Trump Is a Convicted Felon. But the American People Are Still the American People.
JONATHAN V. LAST
MAY 31, 2024
Some very fine people gathered outside Trump Tower after the verdict was handed down. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
We did two special shows last night: George and Sarah and then a Megacast Livestream.
Also, Sarah and I taped a Secret pod this morning that will be out in a couple of hours and it is LIT.
1. Good News / Bad News
The good news is that the rule of law can still function. I say this not because the jury reached the verdict I believe was correct, but because this trial was orderly, the state’s case was strong and built on evidence, the defense was vigorous and professional, and at the time it was seated, the jury satisfied both parties that it could be fair and impartial.
When you have all of that, you have the rule of law. Getting the “correct” verdict is just the icing on the cake.
Donald Trump will appeal this verdict, which is proper. We should hope that he gets a fair hearing on appeal. If the appellate court overturns the verdict, then so be it. That’s the rule of law, too.
And there’s more good news: Trump has spent his life dodging accountability. He has, finally, been held accountable for his actions by the criminal justice system. We should recognize this event and honor it. Because it is important.
There ends the good news. Let’s get dark.
Last night I kept thinking about what LeBron James said after losing the NBA Finals in 2011:
Here’s the transcript, if you don’t want to watch it:
At the end of the day all the people who are rooting for me to fail, at the end of the day, they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today, they got the same personal problems they had today. . . . They gotta get back to the real world at some point.
Let me explain the parallel.
It would be nice to believe that a felony conviction will cause the scales to fall from the eyes of American voters. That over the next 20 weeks the public will realize that Donald Trump is manifestly unfit for office.
But we wake up this morning and the American people are still the same people.
- 55 percent of them think the economy is shrinking, when we’re actually the envy of the world.
- 49 percent think the stock market is down when it’s at historic highs.
- 49 percent think unemployment is at a 50-year high, when it’s at one of the lowest sustained levels, ever.
These are not the views of people who live in the real world. They are the views of a decadent people who believe that they have the luxury to play make-believe with political life.
And as encouraging as Trump’s conviction is, we’ve gotta go back to the real world in which those people are at least 45 percent of the country, and possibly more.
If you want to believe that the felony conviction will be different, then I’d like you to explain why in the comments.
Why will this be different than insulting John McCain, or praising very fine people on both sides, or injecting yourselves with bleach, or hanging Mike Pence?
Maybe it will make a difference at the margins. Maybe Trump’s conviction moves the polls 2 points and allows Joe Biden to squeeze out a victory in the Electoral College. But do you think it could make a substantial difference? I do not.
To put it starkly: I believe that the state of the American voter is such that a felony conviction is unlikely to move the polls even by 5 percentage points.
One of the things anti-anti-Trump people have said is that it is “a sad day” to see a former president and current presidential candidate convicted of a felony and that it is dangerous to have a presidential candidate being pursued by the criminal justice system.
I agree, actually.
It is sad to see a former president become a convicted felon. It is a dangerous precedent that has been set. Do you know why we are in this sad and dangerous position?
Because Americans elected a criminal.
It isn’t Alvin Bragg or Joe Biden that brought us to this place. We are here because—and only because—of the actions of Donald J. Trump. And the people who are tut-tutting are basically saying that it’s the rule of law’s fault for wearing a red dress to the bar on a Saturday night.
The only response to these bad-faith performance pieces is a single question:
Is Trump guilty?
I don’t want to hear about political motivations, or dangerous precedents, or existential sadness. Just answer the question:
Is Trump guilty?
Because we have a bunch of laws. We have a legal process to adjudicate these laws. None of the facts in this case were in serious dispute. And a jury of Trump’s peers found him guilty on 34 counts after just 11 hours of deliberation.
So when Susan Collins, or Steve Hayes, or the concern trolls tug their chins, tell them to answer the question:
Is Trump guilty?
Because if the answer is “no,” then you don’t believe in the rule of law. And if the answer is “yes,” then their bleating is just posturing and special pleading.
You know what we don’t do around here? “BOtH sIDeS.” Not ever. If you want a place where people call it like they see it, join The Bulwark. Right now. You won’t regret it.
Trump Is a Convicted Felon. But the American People Are Still the American People. (thebulwark.com) |
