Donald Trump Is On Trial, Democrats Should Say So

State Obvious Facts

Donald Trump has been accused of crimes and could face time in prison if convicted by a jury. This is true at both the state level and the federal level. And the Democratic Party should acknowledge this objective fact instead of outright ignoring it or making overly cute allusions.

In his video challenging Trump to a series of presidential debates, President Joe Biden chose the latter option. “I hear you’re free on Wednesdays,” Biden said, alluding to the days when Trump is not required to be in court. This is overly cute and an inside-baseball wink and a nod to liberals obsessively following the case, usually on outlets like MSNBC (where wall to wall “Never Trump” Republicans offer up their hot takes).

But most Americans are not following the ins and outs of the case. They are not tracking how Trump funneled political funds to pay Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about his sexual encounter with her. They’re also not tracking the federal case about his role in trying to overthrow a democratic election, and the federal judge (Judge Aileen Cannon) he appointed using her power to defend him. They simply aren’t.

In a fair world, in a just world, the mainstream media would be covering these cases with the weight they deserve, with at least some of the intensity they have devoted to Biden’s age, how much milk has cost under his presidency, or how the withdrawal from Afghanistan was executed. But we don’t live in a fair world and while the media needs constant and intense criticism and oversight, the likelihood of them getting better at their jobs is remote — at best.

So the task falls to the opposition party. That is not ideal but it is where we are. It is also basic politics. If your political opponent is under multiple indictments and is sitting in a courtroom as a criminal defendant, it is a GOP elephant in the room that must be addressed and not ignored.

This was true before Republican leaders started doing Trump cosplay to cluster around him at the courthouse and lead mob-style intimidation sessions against the judge and the jury, but it is even more true now that the party — all the way up to Speaker Mike Johnson — has fully embraced the case.

The counterargument to this course of action makes little sense. Certainly it would be wrong for Democrats to inject themselves into the case, causing there to be grounds for dismissal, but simply acknowledging the cases facing Trump without getting into the nitty gritty details avoids this. The leader of the Republican Party is on trial. It goes directly towards his fitness to lead the nation. If Trump, who is the only man in the entire history of the U.S. presidency to be impeached twice, engages in this kind of behavior and got caught, God knows what else he used the presidency for in the past and what he would do again.

MENTION THIS.

Democrats too often create imaginary rules and tripwires for themselves in their own minds that simply do not exist. They are much like an athlete who overthinks their next move when the best move is to simply act. Democrats frequently worry and wring their hands behind closed doors, pondering what could possibly maybe happen seventeen steps down the line and end up completely paralyzed at the most crucial moment.

It isn’t interfering with justice or breaking down the entire system to acknowledge the facts we all see before us. Trump is a crook, a bully, a bigot and a scam artist. He has no business running a popsicle stand let alone a major business or the United States. The crass manner in which he paid out money to hide his violation of his marital vows, or how he stole classified documents, and most importantly how he led a violent mob against our government, is an affront to our shared values.

President Biden has rightly described the 2020 election and the upcoming 2024 election as battles “for the soul of America.” Well if he and the Democrats are the force standing between us and doom, part of that is making the stakes clear to the vast majority of the public who isn’t hooked on following politics 24-7/365 days a year.

A key element in that is communicating in blunt, clear terms. “Trump is free on Wednesdays because he’s on trial for serious criminal accusations. While he’s been on trial, I’ve been working with Vice President Harris to clean up the absolute mess he made of things and restore honor and dignity and ethics to the country. So when he gets a break from sitting in court, Trump can come and debate me. The people overwhelmingly chose me to lead them and it is my honor, but I will set aside some time to make my case again. See ya, Donald.”

Is what the president could have said. There’s no need to be cute and deliver this important message with a wink and nod for the people already in your camp.

Just say it, for the love of God. Say it.

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— Oliver

Follow me, Oliver Willis, on Threads @owillis1977

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