Trump Says He’ll Likely Be Arrested

22 thoughts on “Trump Says He’ll Likely Be Arrested”

1. I may be crossing a line in saying this,, but I really hope the nation will be saved from the coming circus(es) of Trump prosecution(s) by something that relegates him permanently to the history books…like a fatal heart attack,, stroke, or perhaps terminal cancer originating in his mouth…

   1. Well, you’re not “crossing a line” in that you’re not advocating for violence or trying to incite people to do anything. Nobody can “will” a terminal illness into existence, so it’d be pointless for me to remove a comment on the basis of someone musing about biological processes.

      I guess what I’d suggest, though, is that when it comes to wishing terminal illnesses and acute physical suffering on other beings with the capacity to experience suffering (so, not just humans), we should probably set the bar pretty high.

      As I’ve made clear in these pages over the years, my aversion to Trump centered initially on what I contended was the self-evident conclusion that whatever you wanted to say about him (good, bad or otherwise), he wasn’t a good fit for the Oval Office. Unfortunately, what I’d hoped was mere campaign-trail populist bombast eventually morphed into the genuine article — i.e., real, right-wing populism with echoes of very bad historical episodes. That, in turn, represents an existential threat to the republic and therefore has the potential to create suffering for other people on a massive scale. As such, I don’t care for the man, and I think I’m fully justified in that opinion.

      However, I do think there’s an argument to be made that when it comes to being the proximate cause of acute human suffering globally, Trump doesn’t rank as the “guiltiest” US president. I do think that, if we make the mistake of giving him another run at it, the risks are myriad in that, and many other, regards. But as it stands, you could make the case that although he’s obviously the worst US president in history (and it’s so not close that you might even suggest he should occupy his own dubious category), he wasn’t the worst US president when it comes to foreign policy choices that we can draw a straight line from to human suffering around the world.

      All of that to say that although Trump clearly belongs in jail if the rule of law means anything at all, and although he plainly can’t be allowed anywhere near the White House (or the Capitol) ever again for too many reasons to count, the case for wishing a biological catastrophe on him is less clear-cut than it might be for all manner of other world leaders, past and present.

      That’s just something to think about. I mean, people are suffering all over the world as a direct result of policy choices made by world leaders (e.g., Putin) including US presidents (e.g., Bush Jr.). I don’t think it’s accurate to suggest that any appreciable percentage of that suffering is attributable to Trump.

      1. This comment would make the core of a solid stand-alone editorial.

      2. Andrew Johnson’s hell-bound evil spirit says don’t undersell my betrayal of the freedmen

      3. Well, these things are complicated. If you think of second order effects, Trump’s election was part of a wave of populism (Brazil, Poland, Hungary, Brexit, etc) that eroded Democracy worldwide. It’s been driven in part by genuine erosion of standing for lower/middle class people in many countries, in part by competition for resources, and in part by disinformation. Needless to say, this wave has not been at the forefront of dealing with climate change or in actively working to prevent future foreseeable crises. So the suffering caused by Trump’s term in office is not yet something we can assess. In a similar manner, we couldn’t really assess the full impact of Reagan’s policies in 1988 when he left office (union busting, lower taxes on the wealthy, the demonization of federal regulations–which have contributed to economic stagnation for the lower and middle class, dramatic wealth inequality, and erosion of the Federal government’s ability to manage resource use and address greenhouse gas emissions). Would there be a ground war in Ukraine if Trump had not been in office, or if Putin had not been so successful in sowing disinformation around elections in the West? Maybe, but maybe not. What will be the marginal increase in human suffering due to climate-related displacement in 2080 due to the years of inaction that were perpetuated during the Trump administration?

         But I agree that the consequences of the US invasion of Iraq by Bush Jr have been devastating.

      4. I’m curious which American President you consider to be the most guilty when it comes to being the proximate cause of acute human suffering globally? I would probably nominate Bush Jr. and his invasion of Iraq which upset the perilous balance of power between Muslim factions and let to the formation and rise of ISIS, and the death and displacement of millions across the Middle East and North Africa, including Iraq, Syria and Libya.

      5. I agree with you completely on one narrow-to-the-point-of-superficiality point: in terms of actual enacted policies alone, he was arguably, in some ways, not the worst president we’ve seen, even in recent decades.

         It’s a moot point. Obviously the list of things I could point to is long, but for me there is a clear, bright line that was crossed:

         In 2020, I opened Twitter, and saw that the President of the United States had posted glowing praise atop a video of one of his supporters shouting “White power! White power!” That video stayed posted for four long hours (while, apparently, his staff tried to argue him into taking it down), and once it disappeared, there wasn’t even a pretense of an apology or lame-duck explanation. The message to America was very clear.

         After that, he’s gone on to further advance white-supremacist demagoguery and explicitly attempt to sow the seeds of white racial resentment. But that was the day the line was crossed, the day he stopped even pretending to any sort of plausible deniability of supporting white supremacy, and it became impossible for any good person to continue to support him.

      6. James Buchanan allowed seven states to succeed from the country in order to allow them to maintain the institution of slavery. He is in the chat room at least.

   2. The RNC will likely go down in flames if they support Trump, as the RNC is expected to do with Ronna McDaniel as chairwoman.
      I would appreciate a good, qualified Republican presidential candidate- which is not Trump.
      I do not believe that I am an anomaly with respect to voters who would like to be able to choose (vote) for an actual candidate because their vision for our country matches my own – regardless of whether they are Republican or Democrat.
      As a voter, I resent being coerced into a situation where I feel as if the only choice I have is Republican or Democrat.
      Please- passionate, qualified, and knowledgeable candidates with strong leadership skills, an adequate level of moral integrity (i.e. no hookers while you are married) and a vision – we need you!
      Charisma is a plus, but not required.

2. endless wars + stagflation = better than 50/50 trump wins

   1. How many people who didn’t vote for Trump in 2020 are likely to vote for him in 2024? I think the answer is, not very many. If he secures the nomination (big if), he’ll end up as a three time (popular vote) loser.

      1. A truly viable third party candidate would help Trump immensely in returning to the White House. My tea leaf reading suggests that finding ANY candidate (moderate or extreme) to siphon away votes from Biden is the GOP’s best hope of reclaiming their minority rule over the White House.

3. Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the prospects of the US as a nation, whether it can continue to exists as a somewhat civilized democratic state and survive the myriad of challenges it faces, both social and economic. I confess to have turned increasingly pessimistic on the US and its future. I am a naturalized US citizens, I was born in a third world country that offered me little opportunity to grow financially and as an individual. I arrived in the US at age 22 determined to give it my best shot and, if possible, never return to live in my birth country again. To this day I remain extremely grateful to this nation for everything it has given me and for what it means for my existence. Compared to the friends and family I left behind I live a wonderful life, I am very conscious of that and I feel true love and appreciation for the US I will never feel for my native land. That said, I have lost faith in the American experiment, this is not the same place I arrived to 30 some years ago, in some ways it is better but in many others is much worst and precipitously marching towards its own demise. A return of Trump will accelerate the end but to me the empire will die whether Trump faces jail time, dies of natural causes or makes a triumphant return to the White House. He is much more a symptom than the cause of our rot. Today as I contemplate my options to move to another country where I might spend the rest of my days in relative peace and comfort I admit my birth country is on the list, it has been decimated by socio political upheaval, poverty, hunger and an exodus of half its population, but things can only get so bad before they improve a little, and a man like me, in a decent financial position and with good savings in US assets can live very well there, away from the insanity devouring this country. It will still hurt to see it happen, especially if Trump returns, but I will bear witness and survive.

   1. well expressed …

   2. Before you move permanently I recommend living there for one continuous year. See if you can still bear the bureaucracy, corruption, pollution, traffic, electricity rationing, water rationing, government control of free speech and press… I don’t agree that “things can only get so bad before they get better”.

      Also, if the US is crumbling, what will happen to your “good savings in US assets”?

      1. I certainly agree with your premise of carefully evaluating any final destination and spending good time on the ground before moving anywhere, can things get worst instead of improving? Sure, that is a risk one must consider. As to what happens to my US assets upon a crumbing of our nation, I plan to diversify a lot of my US based portfolio into international real estate, gold and bitcoin. I don’t intend my comments to be an ungrateful bash on the US or what it represents, I don’t take the decision of migrating late in life lightly, but I see and feel some of what I saw and felt and saw when I left my homeland as a young man, I can’t shake that feeling.

      2. Those lovely assets will be swallowed by the wannabe oligarchs and corrupt officials. Congress can’t even get off their b….s and pass legislation to keep us from default. Lots of influential “conservatives” think it would be interesting to default on our debt with no idea of the firestorm that would initiate. The word conservative comes from the Latin and the root translates as “I save.” A noble idea that identified with those who would save and protect the planet and its resources. In the US the only real conservatives were, in fact, the indigenous first residents, who our immigrant ancestors branded as stupid pagans and attempted to eradicate. When the Europeans who flooded the country for 100+ years, first arrived on our shores there were 60 million American Buffalo here. At the turn of the 19th Century, there were only 5000 left. Not very conservative. My o/u on an America in tact in 2100 is, bet the under.

4. ICC arrest warrant for Putin on Friday; possible criminal charges for Trump on Tuesday… interesting times

   1. Birds of a feather….

5. LOCK HIM UP

6. There IS a potentially good outcome of sorts. What if Trump huffs & puffs and only a very modest number of irate Magalites assembles?

   Fingers crossed that will be the outcome, but I suppose the disgruntled rump of his shock troops could then get more dangerous. Either way, I’ll spend some time tomorrow afternoon cleaning my short-barrel 12 gauge and making sure our pistols are ready to use.

   1. @derek Silver bullets needed.