The mainstream media’s naïveté never ceases to amaze me. Bless their innocent little hearts! For the last several weeks, the corporate media have been swooning over President Trump openly saying he’d preemptively declare victory and sue if he appeared headed for a loss. Axios, NBC, Slate, and the entire gallery of Fred Hiatt’s Hiring Hall For Unemployables at The Washington Post. (Thank you, Charlie Pierce!) Even the UK’s Independent and Guardian got in on the action.
Why are you groaning now? Politico predicted this long ago. The reports all claimed that Trump would only take this unprecedented and unprincipled step if he were “ahead.” But that was always going to be a lie. Trump was always going to sue. Because grifters gotta grift.
Trump has already sucked more than $8 million from taxpayers and donors into his own pockets. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There will be more, or Washington Post luminary David Farenthold isn’t the reporter I think he is. Trump also used his political campaign as a piggy bank — even when it began endangering his re-election bid because he was plundering it so much. Because grifters gotta grift. Trump’s whole billionaire persona was always a grift; he maintains the illusion of wealth only by conning others out of their cash.
Trump’s grift has had a good run, but the Trump (gravy) Train is pulling into the station. He won’t be able to send American troops to stay at his Scottish golf course, or host foreign leaders at his properties at taxpayers’ expense, or charge double for membership at his golf clubs while luring those willing to pay to play. We’re talking millions he’s going to be losing out on! Oh, the humanity!
So, whether Nov. 3 had turned out to be a blowout or a squeaker, Donald Trump was always going to sue. It’s one more chance to hit up the rubes. He’ll hit his mailing list of lemmings, begging them for money to underwrite his lawsuits and keep the election from being “stolen.” (You’d think they’d wonder why a real billionaire needs to hit up a Walmart worker for money, but they don’t seem to.) Some part will go to lawyers, but you can be sure that plenty will end up in bank accounts for the Grifter-in-Chief. The more lawsuits, the more money, as he can target his supporters on behalf of their own states. More lawsuits also would make it harder to keep up with any financial improprieties.
So bring on the lawsuits. Because grifters gotta grift.
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