Little Man Makes Threats Above His Weight Class

More veiled threats of insurrection from an insurrectionist just days after the anniversary of MAGA's January 6 insurrection attempt. https://t.co/iwDCCKSdM7

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) January 9, 2024

I'll say it again:  Trump and what army?

His followers may howl on Twitter (or Truth Social) and may SWAT as many public figures as they can get addresses for (Judge Chutkan and Rick Wilson being recent targets), but actual violence and riots?

Nah.

Where would they go, who would they assault?  A federal prison?  A federal courthouse?  Which one?  When?  Who would organize it?  January 6th wasn't a spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions that happened to converge on the Capitol building.  It was a planned assault weeks in the making.  Who does Trump use to organize that kind of crowd again?  Proud Boys?  Oath Keepers?  Both defunct, their leaders in jail, for a very long time.  Trump will soon join them, in New York or Georgia if not the federal penitentiary system.  

Even the lawyers who organized the protests and fake electors are in jail or have plead guilty or have given testimony to the DOJ and will be called as witnesses in court eventually.  Who is left?  Steve Bannon?  Kash Patel?  Kari Lake?  MTG? Elise Stefanik?

Don't make me laugh.

Is Trump a real threat?  We now know the FBI had information about "something" due to happen on J6, but without precedent for such an action, they really didn't have authority to mount an investigation, much less post forces or urge leadership to authorize forces.  Fool me once, shame on me.  As W memorably re-wrote that line, "Fool me twice...won't get fooled again!"

I really don't think law enforcement will get fooled again.  And only the clueless press will be surprised if any organized violent action occurs.  If it does, we will prove again this is a government of laws, not of mobs.

What I take from this is that Donald Trump is not fit to be elected street sweeper, much less hold the highest office of authority in the land.  Let him dig his political grave with his mouth.

Besides, as AUSA John Pearce argued this morning before the appellate panel, since Nixon resigned and Ford pardoned him from any crimes he might have committed (cementing the established principle that no president has immunity to engage in criminal acts in office.  As Pearce pointed out, Nixon tried to use the CIA to stop the FBI from investigating him.), we've had 50 years in which it was presumed Presidents could be tried for crimes:  Clinton; Reagan and Iran/Contra (citing the special prosecutor who said they couldn't get the evidence, in no small part because G.H.W. B. pardoned all and sundry in his last few hours in office, thus eculpating Reagan and himself in the closest thing to as self-pardon the Republic has ever seen.), and yet none have been prosecuted, until Trump.  The difference being the quality of the alleged crimes, and the evidence for them.  And, of course, the fact that Trump's successor didn't pardon him.

Trump's biggest problem is that he won't shut up.  As we move closer to the election, and as the criminal cases against him move to trial (Florida may be delayed by Cannon; Chutkan may be delayed by the appellate procedure; but Georgia and New York can step up as they please), don't expect Trump to grow more coherent, or his political future to grow brighter.

Trump is not popular.  And Americans don't like to vote for criminals, or people who encourage violence in their own name.