By Jeffrey Blehar
Thursday,
January 18, 2024
Because
the man’s publicly self-defeating instincts cannot be stifled, Donald Trump has
once again been doing what no presidential candidate should: tweeting late at
night. Or “truthing,” as it were, over on his boutique fansite Truth Social.
Trump, reflecting no doubt on the various criminal charges arrayed before
him, told his Truth rather bluntly (and, as per usual, in
all-caps) this Thursday morning at 1:00 a.m.:
A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES MUST HAVE
FULL IMMUNITY, WITHOUT WHICH IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM/HER TO PROPERLY
FUNCTION. ANY MISTAKE, EVEN IF WELL INTENDED, WOULD BE MET WITH ALMOST CERTAIN
INDICTMENT BY THE OPPOSING PARTY AT TERM END. EVEN EVENTS THAT “CROSS THE LINE”
MUST FALL UNDER TOTAL IMMUNITY, OR IT WILL BE YEARS OF TRAUMA TRYING TO
DETERMINE GOOD FROM BAD. THERE MUST BE CERTAINTY. EXAMPLE: YOU CAN’T STOP
POLICE FROM DOING THE JOB OF STRONG & EFFECTIVE CRIME PREVENTION BECAUSE
YOU WANT TO GUARD AGAINST THE OCCASIONAL “ROGUE COP” OR “BAD APPLE.” SOMETIMES
YOU JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH “GREAT BUT SLIGHTLY IMPERFECT.” ALL PRESIDENTS MUST
HAVE COMPLETE & TOTAL PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY, OR THE AUTHORITY &
DECISIVENESS OF A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WILL BE STRIPPED & GONE
FOREVER. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE AN EASY DECISION. GOD BLESS THE SUPREME COURT!
Donald Trump Truth Social 12:59 AM EST
01/18/24
Once
upon a time, perhaps, we were more naïve and could tell ourselves that when
Donald Trump went off on rants like this, he was “just kidding around.” After
January 6, we transparently no longer have that luxury, and in fact must make
the opposite assumption: The man clearly means what he says. This is Donald
Trump’s authentic Theory of the Case, what he truly believes: The President of
the United States (at least if he is President of the United
States, Joe Biden not so much) should truly be above the law — all law. Even if
he makes a few mistakes, lets a “rogue cop” or a “bad apple” do something
illegal, well, “SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH ‘GREAT BUT SLIGHTLY IMPERFECT’.”
Reckon
for a moment with what it is Trump is actually endorsing here: a literal prescription
for strongman-style dictatorship. A thugocracy. The Great Leader and his goons
may commit some crimes here and there, but let that slide for the greater good.
We don’t need to get into slippery-slope analogies to illustrate how rapidly
this would deteriorate into fascism were it ever put into practice; the
original contention alone is offensively antithetical to the ideas of both the
rule of law and equality under it. But then Trump thinks of himself less as a
potential president than as a king, and always has. Consider this when you
contemplate what four more years of him might look like.
For
Donald Trump is now the overwhelming favorite to be the Republican nominee for
president in 2024 against Joe Biden. Most people aren’t yet aware that Trump
has, since being banished to Truth Social, spouted many other sentiments nearly
as bonkers and rancid (and rambling) as this one. They will be, soon. And
instead of debating Joe Biden’s economy, or America’s crumbling position
abroad, or the border crisis, we will be consumed with one question only: Is
President Donald Trump above the law?
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