Back in the nineteen eighties, president Ronald Reagan was often called the "teflon" president, because no matter what happened around him, it never stuck to him. From the Iran Contra scandal to ignoring the deaths of people with AIDS, Reagan always seemed able to emerge unscathed from problems that might have sunk another president. His amiable (if absent minded) persona always seemed to win enough of the support of the American public to keep him popular.
A few years ago, people started calling then president Donald Trump "teflon Don", implying once again that we had a president who never seemed to have to pay for the various terrible and corrupt things going on around him. That certainly seemed true, as Trump shrugged off sexual assault and rape charges from twenty six women, ignored the emoluments clause of the Constitution, and was impeached by the House of Representatives, all while saying and tweeting utterly offensive ("Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are the co founders of Isis") or downright stupid (the sound from windmills can give you cancer) things that should have ended his political career but didn't.
And now, after seventy five years of always getting what he wants, Trump may finally face some level of retribution: on July first, the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced charges against the Trump Organization and its chief financial executive, Allen H. Weisselberg. This could possibly lead to charges being leveled against Trump himself. Like a mob boss, Trump has always demanded complete loyalty from those around him, and lives in fear of someone turning on him, which Weisselberg may do. That said, given all the various accusations made about Trump and his organization over the years, these do not seem to be particularly strong accusations; they allege that over the past fifteen years the Trump organization gifted Weisselberg things like a free apartment, a car, or school tuition, adding up to millions of dollars, without declaring any of these things on his taxes. The good news is that this may be just the beginning of the investigation, with more serious charges in the offing, depending on whether Weisselberg flips on Trump in order to reduce his own sentence or not.
So, will Weisselberg flip? That's a big question: on the one hand, his former daughter in law Jennifer Weisselberg recently told the New Yorker that, concerning Allen Weisselberg, "His whole worth is 'Does Donald like me today?' It's his whole life, his core being. He's obsessed. He has more feelings and adoration for Donald than for his wife." On the other hand, she also remembers Trump coming to visit Alan Weisselberg's home and blurting out "This is where my C.F.O. lives? It's embarrassing!", he then showed off naked pictures of women he had claimed to have slept with and hit on Jennifer Weisselberg. The fact that all of this was done while the family was mourning the death of a loved one makes it all the more repulsive (and par for the course for Trump). Could such boorish behavior come back to bite Trump now that his former C. F. O. is in the legal crosshairs? Let's hope it does.
One crazy thing is Trump and his son Donald Jr. have both publicly admitted to the crimes by shrugging them off, implying that somehow they were just being nice to Weisselberg, not seeming to realize that millions of dollars in gifts are still taxable no matter how well meaning their intention. One thing is sadly true, these charges will not change the unshakeable faith of the core Republican voters who have stood by Trump ever since he first announced his candidacy and who want him to run again in twenty twenty four. Heck, he may be the first American politician to run for the presidency while in jail. All bets are off with this guy.
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