DONALD TRUMP (PART 2)
Election of 2020: Despite his obvious unpopularity, Trump was practically anointed as the nominee by the Republican Party, now pretty much in his image. The only real question now was who he would face in the general election. We’ll cover how the Democrats got to their decision in the Biden bio but suffice it to say, that the 77 year old Biden would be his net foil to destroy.
It certainly didn’t make for a popularity contest given that both men were more than ready for the retirement home, but at least Biden promised a return to basic decency, something that was clearly lacking in the Trump era.
Of course, Covid was the overriding issue and, while Biden insisted on wearing a mask and expected his audience to do the same, plus some infrequent and awkward political rallies where people honked from their cars, Trump continued to go on with his unprotected rallies where the Covid spread and some people died, notably, former Presidential candidate Herman Cain. He contacted the virus at the controversial rally in Oklahoma and was dead within two weeks.
Somehow, despite all that, Trump stayed within striking distance of Biden and proclaimed that either he would win the election or if he didn’t, it would be because of fraud. This, of course, would set up some near catastrophic events later, but it also made the Biden camp desperate not only to win, but to do it in such a landslide that Trump would have no cause to dispute the outcome.
And in any other election, Biden probably would have won in a landslide, but Trump was the Anti-Christ at last. He continued to stumble as he finally contracted Covid in October. He recovered thanks to an experimental drug cocktail and went on to make an idiot of himself at the debate with Biden who finally told him to “Shut up, man.”
But White Americans in particular still were transfixed by this second coming and the election was still in doubt. Indeed, it would take several days before the networks declared Pennsylvania, and thus, the election to Biden. He also pulled off close wins in Michigan, Wisconsin, and of all places, Arizona, and Georgia.
Needless to say, Trump didn’t take the loss well as he accused the states of fraud without any proof. He challenged the results in all the five states mentioned even going as far as ordering an investigation from the Attorney General. It didn’t help Trump much though when even AG Barr said the election was legitimate. So did Republican Secretaries of State in Arizona and Georgia, Georgia’s Secretary especially taking a hit with death threats and the like. Lawyers filed countless lawsuits in an attempt to overturn the election; they all failed, even with the Trump supporters. In the end, even the Supreme Court, now loaded with Trump appointees, saw nothing wrong with how the election was conducted. It was obvious to all, like it or not, that Biden won legitimately.
But that wouldn’t be enough for Donald Trump. He didn’t like it when he didn’t get his way, so he would find some other way to stay President.
January 6, 2021: While Trump’s legal teams began to crumble under the weight of the preposterous challenges (some left Trump outright), he developed his own team of sympathizers who had no problem with their own right from outer space challenges. Once respected New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani held a press conference at the Four Seasons… Landscaping Company to announce a challenge to the Pennsylvania count. In a second news conference, Giuliani would be ridiculed when his dye job seemed to melt all over his face.
There were some other crackpots creating challenges such as wannabe lawyer Sidney Powell who came up with her own conspiracies in Georgia along with Lin Wood, previously famous for having represented Richard Jewell in the Atlanta Olympics bombing. And there were others as well as Trump urged his followers to protest the election results themselves. Meanwhile, Trump’s many challenges continued to fail, and he was also unable to get enough people to help overturn the election in the swing states, any of them.
So, January 6, 2021, came around. That was the day the Congress would certify the election in Biden’s favor. Trump desperately tried to get Vice President Pence to decertify the election, but he said he could not do so Constitutionally (he was right). Thus, after all the brown nosing Pence did for four years was for naught as he was now a traitor for standing up to his principles for once.
Another interesting player in the matter was disgraced General Mike Flynn, who suggested imposing martial law so the Nation could have a do-over and declare Trump the winner, you know, like they do in third world countries. Trump even tried to get advice from the My Pillow guy who had his own bizarre ideas. You think the Apprentice got good ratings before? Trump would have had the hit show of the millennium with this bunch.
Anyway, on January 6, Congress convened to certify the election officially. A handful of Republican Senators and Representatives would challenge certain states and the process was expected to go late into the night.
In the meantime, Trump had appealed to his followers to hold a major rally in Washington on that day and indeed they came, thousands of them in fact. Trump even urged them to march on the Capitol. What could possibly go wrong?
There were signs this would not be a peaceful protest early on as alt-right wing groups such as the Proud Boys were suggesting a siege on the Capitol Building itself. It seemed to fall on deaf ears though and the tragic events of that day were about to unfold.
It started off eerily from the beginning. Rallies were held throughout the city, notably by Giuliani and Donald Trump, Jr., neither of who seemed to advocating non-violence.
But the big moment was with Donald Trump himself, who made a public appearance, imploring the protestors to march on the Capitol saying he would even join them. He also condemned Pence for not overturning the election and had more or less turned against him.
As it was, Trump would not join them as the Secret Service had other ideas. Trump instead would be reduced to rooting for the carnage on TV from the Oval Office. As for the mob, the siege began about an hour after Trump made his appearance and it slowly made it’s way into the biggest news event since 9/11. A bunch of right wingers were about to attempt to overthrow the United States. Local police they had professed to support were now being attacked, several would lose their lives in the process. Congresspeople and Senators could be seen running down the halls as the mob descended on them. People were chanting, “Hang Mike Pence!” Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office was ransacked. The circus had come to town and people were begging for the clown show to stop.
And all the while, despite pleas from everyone from the Vice President to even House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the National Guard would not be called in for hours. When they finally did arrive, the siege began to recede and the Congress was able to complete its business that night, with a few shell-shocked Republicans even backing off on the recount ruse.
And Trump would become the first President in history to be impeached twice, this time even with a few Republicans other than Romney voting for conviction (though not enough to convict the now former President).
Post Presidency: Trump refused to attend Biden’s inaugural, instead taking Air Force One to his resort at Mara Lago for one last time. As of right now, he is more or less under investigation for his involvement in the January 6th debacle and only time will tell if he actually faces charges, either in Federal Court or in Georgia, where he is under investigation for trying to manipulate the election there as well as in New York, for more tax related matters.
In the meantime, there is speculation that Trump may run again in 2024. Whether he does or not or even if he loses his nomination bid, it is obvious that Trumpism, in some form, is here to stay. Several would be Republican candidates, notably Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, is taking the Trump mantle as his ticket to the White House. Others, such as Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, want to return the GOP to a more respectable conservative bastion. One can only hope that the Hogans will succeed, and the Trumps and DeSantis’ won’t.
But we do live in strange times.
Odd Notes: Trump’s family name was originally Drumpf
Trump was married three times (so far anyway)
Trump was part owner of three beauty pageants
Final Summary: I don’t have very many nice things to say here. I guess you could argue he set the tone for finally getting us out of Afghanistan (And people actually blasted Biden for completing the job), but he even managed to bungle that. He alienated almost everyone from the military to educators and health professionals, to practically every Democratic country in the world (It’s pretty bad when your best friends appear to be Putin and Kim Jong-Il). And yet, he continues to have a strong following despite it being obvious that it isn’t about politics at all (the Republican led Lincoln Project knows this), it's about Trump’s own fragile ego. No President, even the worst of the worst ever intentionally put his own interests ahead of that of the country. Is he responsible for the mess that the world is in today? Well, you could say that.
But, let’s face it, the enemy isn’t really Donald Trump. The enemy is us. We’re the idiots who vote for these clowns (and don’t think the Dems don’t vote for their own clowns).
So, until we get wise, we’ll keep electing people that want to dismantle democracy and then we won’t be electing anyone at all. Just as well, who wants to wait in line at a voting booth anyway, right?
Overall rating: F
https://millercenter.org/president/trump