Donald Trump is on the warpath. It is not the first time and it certainly won’t be the last.
Earlier this week, reports broke that the New York District Attorney’s office is preparing to file charges against the former president for allegedly covering up hush money payments to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign, nearly seven years after the money changed hands.
Although Trump may well be guilty, his prosecution is undoubtedly a politically motivated effort by Democrats to persecute their favorite boogeyman and prevent him from winning the presidency in 2024. If all former or current presidents were treated equally, the likes of Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton would be subject to similar criminal investigations.
In response, Trump has called on his supporters to protest in his defense. “Leading Republican candidate & former President of the United States of America will be arrested on Tuesday of next week,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Protest, take our nation back!”
Republicans should be condemning this political prosecution, but their support should end there.
The real reason Trump does not deserve anyone’s support is that in the more than two years since that fateful day, not only has he refused to reach into his own pocket to support the January 6th prisoners but he has also provided them with no real political support. No visits, fundraisers, or even an apology, just a promise that he will pardon them if the U.S. gives him a second term in office.
Whatever your views on what happened on January 6th, two things remain abundantly clear: The people who stormed the Capitol did so not just out of a belief that the election was fraudulent, but also to defend the man who many considered the greatest president of their lifetime.
Those protesters are paying the price for their loyalty to Trump. Many of them have spent the last two years in prison and have been treated worse than many hardened prisoners. And what has Trump done for those people? A few tweets (or in his case, “Truths”) in their support. This really doesn’t cut it.
There is also the significant risk that many of those who go out to protest for Trump also end up as political prisoners, similar to the January 6 protesters. The Biden Department of Justice has also made no secret of its intention to clamp down on enemies of the administration. This view is shared by conservative commentators, many of whom have previously defended Trump through thick and thin.
“The last time Trump’s biggest fans protested on his behalf, he left them all to rot in jail without so much as a penny from him in legal fees,” wrote Jesse Kelly. “Not a penny. Shame on him for this. Do NOT go to a blue area and protest for this man. Ignore this.”
FYI: The last time Trump’s biggest fans protested on his behalf, he left them all to rot in jail without so much as a penny from him in legal fees. Not a penny.
Shame on him for this. Do NOT go to a blue area and protest for this man. Ignore this. pic.twitter.com/dnwnC6Uvyd
— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) March 18, 2023
“So y’all really going to walk into another massive protest for Trump?”, wrote commentator Mike Cernovich
So y’all are really going to walk into another massive protest for Trump?
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 18, 2023
“Protests are a political tool,” wrote David Reaboi. “Like many tools, you can get yourself and your cause really hurt if you don’t know what you’re doing—or if you have the wrong (or no) idea about what you’re trying to achieve.”
Protests are a political tool. Like many tools, you can get yourself and your cause really hurt if you don’t know what you’re doing—or if you have the wrong (or no) idea about what you’re trying to achieve. If you’re wondering why the Right cannot do this https://t.co/DoHhDTEHQz… https://t.co/4fKT21fxXf
— David Reaboi, Late Republic Nonsense (@davereaboi) March 19, 2023
“We are watching Democrats interfering with the 2024 election in real-time. Banana republic style. But be wary of protests to ‘take our nation back,'” explained journalist Miranda Devine. “We saw how that worked out on J6. Trump supporters slain, persecuted, still suffering in pre-trial detention.”
We are watching Democrats interfering with the 2024 election in real time. Banana republic style. But be wary of protests to “take our nation back”. We saw how that worked out on J6. Trump supporters slain, persecuted, still suffering in pre trial detention. @julie_kelly2 https://t.co/nss9hTB06k
— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) March 18, 2023
“Cannot stress enough how much a scenario where Trump supporters engage in violence amid Trump’s calls to protest over his case would put a noose around the neck of the right,” wrote Pedro Gonzalez, political editor of Chronicles Magazine. “Also, if he evades jail and his supporters are imprisoned, he won’t help them. It’s not worth it.”
Cannot stress enough how much a scenario where Trump supporters engage in violence amid Trump’s calls to protest over his case would put a noose around the neck of the right. Also, if he evades jail and his supporters are imprisoned, he won’t help them. It’s not worth it. https://t.co/8Xk2YSVWH8
— Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) March 19, 2023
The brutal reality about Donald Trump is he is, and always has been, selfish and narcissistic. He prioritizes his own interests above everything else. Most conservatives knew and accepted this during his presidency, but were willing to turn a blind eye on the grounds that he was delivering a conservative agenda.
Now, Trump wants his supporters to put their own lives and freedom at risk to protect him from a prosecution that will inevitably backfire on Democrats anyway. For those who believe that Trump is more likely the past rather than the future of the Republican Party, this is one step too far.
