Trump Tips The Scales Against Himself
If the jury in his first criminal trial didn't dislike him before — they do now
The other day, Trump re-posted a tweet from a FOX TV host claiming that liberals were lying to get on the Trump jury — the very jury that will decide Trump’s fate in the criminal hush money trial. Unlike Trump’s other lies, which you may choose to believe or not, these jurors know the truth.
The result of Trump’s impulsive decision to rebroadcast the FOX host’s lie is that Trump has now discredited himself with the jury in whose hands his fate now rests. Way to go, Donald!
Trump has also continually violated courtroom rules of decorum by refusing to stand when the jury enters and exits the courtroom. This may be Trump’s way of showing his disdain for the proceedings, but it also shows disdain for the men and women sitting on the jury. Having already lost credibility in their eyes, what does he hope to gain by insulting them?
Trump has no strategy — he’s just acting out
People keep talking about Trump's strategy, which is astonishing to me. Trump is not a strategist; he is a slave to his impulses. He is compelled to react without thinking whenever he perceives the slightest threat to his fragile ego. His malignant narcissism makes him impossible to control because his knee-jerk response to criticism is to lash out instantaneously, precluding the possibility of a thoughtful response that might better serve him.
Even if Trump could strategize, he lacks the discipline to execute a complex strategy. The only skill he has is duping others. His weapons are confidence and shamelessness. Confidence convinces others that he must be right (otherwise, how could he be so confident?), and shamelessness allows him to do things nobody else would even contemplate.
Most people can't understand the nature of Trump's psychosis because they are normal, and Trump is not. Unless you've dealt with a sociopath before, it's a hard thing to get your head around. Even when you interact with one daily, it takes a while to understand what's in front of you. I have had that experience, so I know.
Why does anybody believe Trump?
Trump does have one superpower. Trump knows how to identify those susceptible to manipulation and encourage them to do his bidding. It's his only skill, but it's a skill he has perfected.
For the psychologically unsophisticated, Trump's confidence is a potent weapon. It leads them to believe he must have something to back it up. For the politically unsophisticated, Trump’s solutions sound effective. Wouldn’t such a successful businessman know how to run a country? And for the angry mob who chooses to act out in vengeance rather than process their grief, Trump provides validation and, yes, even love.
Unfortunately, despite Trump's rhetoric, everything he asks others to do is done solely to benefit himself. When he says he's fighting for your Second Amendment rights, ask yourself, when was the last time the government showed up at someone's house to take their weapons?
WACO. Right?
How about lately?
Yeah, didn't think so.
Trump is not protecting his base — they are protecting him
Trump's psychosis requires him to believe he is the world's strongest, smartest, most capable man, but somewhere deep inside, he knows that's a lie. So, he seeks constant validation from others to stave off his inner demons.
When he's not at rallies sucking up the energy from his crowds, he's cheating at golf. Why? Because he must win. If he loses, he becomes a loser. That cannot be allowed — even if it means moving golf balls around to rig the game in his favor. And here's the craziest part: everyone sees him cheating and knows his wins are fake, but he still does it — because he has to.
When winning alone isn't enough, Donald Trump gives himself a trophy. How pathetic is that?
What saves Trump is the group of people who mindlessly follow him. It is his base of non-critical thinkers who promote Trump's lies and have convinced Republican operatives that without Trump's base, the Republican Party cannot win. So rather than challenge Trump's ridiculous statements, his followers reinforce them.
Trump is the only person who can stop the war in Ukraine. No one else can handle Putin, Xi, and Kim Jong Un. We need Trump to save America. (Even if he only saves it from a crisis he invented it himself.)
Trump's delusions of grandeur, inability to self-assess, lack of humor, and obsessive behavior are proof that Trump is not normal. Normal people learn from their mistakes, but not Trump. Trump doesn’t make mistakes. Normal people study when faced with unfamiliar terrain. Not Trump. Trump already knows everything.
Normal people have a sense of humor, the ability to feel compassion for others, and a modicum of self-awareness. Trump lacks all of these attributes. When he mixes up Obama with Biden and says he was doing it for "humor," it's clear he doesn't know what humor is. (Here's a hint: it has to be funny.)
Reality bites
Fortunately, Trump will not be our next president. Trump is about to implode, and his delusions of grandeur will finally come face-to-face with reality. It will not end well for him.
I predict Trump will realize over the next few weeks that nothing his lawyers say or do will convince the jury to acquit him. True to form, Trump will insist that if only he could take the stand, he could talk his way out of a guilty verdict.
His lawyers will fight him and may even threaten to quit if he insists on taking the stand. But that won't stop Trump. Unless he is jailed and not present during the remainder of this trial, Trump will force his way into the witness box and implode on the stand. He will do it because he can't help himself.
Trump is not capable of sitting quietly as this trial careens toward a guilty verdict — which it most certainly will. His impulses will compel him to speak — convinced as he no doubt will be, that he is the only one who can win the case for himself.
The prosecution presented opening arguments today
Opening arguments in the hush money trial began yesterday (4.22.24). As expected, Trump's team of the best and the brightest filed yet another request over the weekend to delay the trial by insisting it be moved to another venue due to the court's inability to find impartial jurors.
This request was both desperate and silly, given that the required jury pool was filled on Friday. Twelve jurors and six alternates were selected after a careful vetting process (fancy name: voir dire), and all were found capable of weighing the evidence presented and analyzing its validity without prejudice. Both the prosecution and the defense were present, and both sides participated equally in the jury selection — as they always do.
This trial should be televised
It's too bad there won't be cameras in the courtroom for this case. I've heard some say the trial shouldn't be televised because Trump will grandstand. But he can't grandstand during the trial —Judge Merchan won’t allow it.
Trump will only be able to spew his usual nonsense outside the courthouse, and he will do that regardless of what happens inside. The only way to counteract Trump's lies is for the people to see what happens during the trial, where Trump must sit quietly as the prosecution states its case and sworn testimony is given. Courtroom sketches will not suffice, nor will the words of reporters with their own innate biases.
If we want the people of this country to know the truth about Donald Trump, they should be allowed to see this trial on live TV — that is the only way for them to know they are watching reality as opposed to reality TV.
(Assuming they even know the difference anymore.)