I noticed Donald Trump will spend more time in front of a judge this week than in front of potential voters. It’s his new normal. Trump’s schedule looks like a litigious hellscape. And his calendar for the foreseeable future is more of the same. It’s all so antithetical to my belief about what kind of person should lead our great nation.
The American presidency has fascinated me for a long time. I’ve been fortunate to interview every man who has held the office since Dwight Eisenhower. I was twice the chief White House correspondent for CBS News, covering all or part of the Johnson, Nixon, and Ford administrations. None of this is said to be self-serving. It’s offered for context when I say that through all of those years, I developed a tremendous respect for the office of the presidency, a respect bordering on reverence. Regardless of each president’s individual actions, I’ve always been acutely aware of the uniqueness of the office in which a president is not only the head of government but the head of state. It’s a role where character matters mightily. So does competency. The behavior of the president tends to become closely associated with the identity of our nation. Words like honor and duty should come to mind when considering the majesty and the responsibilities of the American presidency. It is the most powerful job in the world, and that is not hyperbole.
These grand and grave expectations are completely contrary to a calendar that looks like this:
Monday, February 12 - Federal court hearing
Trump attended a closed hearing in Miami federal court in the classified documents case. He has been charged with hoarding highly classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate.
Thursday, February 15 - Pre-trial hearing
The New York state court hearing will deal with pre-trial motions in the case of Trump’s $130,000 payment to a porn star for her silence about their adulterous affair. The trial, which is tentatively scheduled to begin on March 25, would be the first-ever criminal trial against a former president. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts, including lying to conceal his affair from the American public as they prepared to vote in the 2016 election. The Manhattan district attorney has made this case about election interference rather than hush money. The adult film star, Stormy Daniels, says she will testify. If convicted, Trump could face four years in prison.
Friday, February 16 - Ruling released
In a different New York courtroom, Judge Arthur Engoron will release his ruling as to Trump’s punishment in his civil fraud trial. The New York attorney general has asked that Trump be forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and be severed from his company.
This agenda would be almost farcical if it weren’t so dire. The fact that we even need to write about this is disheartening. How has a sexual assaulter, a convicted fraudster, an alleged insurrectionist, a hoarder of classified documents, and an election denier all but sewn up the Republican nomination for president?
Against this backdrop and with this knowledge, we consider anew the future of the power and the glory of the presidency.
The Steady newsletter is supported by the Steady community. Please consider subscribing if you aren’t already a member.
Thank you so much for all you wrote for us. You have indeed been with us for so many wonderful years , your wisdom and honesty and love of country making us love you more. Thank you for what you wrote about trump, a most despicable, evil, corrupt lowlife if ever there was one. He is an absolute disgrace and should hide with shame, but he has no honor, no conscience, nothing. I truly hope and pray he does wind up in jail, as that is where he should be, with plenty of time to think about his terrible life of greed and dishonesty. That would make many of us feel better. Thank you, Dan Rather, for being there for us, still. We are very grateful for you.
Can't agree with you more. Let's face it. Trump doesn't care about the office or the country. We know he doesn't care about his followers. Could you imagine him letting one of them into his fancy golf courses? Trump cares about Trump. He is running to stay out of jail and because it's a big money maker for him. His newest grift. God help us all