Tag: justice

Trump Not In Control

 

I am watching the coverage of the indictment of Trump, and live-drew the above from a CNN feed. In my drawing above, he’s leaving the room where he learned of all the 34 felony counts against him, heading to the courtoom where he will plead. It was immediately noticable to me that the man in front of him as the group walked through this door, did not hold the door for him. The door fell against his body and he had to push it open. It was very symbolic to me. Trump is in custody and is not in control of everyone around him.

He looked sullen, sad, little, very angry.

If there were more I could live-draw, I would, but I don’t like to draw from others’ photographs.

 
 

From my newsletter, Seeing Things:

Ever since Trump was running for office in 2016, I drew him as I do above, in short pants. I always thought he was like a schoolyard bully, persistently pushing people around, manipulating the truth, humiliating and belittling others to get his way.

I drew him on Lady Justice’s scale because, frankly, I could not think of any other way to depict this moment. It’s historic, and while I have ridiculed Trump in drawings before, I did not see a need to do that now (except maybe slightly, in the way I drew him). Nor could I figure out how to encapsulate all the nuance of emotions, anger, and fear of this moment in a pen line.

We don’t know what will happen.

I see the indictment of Trump as democracy in action. He is not above anyone. I suppose it is a test in that never before in the history of our Republic has a former President been charged with a crime.

Trying to understand it all, I think it boils down to this: in 2016, did the Trump campaign (via his “fixer” Michael Cohen) pay Stormy Daniels hush money to:

1. protect his family (as his lawyers claim), or

2. protect his candidacy for President.

Whether hush money can be counted as a campaign donation is not settled law. And we don’t know specifically what all the many counts are against him.

This weekend will be interesting. Before his arraignment on Tuesday, Trump will try to rally his base with a lot of lies and threats, attacks and accusations. Republicans will have to take sides. Democrats will have to be cautious.

And we wait.

Is it ironic that Lady Justice is a lady, and this indictment, in part, has to do with Trump’s interactions with a lady?