Get Ready

Trump's rage will grow as his first trial approaches

Photo by Klara Kulikova on Unsplash

In a deranged rant on his social media platform, Donald Trump attacked the daughter of the judge presiding over his election interference trial, which is scheduled to start in two weeks.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office called it a violation of the court’s gag order and asked for sanctions against Trump for criminal contempt—including jail time—if he does it again.

If he does it again? How many times does something like this have to happen before the criminal justice system responds?

Because it didn’t take long for Trump to attack again. On Friday, he posted a picture of a MAGA-adorned pickup truck bearing the image of a kidnapped Joe Biden with his hands and feet bound.

It shouldn’t take much imagination to figure out how the secret service would have responded had anyone other than the former president posted an image suggesting violence against the current president.

But the precautions in place to protect court officers, their families, and elected officials against threats of violence have been insufficient to prevent Trump from lashing out with abandon. It has proved too difficult for the courts to restrain a rampaging defendant who is also running for president.

For all we say about no person being above the law, the way Trump has been treated during the lead-up to his trials is a test of the principle of equal justice. Right now, the judicial system is failing that test.

I raise this point because Trump’s rage is likely to intensify if his lawyers are unable to find an eleventh-hour maneuver to derail the New York trial. Expect his rhetoric to escalate as his fury grows and his fear swells ahead of a moment that may finally impose consequences on his actions.

Consider what awaits him if jury selection actually proceeds in two weeks. Trump will have to appear in court every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for the duration of the trial, which is scheduled to last six weeks. That means from mid-April until potentially the end of May, he will be expected to sit quietly next to his lawyers listening to Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen, and others testify against him. He will be subordinate to Judge Juan Merchan, who will be responsible for maintaining order. No outbursts. No acting out.

Can you picture this happening?

Neither can I.

Trump was incapable of sitting still during closing arguments in the E. Jean Carroll case, at one point storming out of the courtroom while Carroll’s attorney told the jury that Trump believes “the rules don’t apply to him.” That jury returned an $83 million judgment against him.

But that was civil court, where Trump’s presence was optional. He has to attend his criminal trials. Wednesdays, weekends, and evenings will be his own, but during the balance of the week Trump will be obligated to show up and behave himself. It’s going to be a huge test for Merchan, because he will have to control Donald Trump—something no one has ever been able to do.

And if Trump somehow manages to get through a day without tempting contempt, he will be under a gag order when court adjourns. The fury he experiences during the day at being constrained, the humiliation of being exposed for what he’s done, and the fear of what might happen if he’s convicted will intensify. It will demand an outlet.

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This is why we need to be on alert. We are entering a new and precarious phase of this saga where the escalation of violent rhetoric should be expected, elevating the potential for violence.

But with the trial, the justice system is also being presented with an opportunity to correct its failure to address Trump’s lawlessness. Ultimately, a jury may be able to do what no judge has been willing to do.

Tragically, the potential for unrest was bound to be part of this election cycle. Trump is a would-be autocrat with an angry following, and his freedom is on the line. He is going to lash out.

But he was going to lash out regardless of the circumstances. He’s been doing it his whole life. Unrest is woven into this moment because of what Trump and his enablers are trying to accomplish, not because he’s being brought to trial. And if tensions were inevitable, it is far better to experience them with the promise of accountability in the mix.

So we should be ready. We are in a treacherous phase. But we should try to maintain perspective.

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Maintaining Perspective

To that end, I’d like to share an unrelated story that helped me find some perspective about the future. It comes from a recent exchange with a former student.

Every May for the past 16 years, I have had the privilege of taking a small group of Villanova undergraduates to DC for a three-week program called the Washington Minimester. You’ll be hearing more about the Minimester next month, when my writing will be informed for a few weeks by what I’m seeing inside the Beltway.

Students in the Minimester meet with high-level officials to learn about the interplay of politics and policymaking—how Washington works and why so often it doesn’t. The participants self-select. They’re highly interested in politics. Some seek political careers.

A student from my inaugural trip in 2008 reached out to me recently to tell me he’s running for Congress as a progressive Democrat in Maryland’s 3rd congressional district, which is between Baltimore and Washington. His name is John Morse (this is his campaign website) and he’s facing a crowded primary which will likely determine the general election winner in this deep blue seat.

As any academic will tell you, we often wonder where our students go when they leave the nest. Usually we never find out. So I was excited to hear from John and extremely touched to learn that the Minimester sparked a lifelong interest in politics that culminated in his quest for political office.

I told John that I think it takes a lot of courage to do what he’s doing in these treacherous times. He’s putting himself out there at a moment of peak danger for democracy and those defending it.

But hearing from him also reminded me about the nobility of public service. Despite the ugliness of a political process made grimier by our current disputes, it is still a high calling to serve others—especially if you are a candidate like John who is running to protect democracy and promote shared opportunity.

John represents the generational change that’s triggering the reactionary politics of the moment. As we search for a way through the chaos and uncertainty, it can be helpful to remember that we arrived here because two emerging generations are pressing for a more equitable society. I find hope in the actions of people like John who are stepping up when things are fraught to advocate for a new politics that’s waiting for us on the other side of the hill.