Donald Trump is a priceless treasure trove for any journalist who writes about politics and, indeed, for anyone who likes to follow the news. Whatever Trump does invariably turns into a reality show with millions of followers. First, we enjoyed a soap opera about a real estate tycoon. Then we started watching a political drama. Some time ago, the unfolding drama was enriched with a few true crime elements.
As a general rule, former US presidents spend their leisure time giving well-paid lectures and participating in various ceremonial events. But Donald Trump is completely different – he devotes a fair amount of his free time to multiple interrogations and investigations.
Following Trump's labours and daily activities is pure pleasure. Working on his team is another matter. It is safe to assume his lawyers probably choked on their whiskey when they got the call that night. They had seen all sorts of things, but an FBI search of the former president's residence was a first not only in their legal practice but also in the history of the United States.
FBI agents reported that they had recovered 11 boxes of classified material, which Trump was supposed to have returned to the National Archives. Perhaps he decided to keep those documents for sentimental reasons, as a memento of his time in the White House. Another possibility is that he did so for practical reasons to cover up some evidence related to the January 6 riot. Either way, Trump could face up to 20 years in prison for such negligence. Specifically, the FBI's protocol refers to suspicions of espionage and even disclosure of the country's nuclear secrets.
Law enforcement officials outside Mar-a-Lago, former President Donald J. Trump’s residence and private club in Florida, after the F.B.I. search this month. Photo: Josh Ritchie.
Luckily for all of us, even if Trump does end up in jail, he will still be able to entertain the public by participating in the next US presidential election. If Trump wins the 2024 race, he will pardon himself and move into the White House. In all fairness, this is an unlikely scenario. On the other hand, it does not appear more improbable than Trump's win in 2016, a victory no one really expected either.
Even the sloppy Joe Biden is not going to fall into the same trap. To prevent Trump from running in 2024, the Democratic Party is trying to accuse the former president of all cardinal sins. At least, that is what Trump's allies think. They are convinced the cases against Trump are politically motivated even though the White House has assured that Biden had no prior knowledge of the FBI search and certainly did not give the bureau any orders.
Obviously, Democrats must get their act together without delay. If the 45th US president returns to the White House to become the country's 47th president, Trump's political opponents will be in great trouble. For instance, the entire world will finally get to see an anti-corruption investigation into the Biden family. We will surely find out something about Nancy Pelosi's husband and his insider trading. After all, Democrats have got quite a few skeletons in the closet!
As The Columnist has pointed out earlier, the popularity of Trump and Trumpism is incredibly high. US voters are fond of Trump because they think he is tirelessly fighting the deep state and draining the swamp in Washington. Despite Trump's efforts, however, the swamp is still there. Even so, the more Biden and the Democratic Party attack Trump by accusing him of instigating the so-called "January 6 riot" and by searching his home, the stronger Trump's position among Republican supporters becomes. As reports of the FBI search spread across social media and news outlets, crowds of Trump's allies flocked to his Mar-a-Lago house. In fact, some forums even featured calls to take up arms and defend their candidate.
Conservative protesters drive near Mar-a-Lago in support of Trump. Photo: Giorgio Viera / AFP / Getty Images.
Generally speaking, the former US president has one super ability: what destroys others tends to benefit him. When an open microphone caught Trump bragging in vulgar terms that as a star, one could grab any woman by the pussy, it was only natural to assume that he wouldn't be able to get away with it in the #MeToo era. But he did! Scandals only made Trump more popular among his supporters. Incidentally, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo lost both his job and reputation for similar wrongdoings. For Donald Trump, however, searches, impeachments and court hearings are like water off a duck's back.
Besides, the latest developments have only confirmed Trump's status as a fighter against the system. Thanks to the Democrats and the FBI taking their side, Donald Trump is becoming the GOP's undisputed leader. Virtually all Republicans – even his potential rivals for the party's presidential nomination – have rallied behind Trump. Some even demand that the FBI be defunded and that the Attorney General who authorised the Mar-a-Lago search be dismissed. Rumour has it that 43-year-old Ron DeSantis, Trump's main rival in the Republican primaries, is willing to put his presidential ambitions on hold for now to become Trump's vice-presidential nominee.
That is quite an achievement, especially considering that Donald Trump is not exactly a Republican politician in the first place. He joined the party from the outside and became its leader by defeating all his competitors in the 2015-16 primaries. Today Donald Trump is an extremely useful ally for any conservative politician. Out of 230 Republican candidates he endorsed in the ongoing primaries, 173 candidates were nominated. At the same time, eight out of ten Republicans who opposed Trump lost.
One of the losers is Congresswoman Liz Cheney, daughter of the highly influential former vice president Dick Cheney in the George W. Bush administration. Liz Cheney was so bitterly critical of Trump that she lost her seat in the House of Representatives during the Republican primary in Wyoming. Undeterred, she did not abandon politics, saying she was considering a White House bid "to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office". She doesn't stand much of a chance, though. Republican voters are unlikely to back a candidate who is not only associated with the old party elite but is also lauded by the liberal press.
Liz Cheney, american lawyer and politician, member of the US House of Representatives from Wyoming since January 3, 2017. Photo: Agencies
To complicate matters for Trump in the primaries, Democratic strategists are even willing to support Liz Cheney regardless of her Republican roots. What an ingenious move! Almost as ingenious as using the FBI to settle scores with political opponents. America has a history of killing its presidents rather than putting them in jail. The Kennedy family knows this from personal experience, but, as they say, things change. For the US, where case law applies, this turn of events may have unpredictable consequences. Not at the moment, though.
Still, fault lines are deepening in American society. Some believe that Biden rigged the 2020 election and came to power under the slogan of uniting Americans. In reality, though, he polarised society even further. It seems appropriate to conclude on a high and sombre note. The Bible says, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand." Who knows – perhaps these words will become a prophecy for the United States?
Main photo: Donald Trump © GettyImages.
