With apologies to Digby
For most on the right, pitching a hissy fit is a ploy to control the political narrative. A little phony sanctimony here, some faux outrage there, and plenty of echo-chamber volume, and Democrats run for cover. Maybe even beg forgiveness for something they did not do. But for Donald Trump, pitching a hissy fit is a way of life to which that Marvelous he is entitled. How dare any lesser being deprive him of his birthright?
Yet, here Trump sits facing justice for falsifying business records and defrauding voters, a mere pleb in an ungilded New York City courtroom where hissy-fitting is not permitted. On Monday, Justice Juan Merchan explained to Trump just how things work in his domain (New York Times):
As part of the pretrial housekeeping, Justice Juan Merchan delivered the so-called Parker warnings on courtroom behavior directly to the defendant, reminding him that he could be jailed if he disrupted the proceedings.
Trump, who earlier seemed to be dozing, muttered, “I do,” when asked if he understood this and the other elements of the warning, which Merchan was delivering to Trump for a second time — now orally — just to make sure it sank in.
Not likely. Before this trial even gets rolling, Merchan must rule on whether Trump should “be held in contempt of court and possibly jailed for three Truth Social posts attacking Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels” in violation of a gag order against Trump intimidating witnesses. Attacking adversaries is something Trump ponders each morning even before spatula-ing on his bronzer and spraying his hair until it hides his baldness. Clearly, his rights are being violated.
Being a criminal defendant cramps Trump’s style like it’s never been cramped before (The New Republic):
The weeks-long proceeding will require Trump to be in court for every session—something Trump himself has challenged as “election interference” on the basis that it will keep him away from the campaign trail—even though he’ll be permitted to campaign every weekend, evening, and Wednesday during the process. If he fails to appear in court, he could face an arrest warrant.
Trump won’t be able to golf on fine spring days. He faces another uncomfortable reality as a criminal defendant (Politico):
Donald Trump is learning a hard lesson: Criminal defendants don’t get to set their own schedules.
Three times on Monday the former president asked Justice Juan Merchan to cut him loose from his hush money trial to attend to other matters — some personal, some political and some legal. Three times the judge responded with, essentially, “eh, we’ll see.”
Could he attend his son Barron’s high school graduation on May 17? I’ll get back to you, Merchan said.
May he skip the trial on April 25 to attend Supreme Court arguments about whether he’s immune from special counsel Jack Smith’s charges for trying to subvert the 2020 election? Not likely, said Merchan.
Can he be exempted from any proceedings that may arise on Wednesdays — when Merchan’s court is typically dark — so he can campaign? Not if the jury is in, the judge told him.
Naturally, Trump reacted badly. The moment he exited the courtroom on Monday, he lied.
“It looks like the judge will not let me go to the graduation of my son who’s worked very, very hard and he is a great student,” Trump told reporters. “It looks like the judge isn’t going to allow me to escape this scam. It’s a scam trial.”
His worshippers were just as naturally faux-outraged, condemning the restrictions as “banana republic tactics.”
“Total election interference,” declared Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), parroting her liege lord.
As we’ve seen, Trump’s supporters consider the potential that their presidential candidate could be a convicted felon irrelevant. Nothing is disqualifying to their would-be king. And how dare anyone treat him like a commoner?
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