Timeline
The Idiocracy of Trumpamania
Hulk Hogan, Dana White and Kid Rock were the perfect intellectual warm-up acts for the toxic masculinity of Trump's dark, dystopian vision to end American democracy.
It is pointless to fact-check Trump's rambling, 90 minute acceptance speech. Key features were the expected regurgitation of MAGA's bigotry and resentments, Trump's self-aggrandizing lies and praise of authoritarian strong-men, and tirades completely devoid of any clear policy objective other than the mass deportation of millions of American workers. Everything you need to know about Trump's Republican Party is the convention highlight of pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan ripping off his shirt to reveal a Trump-Vance tank top to a cheering GOP crowd.
The Perfect Frankenstein's Monster
Trump's pick for VP, J.D. Vance, has deep connections to the ultra conservative Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 and rightwing tech billionaires.
J.D. Vance was the self-described "never Trump guy," who once called the former president "America's Hitler." Now he is Trump's running mate, a MAGA culture warrior, and now has the strong backing of anti-government tech bros and crypto billionaires like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk. Governor Tim Walz accurately described J.D. Vance as “the perfect Frankenstein monster created by the Heritage Foundation.”
Unprecedented and Extreme
Trump appointed Judge the legal community by dismissing Trump's classified document case.
Most legal experts considered Trump’s classified documents case to be a slam dunk. The former presidential records, including some of our nation’s most sensitive secrets. That was before Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon was assigned the case. Now after a year of unusual delays and clear partisan bias, Judge Cannon dismissed the entire case in what Harvard Law School constitutional professor Laurence Tribe called, “unprecedented and extreme.”
Donald Trump is Unfit
As Democrats panic about Biden's age and poor poll numbers, Trump and his allies are planning the end of American multicultural democracy.
There is only one issue in this election: Donald Trump is a convicted criminal that is a direct threat to democracy, the rule of law, and our most basic personal freedoms. Trump's vision for authoritarian rule is outlined in Project 2025 authored by the ultra rightwing Heritage Foundation with the active participation of over 140 individuals from Trump's first administration. Project 2025 is a 900 page dystopian blueprint to remake America as a white Christian nation headed by a Trump dictatorship.
A King Above the Law
“With fear for our democracy, I dissent,” wrote Justice Sotomayor, joined by Kegan and Jackson. “Today’s decision to grant former Presidents criminal immunity reshapes the institutions of the Presidency. It makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and the system of Government, that no man is above the law.” The Justices noted that, “The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.”
The Flag of American Theocracy
The "Appeal to Heaven" flag flown by Supreme Court Justice Alito is an anti-democratic symbol adopted by Christian Nationalists fighting to remake America as a religious theocracy.
The leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) promote themselves as apostles endowed by God to wage a religious war against American multicultural democracy and secular society. GOP members of Congress, including Speaker Johnson, have signaled their allegiance to this dangerous anti-democratic movement by displaying the “Appeal to Heaven” banner outside of their offices. Lindsay Beyerstein reported in Salon that, “the banner is the calling card of a Christian supremacist movement seeking to impose theocracy on America.”
MAGA Corrupts the Courts
Ultra rightwing conservative justices are turning a blind eye to corruption and are putting their thumbs on the scales of justice in order to help Trump avoid legal accountability.
The public's faith in the American legal system is collapsing for good reason. Rightwing justices have overturned decades of legal rights and are helping Trump avoid accountability by supporting rightwing legal theories without precedent or merit. Regardless of all of this, Chief Justice Roberts has rejected ethics reform despite the growing number of court scandals, including Justice Thomas accepting millions in undisclosed gifts from rightwing billionaires and Justice Alito publicly flying flags supporting the January 6 Insurrection.
GOP Assaults Rule of Law
Convict Trump and his GOP enablers are orchestrating an all out attack on our judicial system and the rule of law.
GOP leaders rushing to defend convicted felon Trump are further exposing the hypocrisy of the Republican Party. When Trump lost the 2020 election, Republicans passed dozens of "election integrity" laws to disenfranchise millions of voters. Now that Trump is a felon, the so called "law and order" Republicans are attacking our courts in an all out assault on the rule of law.
The Convict In Chief
Former President Donald Trump is now a convicted felon and the Republican presumptive nominee for President.
In a historic day, a jury of 12 U.S. citizens unanimously found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 charges of falsifying business records as a conspiracy to hide his affair with an adult film actress prior to the 2016 election. Trump declined his right to testify in his own defense. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11, just four days before the Republican National Convention.
The Mouth of Trump
Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP leaders are shamefully repeating Trump's hateful lies and attacks against the courts in what may be a violation of Trump's gag order.
The N.Y. judge has warned Trump that continuing to violate the court order prohibiting Trump from "making or directing others to make public statements" attacking witnesses, jurors, and the court's staff could result in jail time. Although this decision was upheld by a five-judge appeals court, it has not stopped GOP Speaker Mike Johnson and the MAGA elite from repeating Trump's attacks in what seems to be a coordinated effort to violate Trump's gag order.
Traumatizing, Bewildered and Shaking
The story that Trump never wanted the public to hear: the sad and disturbing details of Trump's one night stand with a pornstar.
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels testified in court how Trump pressured her into sex with promises of helping her career with a possible appearance on “The Apprentice.” Over dinner in Trump’s hotel room, Daniels described how Trump dismissed concerns about his wife and even compared her to his daughter. Daniels said sex with the future president was “traumatizing” and left her feeling “bewildered and shaking.”
A Necessary Punishment
Trump is fined the maximum amount allowed by law for violating a NY court gag order "to protect the integrity of these proceedings by shielding those fearful of reprisal.”
The President and the Pornstar New York criminal trial has exposed Trump’s dirty little secrets and he is not happy. When Trump is not complaining about his own attorneys or threatening to jail his enemies, he has been attacking witnesses and the Jury in violation of a court issued gag order. The Judge warned Trump that if fines are an insufficient deterrent, “jail may be a necessary punishment.”
Abandon All Logic, Ye Who Enter
It was shocking, it was without legal precedent it was the Supreme Court dominated by MAGA conservatives who abandoned all logic to support Trump’s Hail Mary pass of “absolute executive immunity.”
For three hours the MAGA majority on the Supreme Court discarded any pretense of jurisprudence and instead went down a dark rabbit hole of rightwing conspiracy theories and bizarre hypotheticals to avoid discussing the Constitution, legal precedent, or Trump's attempted coup. Michael Dreeben, speaking for the Government, correctly pointed out that "There is no immunity that is in the Constitution unless this court creates it today." Instead Justice Kavanaugh proudly stated that "I’m not concerned about the here and now" and Justice Alito declared that he didn’t want to talk about the “particular facts.”
Unindicted Co-Conspirator 1
An Arizona grand jury indictment identifies Donald Trump as Unindicted Co-Conspirator 1: “A former president of the United States who spread false claims of election fraud following the 2020 election.”
Arizona has become the fourth state to indict multiple defendants in a wide ranging conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election. The 18 indicted individuals include the fake electors who signed false affidavits as well as seven top Trump associates including Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, and John Eastman, who were the architects of the fake elector plot. Also indicted is attorney Chiristina Bobb who led efforts to promote Trump's false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election on national media and was recently appointed by the RNC to head their newly formed “election integrity division."
Trump Jury Selected
The wild first week of Trump's New York criminal trial produced a full Jury, accusations of Jury tampering, and a man setting himself on fire outside the courthouse.
It only took one week to select 12 jurists and 6 alternatives in Trump’s NY criminal hush money trial. Apparently the strain of hearing average New Yorkers describe their often unflattering opinions of Trump was too much for the former President, who has been accused of violating the gag order to prevent jury tampering. At one point, the Judge felt the need to admonish Trump’s bad behavior saying, “I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom.”
Not with a Bang, But a Nap
Despite the salacious nature of the President and the Porn Star, a weary Donald Trump was caught dozing off on the first day of his historic criminal trial.
Donald Trump is the first American president to be tried in criminal court. Trump spent millions of his supporters' money in a failed attempt to avoid criminal prosecution by filing frivolous motions, dubious appeals, and spreading unsubstantiated deep state conspiracy theories. And after all his late night attacks and rants in ALL CAPS on his fake social media platform, the visibly exhausted former president set off a "Sleepy Don" meme firestorm when he was caught dozing at his own criminal trial.
A Political Loser
Donald Trump knows abortion is a loser for Republicans in a general election, but he cannot afford to lose his Evangelical base.
Trump reversing his position on a national abortion ban is yet another election lie. After taking credit for overturning Roe v. Wade and teasing his support for a national abortion ban, Trump is now trying to appease general election voters without losing support from his Evangelical base. Attorneys inside the anti-abortion movement have already published plans for a national abortion ban. One such attorney told an Atlantic reporter “It’s obviously a political loser, so just keep your mouth shut. Say you oppose a federal ban, and see if that works.”
Fundamentally Flawed Legal Premise
Donald Trump selling bibles should be a joke, except it speaks directly to his Evangelical base that embraces Trump as the savior of White Christian Nationalism.
Two days after expanding Trump's gag order to include family members of the court, the judge overseeing the hush money case denied Trump's attempt to delay the trial, saying the timing raised “real questions about the sincerity and actual purpose of the motion.” Meanwhile, the prosecutor in the classified documents case threatens to appeal to higher court for Judge Aileen Cannon's strange legal decisions and delays that give credence to Trump's “fundamentally flawed legal premise.”
Prejudice, Nativism, and White Supremacy
Donald Trump selling bibles should be a joke, except it speaks directly to his Evangelical base that embraces Trump as the savior of White Christian Nationalism.
For Holy Week, Donald Trump unveiled his latest scam, selling "God Bless the USA" bibles for $59.99. Not only is this highly offensive to many Christians but it fits the classic American Trope of the unsavory Bible salesman who uses religion as a scam. Liz Cheney called out Trump's hypocrisy, telling him, "instead of selling Bibles, you should probably buy one. And read it, including Exodus 20:14"—Thou shalt not commit adultery. Historian Jemar Tisby writes that Trump selling bibles appeals to White Christian Nationalism "historically tied to prejudice, nativism and white supremacy."
Threatening, Inflammatory, Denigrating
To avoid criminal and civil legal accountability, Trump has spent over $100 million donated by his supporters to his Save America and MAGA PACs, only to use that money for his legal strategy of lies, attacks and delays.
Donald Trump's legal strategy is to delay his criminal trials past the election with an avalanche of motions based on unsubstantiated claims of political persecution, dubious constitutional theories, and personal attacks against judges, prosecutors, court personnel, and their families. Pushing Trump's lies of election fraud, some of his attorneys are now facing legal repercussions, including pleading guilty in Georgia and facing disbarment for conspiring with President Trump to "disrupt the electoral count." The Manhattan criminal trial Judge had enough of Trump's attacks and issued a gag order writing that Trump's “extrajudicial statements went far beyond defending himself" and are “threatening, inflammatory, denigrating.”