Trump: Set to declare 2024 presidential bid tonight; will indictments follow soon?

[Brad Thomson]

Rapist Trump is now being exposed. There will be plenty more to come. How can anyone continue to support this sick dog? As I have said, Trump should be taken out back and shot for treason. And it is becoming more and more evident that he is not the only one. America is at a crossroads- it must put these lying right-wing religious fanatic anti-democracy maniacs out of business, or the country will implode into a military dictatorship with a guerilla civil war on its hands.

[Brad Thomson]

A strong independent candidate for president...

This is exactly what America needs. Someone to stand in the middle and bridge the divide between the right and the left. I think that a good and competent person could definitely win the election in this manner. Possibly a ticket with a moderate Republican and a centrist Democrat stepping away from their traditional affiliations. I still believe that Trump is a disaster for the Republicans in the long run. Does Liz Cheney have such ideas in her head? Too bad the rules do not allow Arnie to run!

[Frank Dixon]

I am not sure it will ever come to jail for Trump, at least not until after the Capitol riot matter against him gets examined in detail. Anybody else, yes. Felony conviction(s), almost certainly. He has a lot of friends in high places, including three far-right judges he placed in the Supreme Court; very many far-right judges placed in lower courts; nominal, narrow control of Congress; and the support of many state governors.

As far as predicting he won't become president again in 2024, I am going to hold off on that exercise until we get more information. Many strange things could happen between now and the election in November 2024. Some of them include: A strong independent candidate for president, a low election turnout, Melania Trump leaving her husband and filing for divorce, the economy struggling, major turbulent developments in world events, etc.

[Brad Thomson]

One underestimated factor with Trump: Americans like to be entertained

Yes, this is one of the reasons why I was a very early predictor that Trump would win the first time. But the show was not good enough for Trump to win a second term, and I see no reason why it should be good enough for him to win if the Republicans are dumb enough to let him run again. This fool is completely washed up, he entertains now only his fanatical base, the rest of the people are either sick of him, or outright hate his guts. It is a sad comment upon the Republicans that most of them still think they can ride his coat tails. Trump will be a convicted felon, possibly living in jail, by the time of the election. It is clear that the Republican Party no longer embraces democracy, they want a tyrant for life. America is imploding.

[Frank Dixon]

I agree that it is entirely possible that Trump could win the presidency again in 2024. He has defied logic and expectation since 2015.

One underestimated factor with Trump: Americans like to be entertained, and he has done that, as a candidate and while president. His name recognition and support have proven to be very durable. As a scientist myself, I can only offer this comparison: a new law of physics has been identified.

But I do think the indictments and fraud judgements against him are going to mount up, and the Republican National Committee, which controls the presidential nomination process, will have to make a major decision in about six to eight months: whether to allow someone facing multiple indictments, on multiple felony charges, in multiple jurisdictions is fit to be eligible to contest the Party's presidential nomination. If yes, that sets quite a precedent. It is likely that one or more of the felony trials would have started by then. The state caucuses and primaries begin in early February 2024. But the fact remains that Trump polled more votes than any Republican presidential candidate in history, in 2020. He was still nearly 7 million votes behind President Biden. When he won the presidency in 2016, he was nearly 3 million votes behind Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton.

More recent Trump updates:
1) He has sued his former lawyer Michael Cohen in Florida for $500 million, alleging breach of contract. I wonder if the two ever actually had a signed contract. Cohen pled guilty to several charges, served jail time, was disbarred as a lawyer, and wrote a best-selling book (it is really good). Florida is a friendlier state for Trump than New York.
2) Federal investigations into the Capitol riot of January 2021 continue; something like 1,000 people have now been convicted and sentenced for that. I wonder how many of them would testify against Trump in exchange for lessened penalties against themselves!? I am quite certain many have already offered damaging information on this, including certain members of his inner circle.
3) Two lawsuits against him, for rape and defaming the alleged victim, are set to open in New York City on Wed. April 26. Statute of limitations expiry has removed a criminal proceeding possibility on this case. Speculation has been on whether Trump will attend this trial.

[Fred Henderson]

Trump updates April 21/23:
1) He is ignoring Federal Election Commission (FEC) directives to present information from the 2020 election;
2) FOX broadcaster settles with Dominion Voting Systems for $700m plus, this week, over false claims about 2020 election;
3) Hearings continue in New York City on lawsuit for $250m against Trump Organization from state Attorney General;
4) He is courting Florida congress members to support his election 2024 bid, with success.

Thanks for giving us the facts, Frank. Do you want to know why Trump has a good chance to win? Because not enough people give a damn about corruption, because ithey think it doesn't really affect them enough? If it happened once, it can happen again. Everybody knew what he was like before, but he still was voted in.

[Fred Harvey]

As long as Trump survives, the demolition of the Republic Party is in effect, and legitimate right wing political viewpoints are being completely eroded. This is the best thing that could ever happen to the Democrats and the left-wing viewpoints. Throw the shenanigans of Clarence Thomas and his lovely wife into the mix, the gun violence, and the fanatic Christian base as well, and the fate of America is sealed. Even someone who mumbles like Joe Biden will win the next election in a huge landslide. The Republicans need to smarten up and run a reasonable moderate against Biden or they will risk handing the Democrats the White House, and Congress and the Senate, both by significant margins. Only the moron sycophants will vote for Trump if he runs again, all swing voters will vote Democrat, and vast numbers of people who normally do not vote will make sure they do this next time. Trump is a total disaster for the moderate and reasonable right.

You can hope.....but, well, you know......!

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Brad:

I consider David Frum "the moderate and reasonable right".

I believe he shares a number of your views.

Someone can correct me if this is inaccurate.

Bob A

[Brad Thomson]

As long as Trump survives, the demolition of the Republic Party is in effect, and legitimate right wing political viewpoints are being completely eroded. This is the best thing that could ever happen to the Democrats and the left-wing viewpoints. Throw the shenanigans of Clarence Thomas and his lovely wife into the mix, the gun violence, and the fanatic Christian base as well, and the fate of America is sealed. Even someone who mumbles like Joe Biden will win the next election in a huge landslide. The Republicans need to smarten up and run a reasonable moderate against Biden or they will risk handing the Democrats the White House, and Congress and the Senate, both by significant margins. Only the moron sycophants will vote for Trump if he runs again, all swing voters will vote Democrat, and vast numbers of people who normally do not vote will make sure they do this next time. Trump is a total disaster for the moderate and reasonable right.

[Frank Dixon]

Trump updates April 21/23:
1) He is ignoring Federal Election Commission (FEC) directives to present information from the 2020 election;
2) FOX broadcaster settles with Dominion Voting Systems for $700m plus, this week, over false claims about 2020 election;
3) Hearings continue in New York City on lawsuit for $250m against Trump Organization from state Attorney General;
4) He is courting Florida congress members to support his election 2024 bid, with success.

[Neil Frarey]

A good response. Given this, do you agree that America CEASED to be great when they became war-mongers, and thinking that England had its hands tied up with Napoleon, under President James Madison, attempted to steal Canada from them (England), and in the process violated the then accepted rules of war by burning down homes in the civilian sections of York, now Toronto, for which the English returned the favour and burned down the White House?

The colonists were war-mongers long before America declared its independence and further on into their ever evolving Constitution.

War-mongering has been a global pandemic ever since - ever since ... it's tribal thing motivated by a gain of some kind or another.

[Brad Thomson]

Trump is without doubt a genius.

If having an exceptional ability to baffle brains with bullshit qualifies one, then I agree. But in no other way is Trump in any sense qualified for the title. I suspect that his IQ is lower than his age. There is something about this man that causes vast numbers of suckers to be duped by him, but this is in no way his own doing, it just happened that way. He is not at all in control of himself, he is a robot.

[Frank Dixon]

Trump is without doubt a genius. But he has been an evil genius for the USA and the world. He has gamed the systems of business, finance, governance, and justice to a greater extent than any American has ever done. But I think the reckoning is on the way for him. I believe his assumption was that he would never be indicted, since no previous president had been, and that this provided a primary motivation for him to become president; in effect, he would gain an effective amnesty for all of his previous misdeeds. But Peter Baker, writing in the New York Times last week, explained that the U.S. Constitution's framers in the late 18th century envisaged that U.S. presidents COULD IN FACT be indicted and punished AFTER they had left office, for potential misconduct, in the same manner as any other citizen, even for malfeasance WHILE they had served as presidents. Mr. Baker, perhaps the world's foremost reporter on American government, also wrote that a felony conviction would NOT prevent Trump from running for president again.

As for the greatness of America, it depends primarily on one's perspective. Great achievements -- yes; great evils -- yes as well.

[Brad Thomson]

When they declared their Independence and wrote their Declaration of Independence.

A good response. Given this, do you agree that America CEASED to be great when they became war-mongers, and thinking that England had its hands tied up with Napoleon, under President James Madison, attempted to steal Canada from them (England), and in the process violated the then accepted rules of war by burning down homes in the civilian sections of York, now Toronto, for which the English returned the favour and burned down the White House?

[Peter McKillop]

When they declared their Independence and wrote their Declaration of Independence.
It was an amazing document for the times in which it was written.

Guarantying the sanctity of the ... Individual.
Oops! Now you've gone a bit too far, unless by "individual" you mean white males. What about slaves; what about women?

Ten characters.