Fareed Zakaria

Jon Stewart’s Snarky Swipe at Nutty Notion that a Trump Indictment Would Make Him a Martyr

Posted by on March 27, 2023 at 1:55 pm. 3 Comments :

As the walls close in on Donald Trump, he is descending ever further into an abyss of self-pity, victimhood, and malicious lies and insults aimed at the prosecutors who seek to hold him accountable for his multitude of crimes. His posts on his floundering Twitter ripoff, Truth Social, are drenched with the fear and desperation of a cornered rat.

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Jon Stewart, Donald Trump

Trump’s attacks on law enforcement range from outrageously false to blisteringly vicious as he attempts to convince his glassy-eyed cult followers that he is being persecuted by a cabal of satanic, George Soros-sponsored communists determined to drag him into the pits of hell – a destination he has been setting for himself for decades. And it’s clear that Trump’s anxieties are weighing on him as he converts his fear into threats.

RELATED: Trump Warns of ‘Death and Destruction’ if He is Indicted for Crimes that He Actually Committed

The prospect of Trump being indicted has driven debate among the pundit and political class, with his most devoted defenders latching unto the preposterous notion that if charges were brought against him it would boost his popularity and secure his electoral victory in 2024.

They might be right if they are only considering Trump’s position among his staunchly loyal disciples. They have already proven that nothing he does (assaulting women, stealing classified documents, consorting with Russians, dining with Nazis, inciting insurrections, etc.) could shake their blind adoration of him. However, the broader American public is already tired of, and disgusted by, his antics.

The idiotic idea that an indictment would bolster Trump was addressed in an interview of Jon Stewart by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. And Stewart was on top of his game when he laid into those who embrace the “Trump as martyr” narrative…

Zakaria: There are people who say “Yes, yes. Indict him because he has, in fact, broken the laws.” And there are other people who say “This is gonna turn him into a martyr. This is his path to redemption.”
Stewart (sarcastically): I think the law should always take into account someone’s popularity. I mean, what’s happened to our country? It’s as though you can’t even commit financial fraud anymore. You can’t inflate the value of your property when you need a loan, and then deflate it with taxes. The next thing you know they’re going to send YOU to jail instead of your lawyer, and your accountant, and your campaign manager, and everyone else around you. The idea that someone may face accountability, who’s that rich and powerful, is outrageous, and this country shouldn’t stand for it.
Zakaria: But what if it turns out to be his “get out of jail free” pass? People see him as a martyr?
Stewart: We either have the rule of law, or we have no rule of law. The rule of law does not take into account if that might make you a martyr to somebody.

Indeed! The law should never consider whether a particular defendant is popular, or how his prosecution might be seen as a matter of public opinion, and especially not politically.

That said, if Trump flunkies really want to impose a standard wherein public opinion of a defendant determines whether or not to pursue prosecution, they might regret getting what they wish for. A recent poll shows that 56% of Americans say that investigations into Trump are fair, while only 41% say they are “witch hunts.” Other polls have long shown that a majority of Americans believe that Trump is responsible for the violence that occurred on January 6th.

SEE THIS: WTF? Trump Brags that 67% of Americans Say He’s Responsible for the Violent January 6th Insurrection

In the meantime, Trump’s lackeys on Capitol Hill are smoothing the way for him to commit even more crimes with absolute impunity. The GOP chairs of the House Judiciary, Oversight, and Administration committees are presently crafting legislation that would “strip state and local prosecutors of the authority to prosecute former presidents.” Never mind that it’s a blatantly unconstitutional imposition on state’s rights, something conservatives pretend to support. Or that is intended solely to shield Trump from prosecution for his innumerable crimes. It is also a futile gesture since it would never pass in the Senate or get President Biden’s signature.

This is the “thinking” of the Republican Party that is so infected with Trumpism that they would actually consider a law that would permit Trump to break any law that he wants. Which, from their warped perspective, makes sense because they believe that his lawlessness would make him even more popular among his Klan. And this is a party that thinks it has a future in American democracy?

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CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Doesn’t Mince Words, Tags Trump As A Life-Long Bullsh*tter

Posted by on March 18, 2017 at 1:30 pm. 5 Comments :

The record of Donald Trump’s pathological aversion to the truth is well documented (see the Trump Bullshitopedia). With every day that goes by he introduces a new, self-serving lie. His purpose is generally to vindicate himself from some embarrassing display of ignorance or policy stumble. Either that or to distract from more serious misconduct such as his unsavory connections to Russia, or financial conflicts.

CNN Fareed Zakaria

The media is usually too timid to accurately describe Trump’s falsehoods as lies. Even when the evidence is overwhelming. However, they have been showing some improvement in that area. Friday on CNN’s “Tonight with Don Lemon,” guest Fareed Zakaria launched into a righteous condemnation of Trump, complete with an appropriate profanity:

“I think the president is somewhat indifferent to things that are true or false. He has spent his whole life bullshitting. He has succeeded by bullshitting. He has gotten the presidency by bullshitting. It’s very hard to tell somebody at that point that bullshit doesn’t work, because look at the results, right? But that’s what he does. He sees something, he doesn’t particularly care if it’s true or not, he just puts it out there. And then he puts something else out. And notice again what he did at the press conference. When pushed on it, he doesn’t take responsibility. ‘I wasn’t saying that, I was just quoting somebody else.'”

Indeed. At the joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump was confronted with his preposterous assertion that Obama had wiretapped his phones. His press secretary, Sean Spicer, cited a Fox News report that Obama had been aided by British intelligence as confirmation. It didn’t take long for that story to fall apart, with offended British authorities saying it was “ridiculous.” So Trump backpedaled by trying to blame it all on Fox News.

Zakaria’s larger point, however, is one that is too often overlooked. For most of his adult life Donald Trump has bullshitted his way to success. Or used bullshit to explain away his many failures. He did this with his real estate ventures, his phony university, his retail products, and even his marriages and affairs. He has never demonstrated the honesty or integrity that ought to be associated with leadership. His profile was always one of a huckster or con man, bragging about imaginary achievements. It is refreshing to see someone in the media who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is.

This was not the first time that Zakaria observed Trump’s predilection for prevarication. Last fall he devoted nearly five minutes on his own program to a segment titled “Trump Is A B.S. Artist.” Zakaria references an academic essay, “On Bullshit,” and draws parallels between that and Trump’s public behavior. It’s a thing of beauty. And here is that segment for your viewing pleasure:

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.