Self pardons really have never been tested. Nixon could have done it otherwise. That said, I don't think Trump will ever be held accountable. My hope is that many of his enablers will.
My only hope is that when Trump is long dead and gone, and if America ever does discover some level of decency around his time in office, that his younger enablers, who still might be around, would be shunned for their shameful behavior.
But somehow I think this whole era will be rug swept.
They'll all be fine. They'll be commentators on Fox news et al, they'll do speaking engagements, they'll work at think tanks. They'll be fine. They're not some plebes who are scattered when their trucking firm or family restaurant goes belly-up.
Some people have said that they voted for Trump because they were on the left but felt that the left and the right were so similar that an authoritarian would wake people up and cause a snap back effect and lead to more progressive wins in response.
I find this view to be abhorrent because the people who make it are privileged enough to not feel the repercussions like, say, a child starving to death because of USAID cuts or an Iranian schoolgirl buried in rubble.
It does seem like they’ll get what they want though. I don’t hear a lot of Obama era “moving on” talk. It’s a lot more about accountability and repercussions in the discourse. The old democratic congress people are seen as a liability instead of experienced statesman.
I don’t think Trump will ever face justice but I do think this era will be remembered with shame and the people who helped enable it will be ostracized or pretend like they opposed it all along.
I hate thinking about the possibility so much I didn’t bring it up, but you’re right. There’s a non-zero chance that 2024 was the end of our representative democracy. But boy, us libs sure did get owned.
You give them too much credit. The people on the fence don't understand nuance or even what an authoritarian personality style is. They're easily manipulated morons that Trump's populist rhetoric works on. They're also authoritarian themselves, and seek to dominate out groups to make themselves feel superior.
All of the reasons that they tell people they voted for Trump because of are bullshit topical talking points. They have no self awareness, they just go for easy excuses for their inexcusable behavior.
It's the real American tradition. That and exploiting labor. Oh, and war. And dumping untested or inferior products to Africa. What else...racism...any ism really...football? I'm bored...oh, yeah, and apathy and selfishness hiding behind religious hypocracy.
I don’t think shunned is enough. They broke the law. For us to see any form of justice, we need our own Nuremberg trials to make sure these people pay for their crimes
Our political system is too frightened and unable to hold a president accountable. I stopped expecting it years ago. Nothing will happen to this man, and we won’t be rid of him until we read his obituary.
Trump not being held accountable won't be because of a lack of trying. It's simply time. He's on his way out health wise and isn't going to live long enough.
Pardons won't matter. The US can pass new laws to go after these people. That's essentially what the allies did at Nuremberg.
I would love it if he was. I can live with it if he isn’t, but my main issue is setting an example for those that come after him.
The next reprehensible asshole that gets voted in is bound to be smarter than Trump, and if that person knows there aren’t any consequences, we may be in for a worse time than we’re already in.
He may not be held accountable but Trump has admitted in interviews - maybe not intentionally - that he knows he won't be remembered for good reasons after he's gone which is why he's so desperate to stamp his name on things.
He may not face consequences but even long after he's gone he'll be a reviled and hated man and his ego can't stand that.
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u/idontlikeanyofyou 10h ago
Self pardons really have never been tested. Nixon could have done it otherwise. That said, I don't think Trump will ever be held accountable. My hope is that many of his enablers will.