Donald Trump’s swan song hits a sour note
Donald Trump is colluding again. This time, it’s with 20 inmates who are being held at a Washington, D.C. jail for their role in the U.S. Capitol attack that Trump incited. When Trump addressed the mob on January 6, 2021, he was preaching to the choir. Now, these 20 inmates have formed an actual choir and they released a single with their spiritual choirmaster.
Trump and the newly coined “J6 Prison Choir” teamed up to release their “charity single” on Friday. The 20 inmates sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” while pausing at times to let Trump recite the “Pledge of Allegiance” (perhaps with the aid of a teleprompter). After a couple of minutes, the choir ends the recording with a repeated and predictable “U-S-A!” chant.
The recording of the inmates was accomplished over the phone while Trump, the person most responsible for the attack, presumably took a quick break from his Mar-a-Lago leisure activities to record lines in an air-conditioned sound studio. Before the attack, Trump told his supporters to “fight like hell.” Later, he ordered his mob to “go home in peace,” assuring them “we love you, you’re very special.” Now, Trump is embracing their plight through a musical collaboration.
The song’s stated purpose is to raise money for the families of those who are imprisoned, allegedly drawing an ethical line by promising that the release would not “benefit families of people who assaulted a police officer.” In the meantime, the fact remains that the insurrection is linked to nine deaths (including suicides) and hundreds of people have already been convicted, including some charges of seditious conspiracy.
The January 6 attack aimed to block the ceremonial certification of Joe Biden’s legitimate electoral victory of the twice-impeached Trump. After it failed, President Biden moved into the White House while Trump’s position as the nation’s worst-ever President became assured. This faux-patriotic release accomplishes nothing other than to remind us of whose side Trump is on. It’s clearly not America’s.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month