Well, after getting the media worked up into a frenzy about his pending arrest, Trump got the last laugh — laughing all the way to the bank, I’m sure. No doubt Trump was able to fundraise off of what Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg called his “false assertion” that he was going to be charged in Tuesday, and he also got to send a trial balloon to see whether his supporters would “protest” on his behalf, as he requested. The protests were muted, but Trump’s rhetoric escalated through the week, culminating with a post on his social media site of him wielding a baseball bat next to a photo of Bragg, and another post in which he referred to Bragg as a “Soros-backed animal” and promised that “death and destruction” would rain down on the country if he were indicted.
Soooo yeah, that’s where we are. On to the round up:
My pieces this week:
For Cafe Insider, using my perspective from living in Bogota to understand Trump’s threats of violence
For MSNBC, an explainer on the Trump’s attorney, Evan Corcoran testifying after a judge ruled that the crime-fraud exception to attorney-client privilege applies to his communications with Trump
Additional pieces worth reading:
This helpful breakdown by The New York Times’ Charlie Savage on the various investigations closing in on Trump and the charges that might arise from them
This piece in The Guardian by my Yale colleague Jason Stanley on the intersection between anti-Black racism and antisemitism, which offers some context for the rhetoric being used by Trump (and a clue on who he’s dog whistling to, it will shock you…not)
Noteworthy clips from this week:
On MSNBC with Mehdi Hassan, discussing Trump’s calls for violence, and why lone wolf actors are what we have to be concerned about:
On BBC, featuring my Stormy Daniels chart!
Oh, and in case you missed it, I got a 10/10 from Room Rater this week…you can see that I changed up my background:
That’s it for this week…we may see a lot of action next week so stayed tuned. Also, if you are an ABC News viewer, I am on standby with them for special coverage so keep your eye out for me!
You are simply amazing, Asha! I don’t know how you do ALL that you do with only 24 hours in a day, but I hope someday to see you with your own time slot on MSNBC, CNN or another network!
I don’t know if I could have kept myself from calling out the rhetoric of Trump’s minion during the BBC clip. He knew the playbook well - minimize Trump’s potential criminal behaviors, cast Trump as the victim & the strong man at the same time, cast off the real threat of violence... The kicker for me was “I’m sure Trump is concerned about violence.” Trump revels in violence done in his name.