Donald Trump Returns to New York: How the Former President Could Reshape New York Political Landscape
With Grand Jury evidence in the NY County criminal case against Donald Trump front and center in the headlines and his own admission that he will be arrested, it looks like the ex-president is now preparing to be carried off to jail like a normal criminal.
Whereas most Americans would be terrified by this development, Trump appears to see opportunity – and he’ll turn this lemon into lemonade. Trump has previously suggested that his supporters are so dedicated that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and they would still support him. I seriously doubt that a few months in jail for his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels and a payoff to keep her quiet would lead even one of his followers to abandon him.
In contrast, the prospect of their heroic leader being imprisoned for allegedly having an extramarital affair – and paying her off to be silent in a manner that violated the law – barely qualifies as a crime in their view. And they will very sure grow even more fervent in his defense, branding the entire initiative a witch hunt.
Trump has already urged his supporters to plan protests. He’ll gather his followers, come hell or high water, to generate a massive tsunami of sympathy for the victim in this entire heinous scenario (Donald himself). It makes little difference to his people whether he is innocent or guilty in this instance. In their perspective, the fact that he is being prosecuted at all is a serious crime.
In terms of really becoming a prisoner, I don’t believe Trump is concerned. Cohen made it through the trauma. Manafort, Bannon, and Roger Stone all did. If it comes to his turn, Trump will handle it like a man.
I’m in the rare club when it comes to educated white geriatrics going to jail for the first time. Not only that but when I became Paul Manafort’s celly the night he was released to the general population, I watched how he was handled in MCC federal prison.
In today’s world, celebrity triumphs over all (no pun intended). And prison or jail is no different. The boys will be ecstatic to be in the company of Donald Trump. There will undoubtedly be one or two men who will invade Trump’s personal space to put him to the test. Yet no one is going to poke fun at him. And if what happened with Manafort is any indicator, Trump will have sycophants lining up to curry his favor. He’ll be a rock star behind bars, despite the fact that most convicts, in my experience, aren’t Trump supporters.
“Where will Trump be imprisoned?” others may wonder. He’ll very certainly be taken to the Manhattan Correctional Center (The Tombs), a jail situated next to Manhattan criminal court. I can tell you it’s quite strange in there. He may obtain his own cell, just like I did on my first visit. He may also be placed in a dorm (which I was on my second visit). And there won’t be many white dudes (I was the only one of 46 men in my unit on the first round).
Assuming he doesn’t get the presidential treatment (which is just hypothetical), ingestion is disgusting and time-consuming. He may have to use the restroom in front of other inmates. Yet I doubt the government will subject Trump to such humiliation. He was, after all, the President of the United States. You get the picture.
Therefore, he will not be imprisoned for long. Trump has a slew of lawyers on his side. His trip to the pokey will be brief and reasonably painless, and he’ll be able to wave to his base about it.
“Been there, done that – and survived,” he’ll say, as he did while he was suffering from Covid. He’s a hero who deserves everyone’s support. A tough person who can take it all and then some.
Don’t count Donald Trump out. This is a nine-lived dude. Donald Trump is the only person who can face a criminal indictment, go to jail, and still win a presidential election.