The popularity of the former US president threatens the very system from which the ruling classes derive their benefits
By Dmitry Drize, political observer at Kommersant FM
FILE PHOTO. © Spencer Platt / Staff / Getty Images
Donald Trump intends to continue his US election campaign despite the jury’s guilty verdict in his New York trial. The former president has declared himself a political prisoner and insists the trial against him was rigged. Trump faces jail time. The next court session will be held on July 11.
It’s fair to say the pre-election situation in America has reached a stage of heightened tensions. Trump’s campaign headquarters raised more than $50 million within a day of his sentencing.
So, what will his sentence be? Theoretically, he could go to prison. According to the US constitution, this does not prevent a candidate from standing for election and, even if he wins, from leading the country.
It seems unbelievable, but in today’s reality, anything is possible, including this. And if such a thing were to happen, it would be a serious failure of the Western world and everything associated with it. From all points of view. So, most likely, it won’t be allowed to happen. Nevertheless, Trump’s supporters have made it clear that the accusation has only increased his popularity. So, it turns out that it’s not only Russia that loves the persecuted. America does too. Although it is obviously premature to say anything now, because the outcome of the battle is far from clear. Or maybe it is just beginning.
But here’s the interesting thing: there’s an obvious populist with a tarnished reputation, who is unpredictable and generally a negative character, but he’s still popular. Why is that? Because the democratic world is at the mercy of sometimes completely crazy ideas. You don’t have to go far for examples: the leading American universities are involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, yet nobody cares about what happened on October 7. The Houthis in Yemen are shelling American aircraft carriers, no more, no less. And Washington barely reacts. Democratic governments tolerate almost everything as long as there is no war. This is what leads to the collapse of democracies and the rise of authoritarian populist leaders. But enough of obvious truths.
Moving on. Trump has become a big problem for the American elites. So there is probably a step-by-step plan to gently push him out of power. Here is a formula: withdraw from the election in exchange for removing the lawsuits. But the problem is that there are laws, constitutions and other instruments in the country that do not allow this. And the public won’t understand. They will support Trump even more.
However, the legal route is more complicated, but if done properly, it can achieve the desired result. In any case, reforms are needed on a global scale. And what about Russia? What is happening now is the road to chaos. And that is not good for anyone. The consequences could be tragic. Nuclear ashes.
At the same time, an indecisive but predictable President Joe Biden is exactly the right option, even if it seems there are no good scenarios for today. Meanwhile, Trump has opened an account on TikTok, which he himself wanted to ban. And he has many millions of followers. He’s such a principled and consistent leader – he changes his beliefs as he goes along.
This article was first published by Kommersant, and was translated and edited by the RT team.
