Trump Is Fighting a Losing Battle and Doesn’t Know He Has Already Lost

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting this morning about Donald Trump’s new strategy for dealing with the many investigations he is facing from federal and state prosecutors, as well as from House Democrats. Apparently the president plans to keep fighting without realizing he has already lost the battle.

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According to the AP, Trump is beefing up his legal defense team and hiring more lawyers. At the same time he is publicly condemning the people leading the investigations against him while holding himself out as the victim.

The first part of the strategy shows that he takes the legal threats against him, his family, his business and his presidency very seriously. The second part shows that he thinks he can take his case directly to the American people and win the battle for public opinion.

As the AP report said, “the administration is trying to minimize its exposure while casting the president as the victim of overzealous partisans.”

When asked about the House investigations by a reporter at the White House yesterday Trump said, “It’s a disgrace, it’s a disgrace for our country” as he accused Democrats of “presidential harassment.”

AP noted:

“Trump’s response points to his increasing frustration with Congress and his intention to seize on the investigations as evidence that he is under siege in Washington.”

It remains to be seen whether Trump playing the victim will help in any way. It certainly won’t help with prosecutors, but it also is not clear that it will help him with voters either.

Said the AP report:

“After Democrats took the House last November, Trump declared that they had to choose between investigating him and earning White House cooperation on matters of bipartisan concern like health care and infrastructure. Trump assessed publicly Tuesday that Democrats had made their choice, saying, “So the campaign begins.”

“Press secretary Sarah Sanders issuing an acerbic statement late Monday calling the Judiciary Committee probe a “disgraceful and abusive investigation.” Trump’s campaign spokeswoman, Kayleigh McEnany, accused Democrats of stopping “at nothing, including destroying the lives and reputations of many innocent Americans who only have sought to serve their country honorably, but who hold different political views than their own.”

Democrats Are Not Backing Down From the Fight to Hold Trump Accountable For His Crimes

The House of Representatives is not backing down from the fight to hold Trump accountable for his many acts of malfeasance. The House Intelligence Committee said on Tuesday it had hired a former federal prosecutor with experience investigating Russian mobsters and white-collar crime to lead its probe into the Trump administration.

There was also a report yesterday that prosecutors may be able to issue criminal indictments against Donald Trump’s business, the Trump Organization, even if they can’t indict Donald Trump himself.

With respect to public opinion, Trump is fighting a losing battle there as well. A new poll yesterday showed that nearly two-thirds of American voters believe that Trump has committed crimes. And as more evidence of Trump crimes is revealed in the coming weeks and months the situation will only get worse for him politically.

Donald Trump is stubbornly and pugnaciously fighting the inevitable. He is doomed both legally and politically, but he just doesn’t know it yet.

Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.