Trump Fined $9K? Judge Should Give Him What He THINKS He Wants

Well it’s official. Trump has been held in criminal contempt for violation of Judge Merchan’s gag order. Nine specific violations of the ten that were alleged and debated during a hearing last week. Now, as you can read in this article from Reuters the judge held that Trump did in fact commit nine different violations and fined him $9K. Even for Trump who is experiencing a combination of cash/debt and cash flow problems this amounts to a joke of a fine. But the law in New York on this wasn’t written for Trump and/or other rich people but regular folks for whom a thousand bucks (per violation) is a lot of money.

Another hearing is scheduled to address a whole new set of gag order violations but again, any fine assessed won’t mean jack. It’s not just a joke in this case, it’s downright insulting. Of course the judge does have another option to punish Trump but it has pundits, both legal and political freaking the hell out. Lot’s of normal folks like us too. By law the judge can sentence Trump to up to 30 days in jail. This is after all a criminal trial so the contempt is criminal contempt.  (Let’s not even get into how any other defendant would have had their bail revoked long ago) But oh the wailing, the teeth gnashing, the rending of garments and dare I say taking out a knife for self-mutilation about the PROBLEMS of jailing Trump are really something to behold.

Sometimes when hearing it discussed one gets the impression the earth would stop turning, the sun would bleed and giant asteroids would start slamming into our planet turning into rubble. “The logistics! they cry out. Or “The POLITICAL implications!!” Or both. Give me a freaking break. The logistics part is just that and not nearly so complicated as pundits and even so many normal people (like those who read sites like this) seem to think. In comments and even an article or two I’ve laid out how it’s not really that complicated at all. Either short-term jail accommodations or actual prison.

As for the political, now we are getting to the real issue. Multiple times the judge has indicated he knows full well Trump has been trying to goad him into a stint in lockup. Trump wants the judge to do it. Or thinks he does. I’ll get to that “think” part later.  I’m sure the judge, like the pundits and also many regular folks believes there would be some sort of public opinion explosion. You know what? There would be. For damned sure Fox and far crazier RWNJ outlets go batsh*t insane. So would social media. My gut feeling is that it would be like the kind of explosion that creates a star – a blinding flash and some effects that quickly spread out, then quickly recedes and settles down into just another source of light that will be there for a long time.  With plenty of other “celestial” objects getting attention it won’t stand out.

As for Trump, he thinks he could milk even a short time in lockup into a political wave that will carry him back into the WH. More importantly to Trump he believes it will invigorate his FUNDRAISING. It seems things have been slacking off some with the small dollar MAGA donations. Worse, and embarrassingly so for Trump hordes of MAGAs haven’t shown up for his various arraignments, or now his actual first criminal trial. His ego doesn’t want or need any family to be there, but his MAGAs? You can bet your ass that’s bugging the hell out of him. So getting tossing in lockup for a few nights would help that but more importantly get the MAGAs sending in their money again.

Judge Merchan knows all of this. In a way I wonder if by NOT locking him up he’s yanking Trumps chain. At least for a while. In the weird, tortured excuse for a brain of Donald Trump he wants the judge to do HIM a favor and jail him. To benefit HIM both politically and financially. And that mean old judge won’t play along! Politizoom’s Murfster understands Trump better than I do so I wonder what he’d say about that theory.

The thing is, Trump is going to keep pushing and what gets overlooked is the damage it’s doing to the justice system all over the country. It’s been noted by countless people (me too) including experts that any other defendant, even a rich mobster would be going back and forth to court from a jail cell.  What are other judges supposed to do when defense lawyers argue both at the trial level and on appeal about the harshness of their own penalties for lesser criminal contempt violations while Trump so publicly gets away with so much?  That’s a discussion that doesn’t get nearly as much consideration from the talking heads as it should.

For now, and in this case as I said a thousand dollars a violation is a joke. It’s not going to change things and Trump will keep pushing the envelope. I’m convinced Trump really does want to be sent to jail, at least for a couple of nights so when he gets to go back to Trump Tower after court he can play the martyr. But you know what? I’m equally convinced Trump only THINKS he wants to spend as much as a single night in actual lockup. He fancies himself a tough guy, and that it would be no big deal. Boy is he ever WRONG!

A night in an actual jail cell, or a holding pen down in “the tombs” of the courthouse would make his little room at his faux “military” prep school seem like the WH. No cell phone. No food other than whatever slop they bring for dinner or breakfast. Can you imagine Trump being confronted with a spoonful of scrambled powdered eggs and a couple pieces of room temperature toast? And a bottle of room temp. water? But it’s the other stuff that would get to him. Using a toilet in the corner with no privacy. How cold it is. A scratchy blanket on some rack with cheap ass thin cotton sheets, a thin plastic covered mattress and a not even MyPillow quality pillow. And him wearing skivvies (or adult diapers) and a thin jail issued t-shirt under his jail issued jumpsuit.

And the sounds. At night there’d be few other prisoners down there so he could be kept well away from others.  But he’d hear them. And they would know he’s down there somewhere. That scene from The Shawshank Redemption on the new prisoner’s first night comes to mind – the taunts. Yep. Trump would be the character “FatAss” who starts crying for mommy. I guaran-f**king-tee it.  A single night and he would be more afraid of that than anything else in this world.

Oh, Trump would recover and make lots of hay about it on social media and so would Fox and the others. But you know what? The fuss would die down and pretty quickly. The judge could have a picture taken of Trump in the morning in his cell when he gets breakfast. More vulnerable and scared than he’s ever been in his life. And EACH morning after taking the bench but before anything else (including the jury being brought in) the judge could nod to the bailiff. Who would walk over to the defense table and hold up a large (say 11″ x `4″ and framed) picture in front of Trump. And not say a word but Trump would get the message. Which would be: Behave your fat ass or this is how you’ll be looking tomorrow morning and as many mornings as it takes! 

Judge Merchan should call Trump’s bluff. Imagine this: When court adjourns Trump gets put in handcuffs and led out to a bare room with a table and some chairs. He’s ordered to change from his suit into a prisoner’s jumpsuit. His phone is taken away. Some bottles of water and maybe a cheese sandwich on white bread for a snack. His lawyers can join him for consultations until the tombs downstairs have cleared mostly out. His lawyers will be under strict orders not to allow Trump to use THEIR phones, or to bring him food or Diet Cokes or other goodies. And told there will be video (but no audio) to make sure they don’t slip Trump stuff he’s not supposed to have.  Once things have cleared out downstairs Trump can be taken down to his cell/holding pen where he’ll spend the night just like any other prisoner. Only he’ll have Secret Service guys out there, as well as extra court security.  Once prisoners are about to start coming in from Rikers he can be taken back upstairs and allowed to change back into his suit. But no phone, and only water to drink.

Let Trump and RWNJ media howl after just one day of this?  You know what? The country will survive. And it might just help the justice system do so as well.  Trump only THINKS he wants to spend a little time in lockup. Actually doing so would be a life altering experience for him. He might not admit it to anyone else but it will haunt him for the rest of his life even if he never winds up in prison where he deserves to be.