IN THE END, THE MOST SALIENT FACT about Donald Trump may simply be that he is a crook. He has been defying the law since at least the early 1970s, when he battled the Department of Justice over his flagrant refusal to allow Black tenants into his father’s buildings. He has surrounded himself with Mafiosi, money launderers, and assorted lowlifes. His former attorney, national security adviser, and adviser, and two of his campaign managers, have been arrested on or convicted of an array of federal crimes ranging from tax fraud to perjury to threatening witnesses. He employs the lingo of the underworld: People who cooperate with law enforcement are “flippers” and “rats”; investigators pursuing his misconduct are “dirty cops.” To him, the distinction between legal and illegal activity is merely an artificial construct enforced by sanctimonious hypocrites.
And although President Trump’s opponents have been warning Americans what will happen to their 230-year-old constitutional government if our gangster president gets another four years in office, the truth is much of the damage has already been done. An electoral defeat in November is, of course, necessary. But Trump has set off a profound crisis of democratic legitimacy that even a resounding Joe Biden victory may not completely resolve. It may not take a fully developed fascist movement to bring down the Republic. All that may be required is one well-placed criminal.
This story is from the September 14 - 27, 2020 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 14 - 27, 2020 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Good One: Ramy Youssef
The comedian on the first Israel-Palestine joke he wrote after 10/7.
Not Your Average Heartthrob
Nicholas Galitzine can play himbo, Prince Charming, and Gen-Z queer iconsometimes all at once. Now, he's coming
Northern Mexico, Just Below Canal
Corima has potential-and excellent tortillas
A Tree House for Two Architects
Phu Hoang and Rachely Rotem built the indoor-outdoor \"Mini Tower One\" extension of their Carroll Gardens home.
THE ERIC ADAMS SMASH - AND - GRAB
It's a brazenly transactional era of government here in New York City.| FRANK CARONE is its master practitioner.
JEFF ZUCKER'S FLEET STREET MISADVENTURE
The former CNN and NBC boss wants a new media empire. Is that even possible in 2024?
MECHANISMS of CONTROL
Andrew Huberman has attracted millions of acolytes by preaching self-discipline and healthy lifestyle habits. But those closest to him suggest there is a darker side to his appeal.
Streetscape: Mark Jacobson
Charging Ahead Baruch Herzfeld wants to end the rash of e-bike battery fires.
461 MINUTES WITH...Hanif Abdurraqib
The MacArthur-grant winner's unclassifiable new book is as idiosyncratic as the author himself.
Neighborhood News: The 'SNL' Guys' Ferry Isn't Adrift
Colin Jost and Pete Davidson's architect has a real plan.