It would be a relief not to see or hear anything more from Donald Trump for a while. Unfortunately, that is unlikely. When he was finally brought to book last week at Fulton County Jail, Georgia, on multiple charges of racketeering and conspiracy, the former president should have been refused bail. That might have shut him up for a while. But showing an undeserved leniency characteristic of the legal proceedings against him to date, prosecutors allowed inmate P01135809 to walk away with a $200,000 bond – despite his recent, blatant attempts to intimidate witnesses and judges.
It’s far from clear, in any case, that the American people want Trump to be silenced or an end to the gripping, often surreal, dark-sided reality show in which he stars. With typical chutzpah, Trump timed his surrender at the jail to maximise live cable news coverage. The result was nationwide publicity for his bogus claim to be the victim of a vendetta by President Biden, the Democrats and the “deep state”. Turning the tables with customary brazenness, he said they were guilty of 2024 election interference – exactly what he himself stands accused of after 2020.
America’s fascinated TV news channels, radio show hosts, newspapers and social media platforms are enjoying all this hugely, whatever their politics. Trump’s supporters laud him as a modern hero – a reborn Paul Revere, warning the republic of the enemy’s approach. Trump made sure his prison mugshot was instantly disseminated, using it to solicit campaign donations. His son, Donald Trump Jr, described it as “the most iconic photo in the history of US politics”. Hardly.
Some American progressives and liberals seem to be relishing the spectacle, too. The squeals of shock and anger that greet each atrocious Trump lie and twist are delicious in their way. But Trump and his Maga followers, by making a mockery of the justice system and treating the courts with contempt, do their country a great disservice.
Quite what Republicans (and Democrats) would do if Trump were locked away is an intriguing question. Joe Biden is assured of his party’s nomination, despite a noisy challenge from Robert Kennedy Jr. But his national approval rating of minus 11% remains unusually low. Recent polls suggest many Democratic voters are unenthusiastic about a second Biden term. They would support him if push came to shove. Majorities in both parties would prefer a younger president to Biden, 80, or Trump, 77.
But who might that be? Last week’s first televised debate between Republican presidential hopefuls, boycotted by Trump, failed to produce a likely or convincing alternative – and certainly not one capable of overturning Trump’s 40-point internal party lead. The more sensible candidates, such as Nikki Haley and Chris Christie, struggled to make an impression. More attention was paid to Vivek Ramaswamy, a ranting, egotistical younger version of Trump, who seemed to be there largely for kicks (which he received in plenty).
The entertainment value of these legal high jinks, courtroom dramas, poll battles and pugilistic TV showdowns is undeniable. It’s politics as theatre. Like one of the more evil Roman emperors, Trump gives good circus. Yet the proper conduct of the first-ever criminal prosecutions of a president and next year’s pivotal election are matters of enormous importance for the US and the world. Americans may need to take their democracy more seriously as a decisive juncture approaches – or risk losing it.
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