Op-Ed: Publicity stunt? Trump is not under any official arrest warrant, as far as anyone knows

YouTube has joined social networking giant Meta in reinstating Donald Trump’s account – Copyright AFP Amos Gumulira

For a guy who had to do NFT token images of himself to get any publicity recently, it makes sense to try to get some more. As far as I can see, the Manhattan grand jury hasn’t even delivered a verdict yet. Therefore, no order for arrest can be made.

Twitter predictably went nuts as usual. Elon Musk says if he’s arrested Trump will win in 2024 by a landslide. Somebody called Kari Lake tacked herself on to Trump as a patriot. Anything and everything came out of the woodwork supporting Trump.

…On the basis of not one single solid fact.

If it is a publicity stunt, it’s not a good one. Videos of Trump being cheered attending a half-empty auditorium in Tulsa during a wrestling meeting are a case in point. So what?

The other, less obvious, point is Trump’s “everything is a court case” approach. He’s long since been known to be directly involved in an incredible number of legal issues and lawsuits.

Redrawing attention to various other accusations against Trump might not be such a great idea.

For example:

The questions here are who’s paying -or not paying- for all this and why so many claimants? We’ve now moved from self-proclaimed victimization to practical hard cash considerations and alleged liabilities over many years. There’s a big, expensive, difference.

This is where image meets reality. Any fool can stick his face in front of a camera and say he’s on your side.

That’s irrelevant to the legal issues.

It’s not actually political.

It’s about getting money and Trump seems to make a habit of being a big target.

We’re now talking huge money and huge liabilities. Whatever Trump’s worth, this menagerie of legal carnivores could be worth more. That $1.3 billion is no small bite. Even if settled, a lot of money is involved.

That means in a worst case scenario that even Trump’s money in trust could be obligated under some circumstances. You can’t settle and then not pay. (Note: There’s no indication at all that Trump’s trust money is currently in jeopardy, but big bills and legal obligations don’t come cheap.)

Which leaves us with a question or two:

• Why take the most expensive possible path, running for president again when the political situation is so fragmented and untrustworthy?
• The legal situation is horrendously dangerous; why not at least reduce the damage and get out of Dodge?

The Republicans know what will happen if he returns; revenge against anyone who spoke out against him. That’s a lot of Republicans. They won’t be jumping for joy and nor will the other 2024 candidates. Trump is more useful to them out of the way, personal following or not.

So far from a publicity stunt, this looks more like advertising his weaknesses. A lot of people are moving in for the kill. It’ll take more than this to keep the wolves away.

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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.