On May 30, Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts by a New York jury in his “hush money” trial. Americans will now have to decide if they want a convicted felon as President.
In a previous article I stated that Trump possesses the personality that America’s enemies seek to exploit, namely, Trump conflates personal grievances with political grievances and claims he is being persecuted by the United States government.
Now he is a convicted criminal and is even angrier at America. He has already promised his supporters that he is their “retribution”, something that may sound like a threat to anyone who is not among his loyal base.
Given that as the presumptive Republican nominee for president Trump continues to receive intelligence briefings, it’s clear to see that he is now an even easier target for our geopolitical enemies to exploit.
Throughout this criminal trial an unrepentant Trump has gone on daily unhinged rants about the trial being rigged against him, the Judge being conflicted and “corrupted,” and the unfair treatment he was receiving. Daily, the garrulous Trump had much to say outside the courtroom, but inside the courtroom he was as quiet as a monk who had taken a vow of silence, electing not to testify in his own defense, presumably because he would be under oath and subject to cross examination, although he does have a constitutional right against self-incrimination.
Of course, he later said that he was willing and eager to testify but he was discouraged from doing so. James Carville simply says, “he chickened out” knowing that on cross examination they could rake through his murky past.
There was no surprise when Trump alleged the trial was unfair and refused to accept the unanimous verdict of the jury.
In 2016 Trump stated, “I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election if I win”, to cheers and applause of the throng. In Feb. 2016, after Trump’s loss to Ted Cruz in the Iowa primary, Trump posted on Twitter, “Ted Cruz didn’t win Iowa, he illegally stole it”. And for the past several months, Trump has been laying the groundwork for a grievance by alleging the 2024 election is rigged against him.
Trump has no sense of accountability, justice or respect for American jurisprudence when it involves him. He’s a petulant child born with a silver knife in his mouth. His words are like stab wounds that bring injury and pain to everyone and everything that doesn’t suit his needs or massage his ego. He cannot accept defeat, responsibility or adhere to the law. In Trump world, if he doesn’t win “it’s rigged”, including this criminal trial where he was convicted on all counts by twelve jurors that his own legal team approved.
And because of Trump’s behavior in general, and specifically during his trial, America’s children and adults are learning not to have confidence in America’s courts.
Trump’s felony convictions appear to have mobilized his base and sycophantic Republicans even more. He has created a “brave new world” in America where traditional values and beliefs are no longer accepted and his followers are programmed along an “assembly line” to believe and repeat what Trump says regardless how ridiculous or untrue. They are under the ideological sway of Trump who is now more likely to seek revenge against America in the aftermath of his felony convictions.
While under indictment and as a convicted felon, Trump could not even be hired as a police officer, correction officer or border patrol agent, yet inexplicably, he still has the full support of law enforcement organizations.
In 2020 NYPD Police Benevolent Association and the Fraternal Order of Police supported Trump’s candidacy. In April, while Trump was under four criminal indictments, Michigan Police Organization endorsed Trump for President. Jim Tiganelli, the association’s president said, “We were proud and are proud to do it. We were there in 2020. And I’ll tell you, we’re here in 2024.” He added, “I think that’ll help restore honor to this job”. Will the Michigan Police Organization now revoke its endorsement after Trump’s felony convictions?
Incomprehensibly, despite the fact that he could not even be hired as an agent of law enforcement, the Constitution offers no clear guidance on whether a convicted felon can run for President–and indeed, it looks like not only can he do so, but if elected he could actually govern from a prison cell.
The question now becomes whether Trump’s criminal convictions in the “hush money” trial will finally mobilize Americans to renounce him, and thereby change the course of American history.
