Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Donald Trump: Art Of The Comeback Or End Or The Road?

Donald Trump: Art Of The Comeback Or End Or The Road?

Even by the standards of a uniquely gaudy, attention grabbing, tradition-smashing career, Trump's arraignment in Manhattan marked an unprecedented low.
Donald Trump always wanted to be king of New York but Tuesday perhaps the most controversial US president in history instead walked into a Big Apple courtroom as a criminal defendant.

Even by the standards of a uniquely gaudy, attention grabbing, tradition-smashing career, Trump's arraignment in Manhattan marked an unprecedented low.

For a born showman who grew famous as a playboy real estate entrepreneur, then astonished the world by winning the presidency on a hard-right platform in 2016, his date with a New York State judge marks a moment of supreme peril.

But because this is Trump -- the man who ran for the White House boasting he could get away with shooting someone on Fifth Avenue -- the drama is also, incredibly, a kind of gift.

Already the first ex-president ever to be charged with a crime, he's busy campaigning to win back the presidency in 2024 and the more scandals he accumulates the more he feels able to promote his brand.

Opinion polls, making him the strong frontrunner for the Republican nomination, suggest that so far he's not wrong.

Wrecking ball

In doing so, Trump is pushing American politics ever further into uncharted territory.

To his millions of backers, the 76-year-old is the man who broke the mold with his White House win, defying political norms to champion what he dubbed the "forgotten men and women" of middle America.

To much of the country, though, Trump just broke America.

The Republican's first term began in 2017 with a dark inaugural address evoking "American carnage."

It ended in mayhem when the former entrepreneur refused to accept his defeat by Joe Biden, then goaded supporters into storming Congress on January 6, 2021.

In office, Trump upended every tradition, ranging from the trivial (what got planted in the Rose Garden) to the fundamental (relations with NATO).

And as an ex-president, his wrecking ball political presence continued to dominate an increasingly far-right Republican Party.

Entangled in mounting legal woes, he pushed his 2020 lies ever more vigorously -- arguably sabotaging his party's midterm performance last year by backing an army of election-denying candidates, who fared dismally.

Then, to the dismay of the few remaining moderates, he announced a run for 2024.

Teflon Don

Whether Trump can survive his New York troubles or a number of other legal probes is still up in the air. But he has proved repeatedly up until now an uncanny ability to slip his pursuers.

When the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida last summer to retrieve top secret documents Trump hoarded on his way out of the White House, opponents thought his time must be up.

But again, Trump defied norms, refusing to accept responsibility and insisting he was being persecuted.

He likewise claims that the charges in New York, related to allegedly paying an adult film performer to keep quiet on the eve of his 2016 election, are fabricated by leftwing foes.

In a statement minutes after his indictment first became public, Trump used his Truth Social app to complain of "Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history."

They laughed

Back in 2016, many Americans literally laughed at the prospect of a Trump White House.

Yet he defeated Democratic heavyweight Hillary Clinton.

And when Democrats launched two impeachment proceedings, the Republican Party backed him to the hilt. He was acquitted both times.

Offstage turmoil that might sink an ordinary presidency only fueled Trump's message of grievance.

Journalists became the "enemy of the people." Intelligence services and the FBI were demonized as the "deep state." Opponents in Congress were variously branded "crazy" and treasonous.

On the world stage, it was the same story. Trump turned US alliances into cut-throat business relationships.

Friendly partners like South Korea and Germany were accused of trying to "rip us off."

By contrast, Trump repeatedly declared respect for the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin or North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, with whom he said "we fell in love."

Autocratic drift

Prior to 2016, Trump was famous mostly for the ruthless character he played on reality TV show "The Apprentice," for developing luxury buildings and golf resorts, and for his former fashion-model wife Melania.

But academics noted parallels between Trump's evolution as a politician and those of autocrats in countries where democratic institutions exist only as facades, allowing populist showmen to take power.

He relished the controversy, joking -- presumably -- about changing the constitution to stay in power indefinitely. "It drives them crazy," he said.

But as the Covid tragedy spiraled, Trump looked inept, granting Biden an opening. The Democrat's old-school ways and calming centrist message propelled him to a comfortable majority.

It was then, as defeat became clear, that Trump yet again did the unthinkable by refusing to concede.

Now he is once more trying to tear up precedent -- running for the presidency as an alleged criminal.

But if Tuesday's case ends up going to trial, that relentless quest for the crown may depend not on the self-described "genius" but the regular folks watching him from across the courtroom: a jury of 12 ordinary New Yorkers.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Spewing Ash Cloud over Flores Island
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
×