Barrett Rainey's Second Thoughts

Sick as we all are of hearing of the “trials and tribulations” of one Donald John Trump on a daily basis, it appears there’ll be no end to it for the foreseeable future.

Even after convictions and, yes, there will be convictions, the raft of appeals he’ll file in various courts will keep his name atop the daily news for years to come.

DJT has changed this nation in so many fundamental ways. He’s given voice to the “voice-less” who’ve been searching for recognition for more than 40 years.

Fed by the Limbaughs – and the Limbaugh-wannabees – for decades, their followers have been like “tribes” wandering in the desert, leaderless and disorganized. Trump gave them a deeply flawed leader who bullied his way to the top of the right-wing dung heap.

Trump will be convicted in one jurisdiction or another. You can “bet the farm.” He’ll likely go to jail. Somewhere. If convicted on state charges of fraud and/or other felonies, that’s almost a certainty. Especially in Georgia, which appears at the moment, to be in the lead in the race to the courtroom. And, under Georgia law, there’s no such thing as a gubernatorial pardon to bail him out.

Trump’s vocal band of support is already hollering. But, that’s all they can do. In the years-long saga, neither they nor Trump have offered any solid, legally-acceptable evidence of his innocence. None! None! All they can do is rage.

The last thing Trump’s lawyers want is for him to be sitting in the witness chair in any court. For at least two reasons.

First, he’d lie about one thing or another. That’s a near-certainty. That’s what gotten him into such trouble. Second, he’d be subject to a stringent cross-examination by prosecutors. That’s the last thing his legal team wants because that would almost surely wind up with Trump committing another felony. Lying under oath. It’s what he does. He’s been doing it so long he probably can’t help himself.

Trump has also changed how the media reports national stories. He’s become the permanent “lead” in national news. We used to hear of the war in Ukraine, a hurricane or some political development. Now, in broadcast news, he’s nearly always the first story reported. In print, it’s front page. Above the fold. Daily.

Trump has also changed more than a few family dynamics. Marriages have been dissolved. Some divorces have cited loud, divisive arguments over Trump as the basis for being in court. Relationships have been changed over him. Some relatives have stopped talking to other branches of a family.

And, there’s this. Those delving into his legal problems have got to stop dealing with Trump as an “ex-President.” Under the law, and in the courtroom, he’s just another American citizen charged with several felonious crimes. No more. No less. His convictions – if convictions there be – will be as a citizen. Not as an ex-President. It may take some time for the media to grasp that concept. But, it’s real.

These are difficult times for the nation. None of this has ever happened before. Nixon came close. He was cooked, yes. But, his crimes and willful breaking of national laws never rose to the level of what we’re living with today.

Within the legal system there’s always the presumption of innocence. But, Trump’s actions on the national stage over the past six years have been so notorious, so widely reported and analyzed, that innocence is not an easy concept to hold.

Some 25-million Americans would likely “go off a cliff” for the guy. That’s about 14% of the country. It’s not conceivable many of them will fall away, no matter the legal outcomes. That’s going to be an intractable – and sizeable – group for future American political leaders to deal with. Like driving the car with one foot on the brake.

Though we will be bombarded with Trump “news” for years to come, we need to develop a national equilibrium to keep our focus. Whatever happens to him in the swirl of litigations, happens to him.

We 350-million other souls in this country have got to keep our eyes on the horizon – not some daily courtroom drama of a deeply flawed ex-President. It’s up to the legal system to deal with him and his actions. The rest of us need to leave his future there.

It’s our futures that are the most important. As they should be.

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