Trump loyalists are quick to claim that whenever the former president makes what appears to be an unforced error he is merely “playing 4-D chess.” No matter what criticism Trump takes from the hysterical media and the Democrats and sometimes even Republicans, some MAGA folk will insist that he actually meant to create whatever is the drama of the day.
And there’s certainly some truth to that; Trump, after all, is a showman and is prone to making provocative statements and bold predictions.
He keeps getting in trouble with Judge Juan Merchan, the jurist overseeing the ridiculous case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, alleging that the presumptive GOP presidential nominee misclassified business expenses in ledgers and invoices. Seriously?
The case is an absolute joke, as so many legal analysts have observed, but it is nevertheless ongoing and serves as Exhibit A of America’s descent into a banana republic under Joe Biden. Even though Bragg is not a DOJ attorney, the White House appears to have consulted with him and the trial is just another facet of the corrupt Department of Justice’s attempts to weaponize the federal government against Biden’s perceived enemies.
But Trump, being Trump, won’t stay silent on the matter despite Judge Merchan’s frequent exhortations. The former president has consistently violated the questionable gag order that Merchan handed down, which specified that Trump could not question the validity of the jury, the trial, or the judge himself. I’m not sure how this doesn’t violate the First Amendment, especially since it seems to be specifically targeted to him while miscreants like Michael Cohen are allowed to publicly prattle on at will, but there you have it.
Trump keeps coming:
President Trump makes statement saying he is willing to go to jail to fight for our Constitutional right to free speech
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) May 6, 2024
We are witnessing history
America is being turned into a banana republic, and this man is risking his life to save our country pic.twitter.com/buTUEfBHod
He implied that he’s willing to be locked up over the matter:
“This judge has given me a gag order and said you’ll go to jail if you violate it,” Trump told reporters after court adjourned for the day [Monday] in his hush money trial. “And frankly, you know what, our Constitution is much more important than jail. It’s not even close. I’ll do that sacrifice any day.”
Trump continues to take to the airwaves and to Truth Social to lambaste the judge, the jury, and the entire process. Merchan keeps fining him, but he doesn’t seem to care. It was almost comical to hear the judge on Monday virtually begging Trump to stop talking because he really really doesn’t want to throw him in jail. He knows how it will look.
At this point, you can’t help but wonder if the presumptive GOP presidential nominee is playing high-stakes poker. He almost seems to be saying, “Jail me, Juan—see how that plays.” Polls have consistently shown that Trump’s approval ratings have shot up since all the lawfare against him started ramping up. MSNBC nitwits and their ilk breathlessly prayed for a mugshot of the former president, but when it came, it didn’t do what they thought it would. It only made Trump more popular as Americans realized that corrupt processes were at work.
See: Here It Is: The Trump Mugshot Democrats Have Been Praying For
But what would happen if Biden’s chief political opponent was arrested and tossed in the slammer? How would the electorate react to that? One can’t help but wonder if Trump wouldn’t mind that outcome, seeing as he keeps talking despite Merchan’s order to stop. My guess is the American people, or most of them anyway, would be disgusted, and Trump’s popularity would only continue to grow as Biden flounders on the national and international stage. We would see even more how depraved the anti-Trumpers have become, how they’ll do almost anything to bring him down. He’s running for the most important job in the world—the presidency of the United States—yet he’s not allowed to comment on the folks trying to silence him or the corrupt system that is being used to try to destroy him? It doesn’t seem like America, and We the People feel it.
Will he come out Tuesday and continue to flout the gag order, virtually baiting the judge into more penalties—possibly including jail time? My guess is yes. I can’t claim to know his motivations, but it’s entirely possible that jail time is exactly what he wants.
Counterpoint:
My Hunch Is Donald Trump Will Not Spend a Day in Jail for Violating Gag Order in Manhattan Trial
