I was sitting at a coffee shop in one of the reddest towns in my red state when I glanced down at a text.
TRUMP VERDICT IN. OPEN THE NEWS.
My eyes became saucers as I read the verdict. Guilty on all 34 counts. HALLELUJAH! Somehow I kept myself from celebrating in the middle of Main Street, but I couldn’t help but pay attention to the reactions around me. Were the people somberly looking down at their phones also reading the news? Were the scowls on people’s faces because they were as angry as I was overjoyed?
And more importantly — did any of it even matter? Trump could still be president. He can’t serve in the military as a felon, but he can command it. None of this makes any sense.
I witnessed my share of that kind of handwringing over the weekend. Here’s just a few of my friends comments about the Trump verdict:
“I would love to celebrate, but I know he won't be punished (per usual), and what's worse, this is going to fuel his rabid base. I'm genuinely concerned he might actually win in November. I just can't wrap my head or heart around how we've gotten to this point in our society.” — Jennifer M.
“They're just doubling down harder than before, knowing full well he won't serve any time. It's infuriating.” — Aiofe M.
“I feel like this is going to change nothing. Am I wrong?” — Amber S.
“Have I just lost all faith? Do you think this will matter to his followers? Will they still vote for him?” — Melissa R.
What kind of comments did you hear from your friends and family after the Trump verdict was read on Thursday? Were you encouraged or discouraged at the reactions?
It is true that Trump couldn’t serve in the U.S. military, as multiple felonies are almost always disqualifying. Not that ol’ bone spurs himself would ever attempt to. And yes, it is an absolute mindfuck to know that felons in New York and Florida can’t run for public office, but Trump, who has residences in both locations, can run for President. No law exists preventing this seemingly possible reality. This is due to one fatal flaw of American politics:
We never had the imagination for Donald Trump.
Never before in our history have we elected such an unscrupulous pathological liar evil megalomaniac to the highest office in our country.
And the nightmare we’ve seen from Trump’s first term is just the beginning. He’s already announced a plan, called Agenda 47, to punish his political enemies, conduct mass deportation raids, and usher in chaos never before imagined in U.S. government. Agenda 47, coupled with the Heritage Foundation’s authoritarian playbook, Project 2025, would usher in the darkest days in American history and eliminate rights for almost everyone.
The point of this substack is to keep Project 2025 from happening, which means Trump cannot be president again.
So what do we do? And does Trump’s verdict even matter? MAGA-obsessed Republicans have overlooked every single one of his unconscionable choices — the E. Jean Carroll rape, the Access Hollywood Tape, the Stormy Daniels payoff, the Muslim ban, the family separations, the defense of literal Nazis, the affairs, the desire to sleep with his own daughter, the ogling under age girls, the insurrection. Every disgusting act just fires them up further. It’s almost impossible to extract people from a cult. Trust me. The number of cult documentaries I’ve watched makes me an expert.
We need to stop focusing on Trump’s base, and instead pay attention to the sliver of true Independents and Undecideds who try to stay engaged but aren’t loyal to either side. While I encourage people to take polling with a grain of salt, it is notable that a Marquette Law School poll conducted before the end of the trial found Biden beating Trump by 4 points if Trump was found guilty.
If you can break through the noise, this verdict will have an impact on less engaged voters them and influence their vote.
Tell me if this sounds like any one you know:
The single parent who barely has time to catch a breath, much less the news on a regular basis.
The jaded coworker who is voting third party because “Republicans and Democrats are the same.”
The family member who is just too overwhelmed to pay attention.
The new voter who gets all their information from TikTok.
The Republican who hates Trump but can’t bring themself to vote for a Democrat.
The disenfranchised Democrat who won’t give Biden their vote because his isn’t perfect and won’t enact every policy they want.
In each of those scenarios, there’s room to make headway with a potential voter who can save our democracy from dystopian nightmare of another Trump term.
Remember that Project 2025 only works if voters are ignorant, so let’s not let that happen.
Onward Democracy Defenders!
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Also a Montanan here! I guess I wonder if we don't know anyone in a swing state.... What's the point? My mom in Texas fits several of the categories but I firmly believe Texas will go for Trump in a big way. I honestly don't want to alienate my mom for a vote that won't change anything except our relationship.
Yes, it matters. It matters because America tries hard to be fair. It isn’t always accomplished but is a foundational belief for us all. When our country doesn’t play fair, we feel deeply wounded. Even people who who don’t think deserve fair, deserve it. It’s the basis of equality and we cannot all be equal unless the law plays fair.
Since the rise of Trump and the controlling oligarchy, we often don’t see fair. When Republicans push through their tax breaks for the wealthy, fair is never considered, but a self-entitled white person acts like it is. When children go hungry, there is nothing fair about someone not receiving the basic needs for life. Our lists of unfairness are very long in America. But Republicans spread the lies that if only the poor and needy worked harder, had fewer children, didn’t drop out of school and somehow “deserved it.” The power hungry and greedy live by their version of “fair”. Slave owners lived by sick version of fair.
We all have “fairness” as a social and moral internal guide. Little children on the playground understand the need for fair. Kids trying out for a sport wish for fairness. A hard-working Black student may need a level playing field so we a layer some fairness on so they could attend a quality university.
The legal system and our foundational government documents stress fairness even if it took decades to see the wisdom of doing so. We”ve fought wars over fairness. Israelis vs. Palestinians continue to battle over fairness.
America has taken a hard right and fairness is being ignored. The legal system often turns its back on fairness because White men have been beating a drum and chanting how unfair life is for them. MAGA as a group is based on their perceived unfairness. And in fact, they aren’t wrong. They are just going about it by taking someone else’s fair away from them.
There is plenty of fairness to go around because we make it. And we can make mountains of it. We can pass it around but we cannot horde it. Seeing Trump being treated fairly is critical for our emotional health. It’s critical for our children to see it and make some of their own with their friends. We don’t have to like someone to be fair. But we can and should be fair even if no one it looking.
Be fair with someone today even if you’re only sharing a candy bat.