The locos were in force yesterday, as those from both ends of America’s political spectrum gathered outside the Manhattan Criminal Court where former President Trump was due to stand trial.
They had been meeting since dawn, beating their respective drums and displaying the typical ‘sophistication’ of the modern political activist.
A Trump superfan, wearing a MAGA hat and matching red lipstick, charged into an anti-Trump banner, yelling: “I have Covid!” against anyone who got in her way.
Another declared ‘F**k white people’, another ‘F*** you, white trash Nazi’, while a Fox reporter was attacked by a mob of angry leftists.
As expected, Donald kept his audience waiting. As the world tuned in to the entrance to Trump Tower, precisely nothing happened, for a long time.
The locos were in force yesterday as those from both ends of America’s political spectrum gathered outside the Manhattan criminal courthouse where former President Trump was due to be arraigned.
Whatever you think of yesterday’s events and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s decision to indict Donald Trump (center) on criminal charges related to paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels , there is a person who will love every second. : Trump himself
Helicopters buzzed overhead; ordinary New Yorkers went about their business with an air of studied indifference; an ambulance was waiting on standby.
A group of security men shared a joke. Someone stifled a yawn. A door was opened! Was the? No. A couple of guys showed up and assumed the familiar stance of security personnel, legs spread and hands clasped, ears trimmed with curly wires.
Then, almost casually, as if she had just stepped out for a hamburger, she walked out through the golden revolving doors. Familiar red tie, jaw set, the Don paused to raise a fist in solidarity with his clamoring fans before slipping into a darkened SUV.
Excitement rose as the motorcade set off, pursued by helicopters, gliding unimpeded by traffic through the streets of New York. Outside the court, full of cameras and reporters, supporters and detractors awaited his man.
It took only a few minutes for him to reach his destination; another wave, this time much more stony and then a tired march towards the entrance of the courthouse.
One person who will love every second is… Trump
After the arrest, he moved again, careful to show an uncuffed hand as he pushed open the courtroom door himself, before, finally, the money went off: a still photograph of Trump sitting in court surrounded by their lawyers.
A distant and solemn look was in his eyes, as if he was overwhelmed by the pain of his own tragedy.
We saw less than a minute of him, and every second was box office.
Regardless of what you think of yesterday’s events and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s decision to indict Donald Trump on criminal charges related to paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, there is a person who will love every second of it: Trump himself. .
In fact, if one were, like many of his followers, a conspiracy theorist, one might even assume that Trump had made the whole thing up as a way to become a martyr at the hands of evil Democrats.
After all, for a man as smart as he to make such a seemingly schoolboy mistake in reimbursing his former attorney, Michael Cohen, for the $130,000 advanced to Ms. Daniels (right) in the form of several separate payments for ‘ legal fees’, thus giving the prosecution grounds to charge you with falsifying business records, seems rather strange.
After all, for a man as smart as he to make a seemingly schoolboy mistake in reimbursing his former attorney, Michael Cohen, for the $130,000 advanced to Ms. Daniels in the form of several separate payments for “legal fees,” thus giving to the prosecution grounds for charging him with falsifying business records seems rather strange.
Trump is many things: vain, reckless, paranoid, but he’s not stupid and he’s experienced enough in business to know that such things are off-limits.
It was about him – The Donald
Perhaps he did it all on purpose, knowing that sooner or later he would take it to court, knowing that Bragg, a staunch Democrat who makes no secret of his hatred of Trump, would take the bait.
Then Trump would have his Messiah moment, parading through screaming crowds in show trial, his faithful disciples ready to tear down the temples of democracy to free their savior.
If that were the case, I suppose that would make Ms. Daniels something of a 21st century Mary Magdalene. Crazy of course, but we are talking about Donald Trump.
Everything is possible. Especially since his advisers will have recorded the reputational value of a good televised trial from recent performances by Gwyneth Paltrow and Johnny Depp.
However, one thing I do know is this: we are in uncharted territory. Not just because this is the first time in American history that a president has been indicted on criminal charges; but also because never before has a politician harnessed the unhinged and unpredictable power of social media in the same way as Trump.
For someone so quick to denounce ‘fake news’, he is a character who thrives online, whose armies of followers range from self-described shamans to QAnon zealots who live their lives in front of flickering screens, lost in the depths of their own paranoia.
And, as we saw with the infamous assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, he knows how to summon a mob, harness the power of a bunch of social media, and make it happen.
Then Trump would have his Messiah moment, parading through screaming crowds in show trial, his faithful disciples ready to tear down the temples of democracy to free their savior.
Having spent a night in its orbit, I must say that there is undeniably something sinister about it. In 2018, I was lucky enough to be invited to the state banquet in honor of his and the First Lady’s visit to Great Britain, in the presence of the late Queen.
It was an extraordinary occasion for a number of reasons, including the presence of the sprawling Trump clan, including his youngest daughter, Tiffany, and eldest, Ivanka, along with her (decidedly creepy) husband Jared Kushner.
Unlike current US President Joe Biden, who reportedly turned down an invitation to the coronation, Trump was delighted to be in the presence of royalty.
There was a distinct sense that the white tie and tails were where he felt he belonged and that being so feted at the palace was something that had been on his to-do list for a long time.
He was brimming with pride, his ego radiating across the room like a giant orange sun.
But there was nothing warm in his presence. He showed no interest in anything but himself, with no deference to anyone or anything, not even the Queen or her entourage.
He gave the distinct impression that he thought that everything, including His Majesty, was purely for his benefit. It was him, the Donald. That is where Trump’s ambition begins and ends, itself.
And the only reason he wants to be the next president of the United States is because being a POTUS means he’s the most famous man on the planet and therefore has the whole world’s attention, all day, every day. .
Nothing less, you see, will feed the insatiable appetite of his ego.
That’s all. That’s really all there is to Donald Trump. That’s why after four years in office he still isn’t the least bit interested in politics, as I found out when I tried to engage him on the subject. There is only one topic of conversation for Trump, and that is Trump.
So: none of this will matter to you. Whether he is found guilty or not won’t make any difference: the important thing is that all eyes will be on him, that he will be at the epicenter of the drama.
Which, win or lose, is a tragedy for the American people and for the Republican Party.
Because that’s not what they need right now. America needs a person of substance, not an empty vessel with a permanent tan like Trump (or, for that matter, a rickety old lefty slave to virtue-signaling and gesture politics like Biden).
His giant ego dominates all the news bulletins.
Someone like Ron DeSantis (nicknamed ‘DeSanctimonious’ by Trump, who recognizes him as a threat), a man who, as a keen observer of American politics told me recently, is part Ronald Reagan, part Rishi Sunak with a little bit of kemi. Badenoch. In other words, authentically Right of Center with broad social appeal and an ability to get things done.
But while DeSantis had been gaining ground, yesterday’s events have overshadowed him somewhat.
Although he has a narrow lead over Trump in his own state of Florida, where he is governor, top Republicans have felt compelled to throw their support behind Trump in response to what they see as a tribal attack on one of their own.
And that’s the problem with this accusation: it actually strengthens Trump’s case.
And as satisfying as it is to see Trump in the book (and I, for one, would enjoy that result), with his giant ego dominating every news bulletin and headline, any genuine Republican candidate will find himself howling in an orange hurricane. .