My newsletter returns June 10, but here is my June 3 column in The Financial Post about Trump’s convictions and what happens next. It was headlined “Convicted Donald Trump is now at his most dangerous”. The text follows:
“Donald Trump would have Americans believe that his conviction on 34 felony counts last week proves that their legal system is rigged and corrupt and that he’s a victim. The United States has many challenges, but its legal system remains intact. The fact that a rich, influential former president and powerful billionaire was held to account by a jury of his peers, and that Hunter Biden, the son of the sitting president, goes on trial this week, shows that the rule of law is alive and well in the United States.
“Trump’s trial wasn’t a hit job by Washington. He was charged by a New York prosecutor and convicted by a jury of 12 New Yorkers who were vetted and approved by both sides. The trial was overseen by Judge Juan Merchan, and the jury’s verdict was swift and unanimous on all 34 charges. And Trump can, and will, appeal.
“New Yorkers either celebrated the verdict or rolled their eyes. There were no giant crowds of MAGA hats outside the courthouse sitting vigil. This is because the city has witnessed decades of Trump’s grandstanding, scandals, bankruptcies and promotions for his overpriced, gaudy real estate developments. Trump has been described as a “conman” by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, billionaire George Soros and Sen. Mitt Romney. In New York, Trump is a punchline.
“Now that it’s over, Trump can take his case to the American public as he seeks re-election. A recent poll found that a majority of Americans believe he got a fair trial. Another poll found that 49 per cent of independent voters and 15 per cent of Republican voters believe Trump should end his campaign because he is a convicted felon.
“However, Trump has launched a “revenge tour,” delivering self-absorbed rants about trying to save the constitution from the country’s rotten legal and political establishment. But his life is littered with litigation and legal tangles. Currently, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization is in jail serving time for committing fraud, and Trump was recently fined US$355 million (C$483 million) for fraudulent practices by a New York judge.
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