“WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America.”
When Donald Trump posted that on social media today, I was surprised to see that he had finally said something with which I agreed.
Sort of.
I believe Trump meant it was outrageous that someone like him should ever have been arrested in a country like this. He sees himself as a great man who is somehow beyond the rules that affect ordinary men.
That certainly isn’t my point of view. My take is that my surprise at Trump’s arrest is that the rich and powerful rarely are actually arrested in this country. When they are, it’s usually for capital crimes or crimes against children.
So when Trump went to court and was arraigned on 34 charges of falsifying business records, it was somewhat of a unique occurrence. Regardless of how things turn out in court, I have a hard time believing Trump will ever serve a day in prison.
So anyone dreaming that he might suffer the same fate as Greg Marmalard in “Animal House” probably should stop fantasizing.
Those who worship Trump say it’s preposterous to punish him for having extramarital sex or for paying someone $130,000 to conceal the fact during a campaign. Of course, neither of those things are what he was charged with Tuesday. The actual charges involved falsifying business records to conceal the payments, though.
Trump did everything he could to engineer a situation where those who follow him could create enough chaos to intimidate those who don’t. That’s what brought minions like Marjorie Taylor Greene to New York, to show people in a city that has little use for Trump that they stand alone.
The media has been ridiculous in its assessment of the situation, saying the arrest and upcoming trial actually makes it more likely Trump will be elected in 2024. It might possibly improve his stature with Trumpanzees and make him more of a lock for the GOP nomination, but it is not helping his status with independents or Democrats.
That may be what Trump has trouble believing even as it happens.