March 22, 2023

Trump Reportedly Really Wants to Be Handcuffed

The former president appears to relish the idea of his possible arrest.

Not Donald Trump but his fantasy, maybe.AP

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In preparation for the likely event that he may soon become the first-ever former president to get indicted, Donald Trump apparently wants to go big. I’m talking handcuffs, a perp walk, the typical hallmarks of a theatrical court appearance. 

That’s the latest, at least, from new reports on Trump’s frame of mind as the Manhattan DA prepares for a potential indictment. According to sources hanging around Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s thinking is that any special treatment he could receive as a former president, whether it be extra security protections or the ability to appear via video, would weaken his image. Trump, a reality show entertainer at heart, is even reportedly dismissing the risk of getting shot at during a perp walk, telling people behind closed doors that taking a bullet would ultimately help him win the 2024 presidential election.

If true, Trump’s fantasy would seem to align with the argument that a Trump indictment will boost his campaign to retake the White House. Everyone from prominent Republicans to Chris Rock has been beating this drum. But I don’t buy it. After all, Trump already achieved the ignominious honor of becoming the first president to get twice impeached—and he still lost reelection. While MAGA-heads might relish the spectacle, I just don’t see how this convinces anyone on the fence that the guy in the mug shot is now their guy.

In any case, as the Times reports, it’s not up to Trump whether or not a perp walk happens. In all likelihood, the DA’s office and Secret Service want to avoid the very chaos Trump is apparently fantasizing about. Either way, I’m sure the circus will arrive in earnest anyway—diapers and all.

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In "This Is Not a Crisis. It's The New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, why this moment is particularly urgent, and how we can best communicate that without screaming OMG PLEASE HELP over and over. We also touch on our history and how our nonprofit model makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there: Letting us go deep, focus on underreported beats, and bring unique perspectives to the day's news.

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