Teflon Don? No, Donald Trump hasn’t gotten away with any of this
This morning I woke up to find “Teflon Don” trending on Twitter. Before even clicking on it, I already knew what had happened: some major news outlet published a headline referring to Donald Trump by that name, along with an article marveling about how impressive it is that he’s gotten away with everything he’s gotten away with. But here’s the thing: Trump isn’t getting away with any of this.
Before he entered politics, Donald Trump was in fact Teflon Don. He spent his entire career in the business world defrauding his investors and customers, refusing to pay his debtors, and doing things under the table with the shadiest of criminals. He got nailed with financial penalties here and there, but for the most part he kept his criminal activities just far enough under the radar that there wasn’t anything the Feds could jump in and easily prove. When he entered the race for president, the digging into his financial scandals intensified. But then he “won” the election – and that’s the day he lost.
Trump isn’t getting away with anything at this point. If he were getting away with it, he wouldn’t have an all-powerful Special Counsel breathing down his neck and turning over every rock from his past. If he were getting away with it all, he’d have an approval rating higher than his historically pitiful 35%. As a practical matter, that last part may be what matters most. Overwhelmingly presidents can get away with just about anything, while unpopular presidents can’t get away with anything.
Ousting a president, even a corrupt one, is a marathon. Even when moving assertively, it can take a long time. From the time Watergate was uncovered, it took two years to take down Richard Nixon. By comparison, the process of taking down Donald Trump is moving at light speed. Not only is he on the hook for rigging the election, he’s also on the hook for every past financial crime he’s ever committed. Oh and by the way, the original “Teflon Don” ended up dying in prison for his crimes.
