Donald Trump was warming the crowd at his rally by blasting a Rolling Stones recording when he was on his way up.
A favorite is “Honky-Tonk Women,” a bit of an odd choice amid scandals like Stormy Daniels, but an upbeat song nonetheless.
He’s become a bitter old loser, so maybe Trump should try another Stones song.
Like the singer of that song, Trump is on a losing streak. He can expect another loss if he implements his plan to announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential candidacy today.
It would be the dumbest thing he’s done since… well, whatever he did right before that.
Perhaps it was a Truth Social post referring to fellow Republican Governor Glenn of Virginia. He called Yonkin “Yonkin” and commented that the name was “Chinese”.
No, it sounds silly.
Someone needs to tell Donald that he can’t afford to alienate Republicans anymore.
He’s going to need all the friends he can get once the investigation into the 2020 election comes to a conclusion.
Most of the news coverage has focused on federal investigations. But the real danger for Donald could come from a state investigation in Georgia.
One of the many stupid moves Trump made after losing Georgia in the 2020 election was telling the Republican secretary of state to “find the 11,780 votes needed to win the state’s 11 electoral votes.” Secretary of State Brad Ravensperger refused.
Donald targeted Raffensperger in this year’s Republican primary. But like many other races, Trump’s MAGA mob didn’t hate any candidate as much as Donald.
He won the primary by 19 points and the General by 13 points..
Former New Jersey judge and legal analyst Andrew Napolitano said the Georgia investigation could be just as dangerous for Donald as the federal investigation.
“If he were indicted in Georgia, which I believe he would and should, he would have to appear in public court on his own arraignment.” said Napolitano to me. Unless he is out of the country. ”
This brings up an interesting wrinkle I heard while in Ireland over the summer. Mr Trump’s passport had just been seized during an FBI raid in Mar-a-Lago. An Irish newspaper speculated that the federal government had caught them to stop Trump from heading to his golf course in Doonbeg, where he might be able to escape extradition.
It turned out that the passport was seized by mistake. But the Irish had a lot of fun exploring different scenarios for how Donald escaped the long arms of the law.
Mr Napolitano said he believes Mr Trump will also be wanted by the federal government in the not too distant future.
“I also believe the federal government will indict him for espionage and obstruction of justice in Washington, D.C.,” he said. “The incriminating evidence in both cases is overwhelming.”
Exactly so. And it will be published soon. Trump’s best defense may be his own stupidity. A jury may decide that no one is stupid enough to do what he is accused of doing.
The big question is whether prosecutors want to slap the cuff of a former president seeking re-election.
Trump seems to think the public will revolt if he is indicted. The political play he plans to stage today in Mar-a-Lago seems designed to make that point.
Trump also seems to assume that the MAGA mob will deter his fellow Republicans from opposing the Republican party’s recognized leader.
However, he is not the leader for long. When the new Congress takes seat, it looks like Republicans will end up with a three-vote margin in the House.
As for Trump, he is also running. The big question is, can he escape the law as well?
Or maybe he’s flying. Trump recently got his personal airliner back from repair. The Boeing 757 is an airplane that can fly almost anywhere in the world without refueling.
There must be one country that accepts billionaire property developers who don’t want to spend the rest of their days in jail. Also, you don’t need a passport to board a private plane.
That’s the kind of choice Trump may soon face.
It reminds me of another Stones song I used to hear at Trump rallies. For some reason, Donald always ended the festivities by playing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
I didn’t understand why.
Perhaps he was ahead of his time.
More information: A recent Paul Mulshine column.
Paul Mulshine can be reached at pmulshine@starledger.com.
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