Donald Trump is the epitome of wealth and nauseating power. His Manhattan hush money trial opens Pandora’s box to the things his Republican party fears, and yet can’t get enough of at the same time.
The duality of Trump is perhaps the most perplexing thing about him. It’s long past time that the working class realizes that at the end of the day, the former president is nothing more than an adulterer who will cheat on the American people too.
Before Trump was due in court, he went to a construction site. To my surprise, especially since keeping up with the trial’s details, he was greeted with raucous applause and a warm reception. The New York Post interviewed general foreman carpenter Darren Gould, 58, who said:
“Trump got a great reception. They say unions aren’t big for Trump — well they are. Maybe the top union brass aren’t but when you talk to the men on the construction site, they’re all about Trump.”
My first thought was “What?” His trial is open for the entire world to see, both in Manhattan and in Washington D.C. Both of which reveal the amount of money Trump had spent illicitly for his own gain. Hardworking Americans need to realize that the way Trump gets his hands dirty is much different than washing oil and rust off at the end of the day.
In Washington, Trump is being compared to a king by Justice Elena Kagan, and that very same rhetoric is working its way into Manhattan.
David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer, has spent the past week detailing how he bought stories from Trump’s former affair partners Kathy McDougal and Stormy Daniels, just to never publish them in what is called a catch-and-kill scheme to aid Trump’s 2016 campaign.
The logic was that if people were to find out about his affairs with a Playboy model and famous porn star, no one would see him as “just like one of us” anymore. Instead, it would be revealed who he truly is, a cheat born with a silver spoon.
Why, then, as more about the case comes to light does the average American still want him in office? Apparently, no one cares to listen to the negatives anymore. The New York Post writes,
“Persaud, a sheet metal worker, said he wasn’t following Trump’s court case but that he felt ‘they’re always trying to get him on something.’”
Part of the appeal of Trump is that he wasn’t like one of the greedy politicians that America was used to. But these cases prove that he is so much worse. This is the first time an American president has faced criminal charges. This tells us everything we need to know about Trump and his political beliefs. He will step on anyone’s neck for absolute power.
Donald Trump is not your friend. He is not the man that you can grab a beer with after work or the guy who will remember your kid’s birthday. He uses his lack of political experience as leverage to persuade Americans to jump off the cliff with him into disrupting the fundamentals of our Constitution. This humiliation tour of the country only solidifies that.
Dan • May 10, 2024 at 10:57 am
I agree Trump lives far removed from everyday life and common people such as ourselves do not understand his nexus for money, power ect… I even agree he is adulterous and probably not the most morally upstanding person.
I do believe however, Trump is being targeted by powerful people on both the left (and to a lesser extent) the right. Perfect example would be the case mentioned in this article.
1) There is no law in New York or at the federal level which forbids “hush” money payments. NDAs and hush money paid for them happen every day.
2) Had Trump used donor money (not his money) to cover the costs of hush money payments, it could be considered campaign finance fraud. However, this would be incredibly difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt (keep in mind this is a criminal trial where burden of proof is significantly greater than in a civil trial). To prove campaign finance fraud, the money would had to have been spent on something not remotely related to Trump’s attempts to secure votes in a Republican primary and presidential general election (like family trips to Monaco or paying off gambling debts). Using money to ensure someone does not derail your presidential campaign is not a fraudulent use of campaign funds.
3) Manhattan District Attorney brought falsifying business records charges against Trump in a New York State Court. The elements for proving these charges (beyond reasonable doubt) requires the State show hush money payments are not a legal business expense. What is problematic with this particular case is a public figure who’s literal name is tied to the company and is the single largest shareholder in said company has a legitimate business (need not even be political campaign) interest to ensure a relationship with a pornstar does not soil his name in the marketplace (outside of any political campaign). Had Trump used business funds for the purposes of paying off gambling debts (and lying about it) or buying crack cocaine, there would be a case here.
The District Attorney in this case has no legal leg to stand on. Although what Trump used his money on is somewhat grotesque, it fails to meet any standards necessary for a criminal trial to proceed. Because this trial has proceeded and even fast-tracked, there are very reasonable concerns as to very powerful people treating Trump unfairly. This was also briefly seen when secretaries of states were trying to remove him from primary ballots claiming he engaged in insurrection even though he was never charged or ever convicted of such.
I can understand Trump is not the most palatable candidate out there, but he is not being treated fairly in this particular legal case.