Burke: Trump makes his — desperate, unhinged — case for innocence
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 26, 2023
By Tom Burke / Herald columnist
The Big One is gonna hit. Maybe that earthquake will hit before you finish this column; maybe before the end of the week; or the end the century. But it’s gonna hit.
And in addition to the unimagined destruction of homes, highways and urban infrastructure, a tsunami could follow; a huge wave that sweeps over the shore at Westport or Ocean Shores, or harborside in Everett.
But it won’t be a new experience.
Because, thanks to Donald Trump, we’ve endured a figurative yet destructive wave of vicious, viscus lies overwhelming civil discourse and threatening our democracy as much today as the Big One threatens our lives in the future.
When I first heard Trump’s prevarications in 2016 I was disturbed. And I called it out.
As it went on I was sickened by his duplicity. And I “yelled” louder.
And when it became chronic, with scores of lies each-and-every day, I became incensed by the constant spew of self-serving disinformation and disregard for the people he was supposed to lead. And I shouted my anger and disgust as loud as I could.
But recently, as he’s grown more and more preposterous and his lies more and more psychotic, I’ve reached the limits of rectitude; utterly rejecting Trump’s lying, grift, lust for the dictator’s power, and his play to avoid responsibility (and punishment) for his despicable crimes; as I totally reject those who share his lust and believe and spread his lies.
The Washington Post proclaims, “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” so lets shed daylight on some of the recent fever-dream Truth Social posts of this twice indicted, twice impeached, seditious, convicted rapist. And if that doesn’t frighten you as much as the threat of a 9-on-the-Richter-scale-quake, you must be a MAGA adherent.
But first let’s recall what the most dyed-in-wool conservative around, Liz Cheney, said about him:
“Donald Trump is a risk America can never take again.”
What kind of a risk you ask, the violence-threatening dictator kind. Consider any former president saying:
“If you f*** around with us, if you do something bad to us, we are going to do things to you that have never been done before,” from a video of a 2020 Trump speech that he “reTruthed” on his social network.
“I think it’s a very dangerous thing to even talk about, because we do have a tremendously passionate group of voters, much more passion than they had in 2020 and much more passion than they had in 2016. I think it would be very dangerous.”
And to be sure his cult doesn’t miss the point, he said:
“The Republican Party must get tough, now. This is the strong sentiment that’s flowing through the veins of Patriots. DO SOMETHING!!”
Now in terms of sheer crudeness and deranged personal attacks, let’s recall Trump’s reposting a “F*** Biden” flag; or his listing Barak Obama’s home address, pointing a MAGA wanna-be murderer to his street with a machete, two guns and 400 rounds of ammo.
And then there are these insane, totally false, fantasy-fueled-only-in-Trump’s-mind attacks on President Biden:
“Does anybody really believe that the COCAINE found in the West Wing of the White House, very close to the Oval Office, is for the use of anyone other than Hunter & Joe Biden.”
Followed by:
“We can’t have a president that is on cocaine when you are dealing with nuclear weapons.”
And:
“We have a confirmed, and very dangerous, Idiot in the White House. The US cannot have this go on!”
Then there’s the “Truths” against the prosecutor bringing him to justice:
Jack Smith is a “mad dog crack head lunatic.”
“Has Deranged Jack Smith, the crazy, Trump hating Special Prosecutor, been seen in the area of the COCAINE? He looks like a crackhead to me!”
Trump has saved his most delusional and desperate posts to proclaim his innocence on every legal front, as he proclaimed his innocence just before a jury found him civilly liable for the sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll:
“Everybody says there is no crime here. I did nothing wrong! This is no legal system, this is the Gestapo, this is Russia and China, but worse. Disgraceful!”
But his most demented posts attack our justice system and seem to call for violence, using words whose meaning he apparently knows not:
“As my poll numbers go higher & higher, the Communists, Marxists, and Fascists get more and more CRAZY with their ridiculous indictments & Election Interference plans & plots, all controlled by an out of control & very corrupt, DOJ/FBI. They have WEAPONIZED Law Enforcement in America at a level not seen before. Deranged Jack Smith, who is a sick puppet for A.G. Garland & Crooked Joe Biden, should be DEFUNDED, and put out to rest. Republicans must get tough or the Dems will steal another election. MAGA!”
To conclude, gentle reader, I’ve saved the “best” — in other words the lying-est, taking-his-followers-for-the-biggest-idiots-on-the-face-of-the-planet “Truth” — for last:
“I never thought I would say that, as the leading political opponent of Crooked Joe Biden, getting indicted and Arrested by sick government ‘Thugs’ would be my great honor. I am doing it for our Country, to show how evil and sinister a place it has become. MAGA!!!”
No he ain’t. He’s getting indicted and arrested for breaking the law. For lying. For fermenting the violent overthrow of an election. For sexually abusing a woman. And for retaining, hiding and refusing to return classified government documents.
And all he’s showing is just how desperate he is to stay out of jail and grift others of more money.
So for Trump the Big One will certainly hit soon. And that’s the real truth.
Slava Ukraini.
Tom Burke’s email address is t.burke.column@gmail.com.
