Some week, eh? After decades of sidestepping consequences for his sleazy, indecent, and crooked ways, Donald J. Trump was determined by a jury of his peers (not to insult them) to be a felon. The former president and current Republican cult leader is officially a criminal. No president in office or out—not even Richard Nixon—was ever branded as such.

One the same day, in a less consequential development, a former producer of The Apprentice revealed in Slate that during the taping of the show’s first episode, Trump used the n-word to refer to a Black contestant during a meeting that was recorded. Not a big surprise. But this was of great interest to me, given that six years ago I spent much time trying to obtain this or a similar recording—which included chasing after the sound editor on the show—and failed to do so. (During that endeavor, actor/comic Tom Arnold was assisting me. It’s a long story.) By Thursday evening, Trump was officially a convicted felon whose racism was (again) affirmed.

Yet Trump the autocrat-wannabe is still beloved by a cult of millions, and Republican leaders will not throw him to the curb. Nanoseconds after the verdict was announced, many were decrying the case as the foulest act of injustice since...well, since ever, and wailing for Dear Leader the Martyr. And the guilty verdict in the hush-money/porn-star/election-interference case threw into stark relief Trump’s three other criminal cases—especially the two that accuse Trump of conspiring to subvert an American election—in which Trump still might skate, as he has done so often. At the least, it seems unlikely that these cases will go to trial and reach a jury before American voters must decide whether to give Trump another shot at the White House.

Originally, I had planned to write in this issue about the differences in GOP and Democratic tactics in the 2024 campaign. But in case some of you did not see the article that I published after the guilty verdict about Trump’s lifelong war against accountability, I’m going to repub that here to mark this historic moment. There will be plenty of time to ponder the presidential race in the days ahead.

*  *  *

Donald Trump has been in a war with accountability his entire adult life, and accountability has usually lost. In a New York City courtroom on Thursday, accountability triumphed, when a jury of his fellow citizens found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to cover up his hush-money/election-interference payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. This historic case—the first criminal trial of a former president and of a major party presidential nominee—showed that the legal system could handle the prosecution of a person of such high status, wealth, and influence and that Trump’s long run as an escape artist has (pending an appeal) come to an end.

For years, Trump has gotten away with it—whatever “it” was. He misled investors in his early real estate deals. He cut deals with mobsters. He abused undocumented employees. He walked away from huge casino bankruptcies. He didn’t pay contractors. He lied incessantly as a businessman. He peddled racism (see the Central Park Five and his promotion of the racist birther conspiracy theory). He pretended to be a non-existent publicist to plant positive stories about himself in the press. He cynically flip-flopped on loads of important issues. He was accused of sexual harassment and assault and relentlessly spewed misogynistic remarks. He was a loudmouth lout who trampled on norms, rules, and decency—and perhaps violated laws.

His biggest escapes came during the 2016 campaign, when he sidestepped culpability for aiding and abetting Russia’s attack on the election by denying it was happening (thus providing cover for a foreign adversary’s assault on America) and, more obviously, when he survived the fallout from the emergence of the Access Hollywood video in which he bragged that, due to his celebrity, he could grab women “by the pussy.” His election that year was his ultimate triumph (so far) over accountability. None of his past or present malfeasance prevented him from snatching the keys to the nation’s prime political real estate.

Imagine how that victory fueled Trump’s sense of impunity. On the campaign trail, he had crudely joshed that he could shoot somebody in the “middle of Fifth Avenue” and not “lose any voters.” (Fact-check: maybe—at least among the GOP base.) Trump’s election demonstrated that honesty, decency, ethics, and, yes, accountability did not matter to many voters. (Hillary Clinton had her own problems in these areas, but they couldn’t hold a candle to Trump’s blowtorch.) Trump had defied multiple standards of probity, and he was mightily rewarded. In fact, it may well be that many of his voters loved him for his scoundrel ways and his ability to elude punishment for his never-ending run of transgressions. They wanted an SOB in the White House.

As president, Trump continued to evade responsibility for his misdeeds. He was impeached for muscling a foreign president to manufacture dirt on Joe Biden—but the Senate Republican majority voted against conviction. And no matter his offense—profiting off the presidency, engaging in brazen conflicts of interest, fueling a politics of hatred and polarization, politicizing the Justice Department, trying to impose an illegal Muslim ban, encouraging cronyism and nepotism, failing to act on basic policy promises regarding health care and the infrastructure, allegedly obstructing justice, and grossly mismanaging the tragic Covid pandemic (and causing the avoidable deaths of 200,000 or so Americans)—the Republican Party and his tens of millions of supporters stayed fiercely loyal to him.

As a president, Trump confronted the ultimate moment of accountability—and he lost his bid for reelection in the 2020 campaign (just barely). Finally, he had to answer for his wrongdoings. The voters had cast judgment and punished him for his actions. Presidencies have consequences. His was, you’re fired.

Not surprisingly, Trump could not accept this chastisement. He concocted the Big Lie about the 2020 election, covertly plotted to overturn the results, incited the insurrectionist riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and that day did nothing at first to stop the violence and defend the Constitution, presumably believing the melee would prevent the certification of the election results and perhaps offer him further opportunity for scheming to stay in power.

Once more, he was back on the same path: no accountability. His assault on the constitutional order did not lead to political exile or even excommunication from the Republican Party. After he was impeached a second time by the House, with a smidgeon of Republican support, a bipartisan majority in the Senate supported conviction. But with most Republicans standing by Trump, the vote against him fell short of the necessary two-thirds majority. He was in the clear. More important, the GOP’s leaders and voters remained devoted to the man who had attempted a coup against American democracy. Yet again, there were no immediate consequences for Trump’s wrongdoing.

After that, the record was mixed. Trump was found liable in civil trials for sexually assaulting and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll and ordered to pay $88.3 million, and his business, the Trump Organization, was found guilty of massive fraud and fined $355 million. (Trump is appealing these cases.) And he was indicted in four criminal cases—two for endeavoring to subvert the 2020 election results, one for allegedly swiping top-secret documents, and the New York City case.

With three of the four criminal cases bogged down by either legal maneuvering or sideshow controversy, the hush-money/election-interference case up to now has presented the best opportunity for Trump to face the music before he faces the voters as the GOP’s 2024 presidential nominee. For all his crookedness over the decades, he has finally been judged a criminal. It’s official: Trump, a past president and current presidential candidate, is a felon.

This unprecedented conviction aside, Trump still has dodged legal accountability for much of his assorted misconduct, particularly his attempt to destroy the American democratic system. The New York case involved merely one sleazy episode—though it aptly captured the sordid world of celebrity, lies, hush money, and fake news from which Trump emerged. Yet none of that—including his alleged tryst with a porn star while his wife was home with a four-month-old baby and Trump’s scuzzy deal with the Nation Enquirer to publish scurrilous stories about his political rivals and to catch-and-kill unfavorable ones about him—have yielded career repercussions for Trump. Long before the verdict was in, the Republicans essentially rewarded him with their nomination and a shot at redemption and presidential restoration.

If Trump succeeds in reclaiming the White House, he will be able to end the two federal criminal cases against him, thus smothering a key effort to hold him accountable for his biggest and most serious misdeed of all. Only the Georgia RICO case against him and 18 others who allegedly plotted to undo the 2020 election results would remain. And there’s no telling how a state case would proceed against a sitting president, let alone what might happen, in that instance, should it continue and a jury finds Trump guilty.

For now, though, Trump is branded by the criminal justice system a lawbreaker. This is not likely to affect his standing with his followers and the Republican Party. And it is quite possible he could go scot-free for his unsuccessful connivings to blow up an election and grab power. This trial is merely one battle. Trump’s war against accountability is far from over.

Got anything to say about this item—or anything else? Email me at ourland@motherjones.com.

My bad—we raced through May without holding a Zoom gathering of Our Land subscribers. I said I’d try to mount these fun shindigs every month. But that darn news cycle hammered us hard these past few weeks. So let’s get one on the calendar for June before we’re all burdened with summer fun. How about June 19—which is Juneteenth? The usual 8 p.m. ET. And the regular agenda: whatever is on my mind and yours.

Remember, these hoedowns are only open to premium subscribers to Our Land. On the day of the get-together, those noble souls will receive a Zoom link. Click on it, and the highly trained Our Land bouncers will let you into our virtual speakeasy. (BYOB!) As I’ve mentioned once or twice before, those of you who are not premium subscribers can certainly sign up in time to participate in the fun. And if you do, you will also gain access to the full version of the Our Land newsletter with that extra content, including additional insider reports on politics and on the media, reviews of movies, television shows, books, and music, the Dumbass Comment of the Week, access to the interactive Mailbag, and, best of all, MoxieCam™. Plus, you’ll get the satisfaction of knowing you are supporting Our Land. Without premium subscribers, this newsletter would cease to be. We need your financial backing. So please consider giving it a shot, and we’ll see (some of) you soon.

The competition this week was strong—and that was with the judges eschewing remarks related to the Trump trial and verdict. (They try not to get bogged down by the obvious. Otherwise, what’s the value-added?) Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) had a doozy. On Fox News, he opined, "The bottom line is: Conservatives are tolerant, we are kind of get out of your business, you leave me alone, I’ll leave you alone."

What the hell was he smoking? The easy retort to this was: Except when it comes to who you can love, who you can marry, what you can teach and read in school, and who can control a woman’s body. Which was what I tweeted.

That tweet became one of my more popular social media posts, garnering 40,000 likes and over 740,000 impressions. Graham’s comment illustrated the wide gap between the self-image of conservatives and the reality. I’m sure Graham believes he’s just a good ol’ tolerant fella who wants to limit gubmint so regular folk can get on with their lives, making their own decisions for themselves and their kin—even as he advocates for a nationwide ban on abortions. This cognitive dissonance is nothing for Graham. After all, he exclaimed in 2016, “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed.......and we will deserve it.” Then he went on to become one of the most accomplished Trump suck-ups in the GOP.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) this week proudly displayed his own extremism, declaring, “I’m against all vaccine mandates.”

The GOP is becoming the pro-polio party. On the campaign trail, Trump has vowed not to give a single penny in federal support to schools that mandate vaccinations or masks. So, kids, say hello to measles and other horrendous diseases. In response to Massie’s anti-science stance, Dr. Craig Spencer, an ER doc and professor at Brown University School of Public Health, tweeted this handy chart:

Speaking of anti-vax knuckleheads, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke to the Libertarian Party’s national convention last week and shared what he thought was an amusing anecdote. During the Covid pandemic he appeared maskless at an event, and an NBC News crew approached him. As he recounted, “They asked me why I wasn’t wearing a mask, which, nobody was, except for the NBC film crew. They said, ‘Wasn’t I scared of dying of Covid?’ And I said to them, ‘There’s a lot worse things than dying.’ And they said to me, ‘Like what?’ And I said, ‘Like living like a slave.'”

Given Kennedy’s penchant for misrepresenting and fabricating purported facts, I don’t know if we can trust his recollection of this episode. But what struck the judges was his comparison of wearing a mask with slavery. Yeah, so similar. Here’s yet another sign of his detachment from reality.

The winner this week is a figure new to this contest: actor Dennis Quaid. He’s been a standout thespian for years. (Oh, that smile he flashed as Gordon Cooper in The Right Stuff!) But this week, he showed he ought to stick to lines written by others. On Piers Morgan’s show, Quaid, who plays Ronald Reagan in a hagiographic biopic due out this summer, explained his current presidential preference:

I was ready not to vote for Trump until…What I saw is, more than politics, I see a weaponization of our justice system and a challenge to our constitution… Trump is the most investigated person probably in the history of the world, and they haven’t been able to really get him. People might call him an asshole, but he's my asshole.

Does Quaid need to be reminded that Trump tried to subvert our constitutional order—by lying about the 2020 election, attempting a coup, and inciting violence—so he could hold on to power? None of that seems to bother the guy who tried to save the United States from climate disaster in The Day After Tomorrow. Yet he was happy to echo the right-wing whining about a supposed plot to abuse the criminal justice system to hold Trump responsible for his actions. As for celebrating Trump’s asshole-ness, is that what we need more of in American politics? Quaid joins his wacky brother Randy, once upon a time an accomplished actor of his own, who was a prominent supporter of Trump’s Big Lie, in the I-really-don’t-care-about-the-Constitution camp. Forty-two years ago, I saw the two Quaids star together in an Off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard’s True West. Little did I know that one day I would be handing such an honor to one of them.

Readers responded with concern and despair to recent issues on Trump’s dangerous grifting and the reasons why his followers believe his obvious lies.

Diane Wagner wrote:

I think that Trump gives his minions the permission to be their worst selves. His base is not full of successful, educated people who have good relationships with their families and their communities. For likely their whole lives, they have been criticized for who they are: by teachers, family, employers, law enforcement. Despite attempts by some well-meaning others, they remain what Trump privately thinks of as "losers." Trump gives them the “unconditional love” they have always craved. He tells them it is okay to be a horrible person. After all, he, too, is a horrible person and, nevertheless, is rich, was president, and remains unpunished for his many crimes. He has managed to make them identify with him, so they will defend him no matter what because they will feel as though they are defending themselves. 

Many decades ago, I spent part of a weekend with the Moonies (long story) in Booneville, California. The kids who were committed to living there were young, felt rejected by their families, and had no goals or direction in their lives. I see Trumpers as a version of those kids, grown up and embittered.

That’s a rather disparaging view of Trump people. No doubt, it applies to some. But, unfortunately, there are plenty of well-educated and successful people who do vote for him—and, certainly, who fund his campaigns. They’re not all alienated “losers.” Their inability to see through Trump’s lies and his cons—or their willingness to accept them—is a big puzzle.

Barbara Holcomb emailed:

I would love to believe that Trump is not intelligent. However, I wonder if we are the ones lacking. It’s difficult to understand how he spews such crap and his followers are not at all upset by it. They may be in the minority, but it’s a huge number of people. Many of us believe that he has dealings with Russian intelligence. They use a lot of psychological games in almost everything they are involved with. Why would it be hard to believe that they have coached Trump in using some tricks to influence people. You know a great deal more about Trump and his methods than I do. I just wonder if the terms he keeps repeating are intentionally being deployed to sort of brainwash the listener. Words that are simple and either positive or negative—descriptive of people he likes or does not. Also terms like “witch hunt.” The same words repeated constantly thousands of times for year after year. Maybe there is a method to his madness. The media are broadcasting them for him to a much larger audience. Are they truly unaware of the effect they are enabling? Just curious.

I don’t believe Trump needs any coaching from the Russians or anyone else to implement his basic carnival barker strategy of loudly repeating big lies that exalt himself and degrade his foes. He has always been a salesman fiercely devoted to one product: himself. And he has long stuck to a rather basic gameplan: Keep it simple, be loud, be brash, never yield, and never be distracted by the truth. 

Gail Breakey shared this concern:

I certainly agree with you about the lack of decency of Trump, Manafort and his other sycophants such as Giuliani. But I think the current situation is way beyond concern for common decency. Recently I ran across the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 quite by accident. As you surely know, this is a blueprint for how to undermine our constitutional republic and install a right-wing, white Christian nationalist administration should Trump win. And given the current circumstances, he could win. It is a huge problem that most people do not know about Project 2025 and the extent of backing for this from large corporations, oil companies, banks, ultra-wealthy people. I had lunch with a group of politically savvy people and only one person was aware of it. I believe that if the public did know, people would come out to vote against it and for Biden. Have absolutely no idea why the administration isn't leading with this. I am hoping that you and Mother Jones will get the word out. If you have already done this, please forgive me as I missed it so far. And even if you did, this is going to need a lot of repetition!  

As it happens, I did write about Project 2025 several months ago in this very newsletter and in Mother Jones, and I’ve mentioned it since then. The New York Times published a major piece on this right-wing effort to cook up an authoritarian agenda for a second Trump presidential stint, noting this would include an assortment of power-grabs that would allow Trump to launch investigations of his political foes and implement loyalty oaths (to him!) across the federal government. But Gail is correct: This troubling prospect does not get steady media coverage, as say Joe Biden’s age. If generally well-informed people are not aware of this, the large mainstream news outlets are not doing their job.

Elsie Harris had a simple question:

So exactly can we personally do? The Trump supporters I know won’t listen to facts, and I’m talking about family.

Sorry, Elsie. I am sure that is painful. In general, I don’t believe there can be much payoff in trying to persuade Trumpers to not be Trumpers. If someone has fallen for his con, he or she are not likely at this point to be talked out of it. The main task for Americans opposed to Trump is to convince those not in his camp—including voters who are not politically engaged or not fans of Biden—that Trump poses a threat to American democracy (as well as to women’s freedom, social justice, the economy, the climate, global stability, etc.) and ought to be stopped. Mobilize the non-Trumpers, instead of trying to win over the cult members.

“Looking good, Moxie.”
“As opposed to when?”
“Well, I guess, I mean, you usually look good, but—”
“I think you implied there are times when I don’t.”
“No, not at all, I was just...”
“Just throw the ball.”

May 25, 2024: Trump’s dangerous grifting; Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s crazier than you might think; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Jared Perdue); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.

May 21, 2024: Why do they believe Trump?; the meaning of Trump’s bad makeup; lesson from a mass shooter’s mother; the beautiful noir of Ripley; and more.

May 18, 2024: Here come the Russians, again; Sonya Cohen Cramer’s You’ve Been a Friend to Me; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Eric Trump); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more. 

May 14, 2024: Paul Manafort and the metrics of shamelessness; 3 Body Problem’s obvious but understated tie to climate change; Neil Young and Crazy Horse keep a promise; and more.

May 11, 2024: America is broken, and the media ain’t helping; my fascinating trip to Japan; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Laura Ingraham); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.

May 7, 2024: Modern-day lessons from Hiroshima; Ed Zwick’s Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions; the virtues of Tokyo Vice; and more.

May 1, 2024: From the Our Land archive: Donald Trump, stochastic terrorist; and more.

April 24, 2024: From the Our Land archive: Take a walk; and more.

April 20, 2024: Ari Berman’s new book explains the GOP's grand plan: minority rule; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Sen. Tom Cotton and Kari Lake); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.