Go ahead, make my day
In his trilogy of books, The Prison Diaries, British author Jeffrey Archer noted how prison is like a black hole from which no light and no information can escape. Once a celebrity goes to prison his or her fanbase withers with astonishing rapidity.
I have witnessed this in real-time. In my previous incarnation as an advocate for the victims of Bill Cosby, I observed with glee as slut-shaming, insectile Cosby idolaters crawled back into their holes and disappeared the minute their precious “Dr Cosby” went to prison. It was a delightful thing to watch. If you’d seen how they had previously degraded and abused Cosby’s 64 victims (and the roughly three dozen or so women who refused to come forward for that very reason) you would have relished their pain and humiliation with me.
It’s a little-known (or rarely commented upon) phenomenon that shouldn’t really surprise us. Out of sight, out of mind. Now you see him, now you don’t. The fickle public will forget your name and stop talking about you the minute you drop from the headlines faster than you can say “George Santos.”
Of course, if Donald Trump should go to prison he will still be talked about a certain amount. His awful impact on our country cannot quickly be dismissed, and his notoriety will keep him afloat for a while. But you might be surprised to observe how quickly most of his “faithful” fans abandon him. And that’s what will happen sooner or later if Trump doesn’t keep his stupid mouth shut. And I’m betting he can’t.
You see, Trump is a narcissist, and like all narcissists his need for attention and revenge outweighs everything else. He’s also stupid, and that, brothers and sisters, is a dangerous combination. He won’t be able to stop himself from shooting off his big, stupid mouth, especially when his big stupid mouth is provoked by a smart, respected woman of colour like judge Tanya S Chutkan.
It will be very difficult for Trump to keep his stupid yap from insulting, threatening or railing against judge Chutkan. His hatred of women is only outweighed by his hatred of women of colour, particularly immigrants. Judge Chutkin is all three, and there is no way he will be able to handle being told what to do by her, what he can and cannot say, when and where he must appear and on what date, particularly when she shows him no special deference. And she won’t.
So sooner or later he will cross a line and Judge Chutkin will have no choice but to remand him into custody for the duration of the run up to his trial. One thing is for sure, Trump will be glad at that point he didn’t get the trial postponed until after the election!
So if Trump is unhappy now, if he’s frustrated now, just wait until he goes to jail. Of course, some of the prison guards will treat him with deference and respect. Morons abound everywhere you go. But some of them won’t, and they will treat Trump just like every other convict. Imagine, after being in the exercise cage for his allotted hour, Trump is then shouted at by some barking, gorilla-faced screw, “Trump! Back in your cell! Now!” Imagine how he would react to that!
That’s exactly how a man who has more indictments than electoral votes ought to be treated, as far as I’m concerned, and I for one am there for it. You might say this is my way of warning Trump about the horror that is to come. I fully expect him to ignore my warning. All I have to say to that is, “Go ahead, make my day.” And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.