It's all about Trump

It’s All About Former President Donald Trump

Trump, he may not be your favourite politician, but he is one that often finds himself making headlines in the news – for a variety of reasons. This week Trump has found himself once again the centre of attention, but not for something he said, instead – it’s the image of a bloodied and defiant Donald Trump pumping his fist at a crowd in Pennsylvania, his lips appearing to form the word “fight” against the backdrop of an American flag under a blaring sun — will instantly enter the history books as one of those era-defining moments – that has him on the front cover of publications around the world.

Trump was the subject of a botched assassination attempt. 

On Saturday 13 July, during a campaign rally in the small Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park in Pennsylvania, Thomas Matthew Crooks - the 20-year-old kitchen worker named by the FBI as the person who shot at Former President Donald Trump - armed with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, opened fire at the former president while he was addressing a crowd. He left one audience member tragically dead, and two others wounded. Crooks was shot dead at the scene by a Secret Service sniper.

Why Crooks shot at Trump, no one knows. Yet. But that hasn’t stopped Republicans, pointing fingers at the other side, blaming Biden and the Democrats for the shooting. As an example, Ohio senator JD Vance tweeted - “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

But Biden has ordered an independent security review of the attack - how was a gunman able to open fire from a rooftop so close to the campaign rally? The FBI is investigating the shooting as a potential act of domestic terrorism.

The surprising effect of the assassination attempt on an already tumultuous presidential campaign, has seen Biden calling for calm and asking Americans to resolve their differences at the ballot box. While Trump – perhaps uncharacteristically of him – has asked for unity via his social media site –

“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win.”

Unity. It’s just not something we thought Trump would ask for. You see, Trump is a polarising political figure who elicits intense emotions and reactions from Americans (and people around the globe really) across the political spectrum.

As an example and in a poll undertaken by ABC News back in 2017 regarding what ONE word Americans would use to describe Trump, the results were quite interesting, and we doubt have changed too drastically. Words like "strong" (3 percent), "determined" (1 percent), "American" (1 percent) and "patriotic" (1 percent) were used. And then other words like "arrogant”, "egotistical” and "narcissistic" were used. What did we say – polarising.

And it’s because of his polarising nature and the ripple effect that can potentially have on the world - that we find him so interesting.

Take his recent conviction (something that is all but a memory what with his assassination attempt and all) – what potential ripple effect could this have, not only in the United States but on democracies world-wide?

Trumps conviction – what does it mean for democracies worldwide?

Not only has Trump survived the shot that grazed his ear — and is now recovering in his New Jersey golf course — but the narrative he has shaped over the years about how everyone was out to get him suddenly appeared validated when minutes into his speech a shooter opened fire.  Suddenly everything he has said about the rigged, disgraceful trial where he was convicted on all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to an adult film star in 2016 seemed justified – yes, the justice system does seem rigged and yes, the judicial system is out to get him.

Suddenly Trump looks like the victim.

But what does Trumps’ conviction mean?

First and foremost, Trump’s conviction on all counts in his first criminal trial affirms the principle on which the United States is founded — that everyone is equal and that no one, not even a billionaire and former and possibly future president, enjoys impunity. Everyone is equal before the law, and everyone will be judged equally by the law. It’s the very foundation a democracy is founded on.

But Trumps outburst immediately following the announcement of the guilty verdict in New York and a race by fellow top Republicans to join his assault on the justice system, show the damage that has already been done to the justice system. It represents how threatened the values of equal before the law now are.

Trump had this to say just minutes after a jury foreperson announced he was guilty –

“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be November 5, by the people, and they know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here” 

To then accuse Justice Juan Merchan who did everything in his power to ensure a fair trial, of corruption – which is obviously false and doing “everything within his power” to help President Biden win the 2024 election is an afront to the work and the hours that Justice Merchan had put into the trial and an afront to the practice of law that was undertaken in the court room.

When it came to the jury, there was a jury of 12 ordinary Americans - Trump’s peers in the city where he lived and worked most of his life. They found him guilty on all 34 charges. Trump has outright denied the validity of his jury’s verdict, and in doing so undermines a fundamental bedrock of the American judicial system.

After returning to Trump Tower and greeting supporters with a clenched fist, Trump issued a written statement that made clear that he views his own fate and the American nation’s as one and the same - “I’m a very innocent man, and it’s okay, I’m fighting for our country. I’m fighting for our Constitution. Our whole country is being rigged right now,”.

Talking about rigged and despite the claims that the charges were cooked up by the prosecution or that Biden and his Democrats had anything to do with the charges - they weren’t, and they didn’t. The charges were brought by a grand jury. The former president was offered the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, and he was judged by a jury of his peers. Even now, the Constitution he claims has been hijacked will protect him with a full array of appeals, as in all of his other criminal cases.

But once a jury has delivered a verdict, justice is considered served. So, the immediate Republican attacks on the judge, the court and the verdict represent an extraordinary effort by one of the country’s two major political parties to turn against the integrity of the legal system.

And the big takeaways from Trumps conviction are as follows - yes, a former president can be indicted and found guilty by a group of his peers. And that shows the strength of a democracy in action and of a strong legal system at work.

But there is another verdict. And that one hasn’t come out yet. Can the rich and powerful use our political system to escape the consequences of being found guilty? And that verdict – in the United States – comes on November 5th.

In South Africa, we have had to answer those question ourselves – can a former president be found guilty of a crime and can be still run a country? How did we fair?

The truth is, Americans have never seen an ex-president or potential new president convicted of a crime and if current news headlines suggest that Trump has now become an unstoppable force are indeed correct, a convicted felon may very well lead the American Nation come November 5th.

But Trump has done a wonderful job of preparing his constituent and even those that would never vote for him – felon or not – should he have been found guilty. He’s claimed his four criminal indictments are a plot by Biden to destroy him. In essence, he’s been working to shatter his greatest norm yet — the idea that it would be unthinkable for a felon to serve as president.

If you have any questions about the information we have set out above or have a personal issue which you want to discuss with us, please don’t hesitate to contact usat NVDB Attorneys.

We are a law firm that considers honesty to be core to our business. We are a law firm that will provide you with clear advice and smart strategies - always keeping your best interests at heart!

(Sources used and to whom we give thanks – CNN; Brookings; the Conversation; Politico; AP News; BBC; ABC News; Bloomberg and the Guardian).