-room talk, but his personal history is that of a “player.”  Case in point: He had an affair with a Playboy Playmate for nine months just after Melania gave birth to their son, Barron.  Have you seen the photo of Trump with his one-time friend, Jeffrey Epstein?

Believing that business fraud is OK. Trump has been found guilty of inflating the values of real estate to defraud banks and other lenders into giving him lower interest rates on loans. Trump argues that nobody was hurt. He even went so far as to imply that banks welcomed being defrauded.  The State of New York sees it otherwise. Now billionaire Trump is having difficulty raising money for the half billion dollar fine imposed on him. 

Calling federal judges “deranged” for not dismissing felony charges related to the January 6, 2021 insurrection;  obstruction of justice; taking secret documents with him to Mar-a-Lago after he left the White House; interfering with the counting of votes, including asking the Georgia Secretary of State to “find me” 11,780 votes.  

Promising to pardon January 6 rioters. Trump has not promised to pardon all of them, but he has called the people who caused multiple deaths and millions of dollars in damages “patriots.”  The U.S. Office of Government Accountability (GAO) claims the cost of January 6 is around $2.7 billion, including actions taken to improve the security at the Capitol to prevent a repeat of January 6. The “cost” of people dying, of course, cannot be calculated.  

Calling Vladimir Putin a “genius” and “savvy” for his actions in Ukraine. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, 31,000 Ukrainian troops have died. If that number is accurate, total deaths in Ukraine likely exceed 50,000. And the end of the war is not in sight. 

While on the subject of Putin, Donald Trump once said he trusted Putin’s word over the reports of U.S. intelligence agencies. Putin assured Trump that Russia had not attempted to influence the U.S. presidential election. Who is comfortable believing Putin?

Saying he will be a “dictator for a day” in a campaign speech. Was this just “political rhetoric” in the same way as the “grab them by the pu**y” comment with Billy Bush was “locker room talk?” I don’t think so.

Trump promises “retribution” against his enemies and claims he is doing so on behalf of his supporters.  

Calling prosecutors “animals.”  Trump called Manhattan district Attorney Alvin Bragg an “animal” after Bragg indicted him for 34 felony counts in connection with Trump’s payment of “hush money” to avoid publication of reports of his affairs with porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal. 

In addition, Trump regularly frequently invokes language once used by Adolf Hitler. The most troubling example is promising to eradicate “vermin” that are “poisoning” the blood of America. I have a tough time understanding how Trump supporters can be comfortable with their candidate using this language.

Trump supporters: “What are you thinking?”  I suggest you take a closer look at your candidate before it’s too late.

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other topics.

 

 

 

Where will the Orange Menace be on January 20, 2025? Let’s set aside morbid or offensive scenarios—things like rotting in an overcrowded prison in China after being kidnapped on the fifth fairway of one of his Scottish golf courses.  It is easy to come up with dozens of scenarios like that, but what’s the point? It is okay to dislike or even hate Trump but wishing him ill should be unacceptable.  Calling for retribution against Trump is something that only somebody like Trump would do.

The next eight-plus months will be wild. One can imagine dozens of scenarios, most of them frightening.   Will they include any of the scenarios I imagined last weekend after eating too much spicy food?

Trump falls seriously ill. Given the stress of facing 91 felony charges and unpaid civil penalties of more than a half billion dollars, as well as the wear and tear of campaigning, a sudden, major-medical crisis could happen.  Are Trump supporters likely to stick with him after he suffers a stroke or heart attack?  Will Trump do something that finally convinces his supporters he’s not physically up to the job of president?

Trump declares bankruptcy. The devil may be in the details, but generally, court penalties are not dischargeable in bankruptcy. And, of course, a bankruptcy could increase sympathy for Trump among those who agree with Trump that the fines imposed for business fraud in New York are BS. Trump would launch aggressive new fundraising campaigns based on his bankruptcy. My guess is that Trump supporters will not abandon him if he is forced to (again) declare bankruptcy.

Melania Trump divorces Trump. Rumors that Melania, who Trump is accused of referencing as  “Mercedes” in a recent campaign speech, is contemplating divorce could prove true. Would a third divorce cost Trump support? Or would it strengthen support among his base who would blame the divorce on the “deranged prosecutors” who indicted him? Would Trump start attacking Melania as also being “deranged?”

Two or three women come forward with claims that Trump impregnated them and encouraged them to get abortions. If Trump were the player that he claims to be (and photos with people like Jeffrey Epstein suggest that he was), this scenario must be considered at least possible. Would the Trump followers who praise him for overturning Roe v. Wade abandon him?  Don’t count on it, especially if Trump simply calls the women involved liars.

Additional videotapes of Trump bragging about assaulting women with impunity are found. These tapes would be similar to the infamous Billy Bush tape. This scenario could prove to be a non-event. Everyone knows Trump is crude. His base is likely to yawn. Trump’s opponents would publicize the tapes, but how far will that get them?

New evidence of Trump’s complicity in the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol emerges proving that  Trump planned for an angry mob to disrupt the counting of votes. If Trump supporters learned that he was personally responsible for the insurrection, would that change their support for him?  Or would they like him even more?

A Trump supporter attempts to assassinate Joe Biden. There can be little doubt that Trump calling Biden a criminal, the worse president in history, senile and deranged could inspire someone to attempt an assassination. If that happened, would voters rally around Biden (assuming the assassination attempt failed), or would Trump stand up for the would-be assassins and call them patriots?

The IRS files a massive tax fraud case against Trump. Would this poison Trump’s support? Or would they, echoing Trump, call it another witch hunt or even increase their support and donations to Trump in the belief that by not paying taxes, Trump was fighting big government.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce formally endorse Biden. This is perhaps the most likely of the 10 scenarios, but would the endorsement hurt Trump? Trump supporters don’t seem to be the type of people who would drop Trump because Swift detests him. And many Trump supporters may not know who Travis Kelce is.

Finally, as November 5 approaches, Trump determines that he is going to, again, lose the presidential election. Knowing that the government is likely to be better prepared to address another attempt to gain power through violence, Trump could renounce his citizenship and move to a friendly country, such as Russia. If this were to happen, would newly reelected President Biden seek to extradite him back to the U.S. Not likely.

These 10 scenarios, if you have not realized it, are speculative. Here is one more scenario more likely than not to happen in November. Millions of Democratic, independent, and disgruntled Republican voters realize the election of Trump is a real possibility. Motivated by the imperative of protecting civil rights, saving the environment, maintaining abortion rights, respecting human dignity at the border, continuing American world leadership, and restoring decency to politics, vote in record numbers, swamping Trump.  Trump is defeated in a landslide so big that even he is unable to claim election fraud.

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government and other subjects.

I am weary of watching videos of an outraged Donald Trump complaining about election interference. Trump argues that the civil and criminal cases brought against him are politically motivated. Trump tells us that the cases would not have been brought if he were not running for president. Really? Most of us are not buying that argument. But is Trump, right? Would anyone else who committed the same business fraud of inflating property values to get more favorable loan rates have been prosecuted?

Last weekend, I reflected on “election interference” and concluded that the Trump legal proceedings meet the definition. They are distracting voters from critical issues that should be the focus of a presidential election–things like the economy, healthcare, education, civil rights, crime, and border security. But I also concluded that it was Trump, not the prosecutors and justice system that is attempting to hold him accountable, that is to blame.

Jack Smith, Fani Willis, Letitia James, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg likely thought about who they were investigating or indicting when they made their prosecutorial decisions to pursue Trump. They may have been thinking, “Somebody had to do something to stop Trump from returning to power.” But, most likely, they were also thinking, “Given what Trump did, he must be prosecuted.”

In his first 15 months as New York DA, Bragg and his team filed 166 felony counts for falsifying business records against 34 people or companies.  Under his predecessor, former DA Cyrus Vance, in contrast, it took three years to charge about the same amount of business felonies.

“Equal Justice Under Law” is engraved into the marble above the main entrance to the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. The meaning of the phrase is obvious, but it also means that justice is not equal if accountability can be evaded by running for president.

The Constitution of the United States is deficient in not eliminating eligibility to run for president for anyone who faces a pending indictment for a felony under federal law. Such a provision would have nipped Trump’s scary attempt to return to office in the bud. If the Constitution restricts eligibility to run for president to people above age 35 who are naturally born citizens and have lived in the United States for 14 years, the Founding Fathers could have gone one step further and blocked people accused of serious crimes from running for president.

Naysayers, most of them supporters of the ex-president, will point out that such a modification to the Constitution would create the possibility of political opponents conjuring up phony charges and indicting candidates to block their elections. Such a scenario can be imagined, especially under a future Trump administration, but is unlikely in normal times. The party that engaged in such a stunt would be condemned by voters.

Imagine, for a moment, that Donald Trump was a patriot who loved the Constitution and democracy. That Trump would reflect on the 2024 campaign and realize that the biggest elephant in the room (the age of the two leading candidates being the second biggest) is preempting a discussion of issues and would drop out.

We are not hearing enough about the issues voters want to discuss, which is one reason many voters are checking out. Unless you are a political junkie, Trump’s efforts to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis removed from the Trump case in Georgia is boring. Equally boring are the asset valuation issues at the heart of Trump’s business fraud case in New York—the one where Judge Erdogan found Trump liable for more than $453 million dollars. Many voters shrug their shoulders and say, “Don’t all businesspeople cheat?” or “That has nothing to do with me!”

After months of watching Trump’s 2024 campaign, voters are waking up to the fact that Trump is portraying himself as a victim of an unjust legal system in his campaign. Few voters read the detailed and often bizarre policy proposals that the Trump campaign has put forward. If Trump is not talking much about them, why should voters read them?

Give Trump a stage, and you will hear the words witch hunt, deranged, sick, Trump hater, corrupt, and, of course, election interference repeatedly. If you are unfortunate enough to get a campaign solicitation from Trump, it will be more about his legal problems than about anything else. The main references to President Biden will be about his corruption and age. If policies are discussed, you will read about the Southern border being overrun, wokeness, crime, and very few other things. (If you were Trump, you would not want to talk about the economy, except for inflation, either.)

Imagine, for a moment, a 2024 election season where Trump was not running. Such a campaign would be different. President Biden’s age would still be an issue, but discussions of policy would be unavoidable. America would be on track for a better, more substantive election.

Trump’s legal problems, if you think about it, are the elephant in the 2024 room. They are the election interference, and one person is responsible for it—Donald Trump. Any decent human being facing the mountain of legal problems Trump faces would realize that discussion of the problems would preempt discussion of significant issues. Trump is not a decent human being. He could give a damn about something other than himself. He does not.

Trump could make the election interference referenced in his victimization campaign go away by dropping out. He will not.

If we are going to keep Trump out of the White House, we, the voters, must take matters into our own hands. We need to use the right to vote and execute our responsibility as citizens to speak out against a candidate who should not be running for president.

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government and other subjects.

The list of bizarre and troubling comments that Donald Trump has made on the campaign trail continues to grow. But until last week, the list did not include encouraging Russia to attack U.S. allies and, indirectly, the U.S.  

At a campaign rally in South Carolina, Trump reminded an audience of his efforts to encourage NATO members to meet their funding commitments to the mutual defense organization, implying that they were somehow delinquent in paying dues to the organization. The problem is that NATO does not collect dues. Instead, the organization asks members to commit to spending two percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense.  

Despite not understanding how NATO works, Trump credits himself with prompting some members to increase funding for the organization. None did. While some NATO members increased defense spending between 2017 and 2020, they most likely did so because of Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014.  It is also worth noting that President Obama urged NATO members to increase their defense budgets and that some NATO members spend more, as a percent of GDP, than the United States. Poland spent 3.9 percent in 2023, and nine other NATO members, in addition to the U.S., spent more than 2.0 percent. 

Trump shared a conversation he claims he had with a NATO member who asked him how he would respond to a NATO member that did not pay its NATO dues if that member were attacked. Trump, if you can believe him, responded, “You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent? No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them [Russia] to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.”  This statement coming from Trump is ironic, given the fact that he is notorious for not paying his bills. 

It is unlikely that this or any similar conversation between Trump and a NATO member took place. A NATO leader (other than Trump) would have known that there is no such thing as “NATO dues.”  Whoever Trump would have spoken to would have laughed at him and walked away.  

Since the speech, President Biden and some Capitol Hill Republicans have condemned Trump’s comments. In a statement, Biden reacted, describing the ex-president’s statement as “Donald Trump’s admission that he intends to give Putin a green light for more war and violence, to continue his brutal assault against a free Ukraine, and to expand his aggression to the people of Poland and the Baltic States is appalling and dangerous.”   

Trump’s comments are more than appalling and dangerous. They are also treasonous. NATO is a mutual defense organization. An attack on one member is considered an attack on all NATO members. The goal is to discourage military aggression against any NATO member, including the United States. That makes NATO effectively part of America’s defense against foreign adversaries, such as Russia. 

 In 2022, Trump praised Putin as “savvy” and “genius” after his attack on Ukraine. Trump commented: “’This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. He used the word ‘independent’ and ‘we’re gonna go out and we’re gonna go in and we’re gonna help keep peace.’ You gotta say that’s pretty savvy.”  Yes, very savvy, and even exceptionally savvy if you see nothing wrong with a dictator starting a war of aggression and justifying it with lies.  

Since the start of the Ukraine war, Russia’s economy has suffered greatly, its military has been badly depleted, and thousands of Russian men are fleeing the country to avoid military conscription. Would a genius or savvy leader let this happen to his country? (Note that Trump expressed hope the U.S. economy will collapse in the hope the crisis would aid he attempts to regain the White House.) 

Trump also discussed allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election at a press conference at a summit in Helsinki, Finland, that he believed Russian denials. After meeting with Vladimir Putin privately, he announced, “President Putin says it is not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.”  

Trump’s campaign responded to the condemnation of his campaign comments on NATO by reminding voters that the U.S. was at peace during his presidency. Campaign spokesman Jason Miller commented, “Democrat and media pearl-clutchers seem to have forgotten that we had four years of peace and prosperity under President Trump, but Europe saw death and destruction under Obama-Biden and now more death and destruction under Biden. President Trump got our allies to increase their NATO spending by demanding they pay up, but Joe Biden went back to letting them take advantage of the American taxpayer.” 

 If you experience difficulty in understanding how this comment might neutralize or rebut Trump’s invitation to Putin to attack U.S. allies, you are not alone. 

Trump has again claimed that, if elected, he will end the war in Ukraine. That would apparently result from a combination of his cutting off U.S. aid to Ukraine and negotiating a Ukrainian surrender to Russia, under which Russia would retain the territory it has gained in the war. Trump has actively discouraged Congressional Republicans from approving additional aid to Ukraine and has ridiculed Ukrainian president Zelensky as “the world’s greatest salesman.” 

 Donald Trump is a friend of Putin. What better way to strengthen that friendship than by weakening NATO, undermining U.S. support for Ukraine, and, with help from his friend and possible 2024 running mate, Tucker Carlson, reversing the perception of Putin as a modern Hitler? 

Trump is a traitor. If he is elected in 2024 and follows through on the promises he made last week in South Carolina, the U.S. will be in a heap of hurt. 

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and other subjects.