Former President Donald Trump has been in the headlines for countless reasons during the last eight years. During his presidency, the reasons varied between administration reports and personal comments. Since he’s left the office of President, though, the news reports have centered around Trump’s increasingly radical comments and political stunts, and his ongoing legal battles.
Trump and Controversy
Trump has faced his fair share of controversy over the last severals years, beginning with the 2020 election itself. Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and his perpetration of the Big Lie in the years since has made him the source of multiple investigations, as well as multiple felony charges in various jurisdictions.
Indeed, Trump’s legal battles have been one of the most prominent events around the man in the years since he left the White House. This is including the fact that Trump is currently the assumed Republican nominee for President, having reached the number of primary delegates to close down the nomination properly.
The Media and Trump
Many news outlets have spent a great deal of time covering Trump, and everything that he has been involved in and done since he left office. His criminal charges are excellent media fodder, and there are many people, both Democrats and GOP lawmakers, who have come on to discuss Trump and his legal battles and strategy.
The most prominent case of the four that are currently facing him is the case surrounding his actions on January 6, that is being heard in the Washington D.C. court system. This case is different from the Georgia RICO election interference case, though they both address Trump’s actions regarding the 2020 election in different capacities.
The D.C. Case is Particularly Important
The Washington D.C. case is particularly important, not only because it could influence the way that voters perceive Trump ahead of the 2024 election, but because it’s possible it could change the way Congress views Trump as well.
This is important, because the Supreme Court recently ruled that only Congress and the federal government could ban a candidate from a presidential ticket in an election year. States have been trying to ban Trump from being listed on their primary ballots under the provision of the 14th amendment for months, now, and the Supreme Court ruled that only Congress has the authority to do this, making the state efforts null and void.
A Complete Lack of Remorse
Throughout all his various legal battles and challenges with the media, though, Trump has not apologized for any of his controversial statements or showed remorse for any of the actions that he is accused of.
In fact, not only has Trump not shown remorse, but he’s doubled down on many of his claims. He has continued to perpetuate the Big Lie in the years since the 2020 election, despite running for office for a third time – a fact that, by nature of its existence, proves that he did not, in fact, win the 2020 election.
Turning on Former Allies
Not only that, Trump has gone out of his way to attack anyone and everyone who he has perceived as being an “enemy.” Trump, according to many former staffers and allies, has a “with me, or against me” attitude, and is just as likely to turn on his allies as support them.
He has gone against various individuals and organizations, including the RNC itself and the state legislature of Georgia, in his efforts to make himself the victim in every situation. He claims that Republicans who don’t support him are not truly Republicans at all, and that he and his followers are the future of the conservative movement in America.
Trump as an Unpopular Republican Figure
This attitude, that Trump himself is the sole important figure of the Republican conference and that anyone who doesn’t support him isn’t a Republican, has made him deeply unpopular with some members of the Republican party.
Indeed, there are many who believe that Trump’s attitude disqualifies him for office at the base of it. Trump is widely perceived as oversensitive, both due to his hyperbolic reactions to political criticism and his social media behavior.
A Former GOP Representative Commenting
One former GOP representative, Joe Walsh (R-IL) has come out against Trump is an explosive statement in recent days. In an interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta this week, he reacted to the former President’s comments about Jewish voters.
In an interview published on Monday, Trump released a number of shocking comments regarding the Jewish community, and Jewish voters at large. He said that any Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats “hate Israel” and hate their religion.
“It’s Just Divisive”
Walsh criticized the former president heavily for his remarks. “It’s just divisive. Every single word, Jim, that he is uttering and will utter during this campaign is divisive. Dividing Jewish people, dividing Americans. It’s not going to stop.”
Walsh is a vocal Trump critic who left the Republican Party in 2020. In his interview, he went on to say that the party’s presumptive presidential nominee “has been a fraud and a con man his whole life.”
Trump Will Continue to Complain
He continued, “This entire campaign, Jim, is going to be about him beginning to be held accountable for those crimes. And all he is going to do is cry, b****, and moan about it. But, his followers love it, because he’s the great victim.”
These comments come in the midst of multiple appeals that Trump’s criminal trials are in the process of. The Trump tactic of delay, delay, delay appears to be working regarding his criminal cases, and it’s clear that the intent of his legal team is to delay the trials until after the election in November.
Trump Struggling Financially
Trump is also in the midst of significant financial difficulties that could heavily impact his reelection campaign. Earlier this year, he posted a bond of more than $80 million dollars in the state of New York, which was earmarked for the damages he’s required to pay in the lawsuits that were filed against him by E. Jean Carroll.
Trump’s appeals of these cases failed on principle, and the damages have been significant. Despite this, Trump has continued to claim innocence regarding the charges of defamation and sexual assault, even going so far as to claim that he never met E. Jean Carroll, opening himself up for a potential third lawsuit from the Carroll team.
More Damages Ordered
In addition to the $80 million that Trump has been ordered to pay to E. Jean Carroll, though, Trump has also be ordered to pay more than $460 million in the case against Trump, his adult sons Don Jr. and Eric, and the Trump organization as a whole.
Trump filed a motion with the state of New York earlier this month stating that he doesn’t have the cash on hand to pay the significant bond owed to the state in the fraud case, and Attorney General Leticia James has already filed the paperwork to begin seizing assets to settle his debt with the state. This is a significant blow to Trump, who has built his reputation on being not only a good businessman, but an incredibly wealthy one as well.
Using Campaign Donations for Legal Fees
These motions and payments come in the wake of reports from the IRS that Trump used more than $50 million of campaign donations to pay legal fees for himself and his allies in 2023. This act could potentially violate campaign finance law if Trump is not careful, though no investigations have been announced yet.
That number is also anticipated to increase in 2024 as his legal troubles ramp up. Trump has painted all of the charges against him as a “witch hunt,” but it’s unclear how long the rhetoric of constantly being attacked will continue to work with Republicans. His base is loyal, that much is clear, but Republicans at large seem to be having some doubts.
Trump: The Perpetual Victim
Walsh accusing Trump of perpetual victimhood is well in line with many Democratic talking points regarding the former President. It is also one that the president perpetuates himself by constantly claiming that he’s being attacked by fellow Republicans and political rivals.
It doesn’t appear that the former President will be stopping in this political strategy anytime soon, though. It’s one that seems to work well with his base, as well as some moderates, and if painting himself as the victim of political persecution is the road back to the White House, it’s clear that Trump will take it.
