"What Do I Have to Lose?"
Former President Donald Trump will destroy anything and anyone if it suits his purpose.
The president said something to the effect of: ‘What do I have to lose? If I do this, what do I have to lose? — Richard Donoghue, a former top Justice Department official, in an interview with the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection.
Note the pronoun: “I”. It is the only pronoun with meaning for Donald Trump. The former president does not care about “you” or “they,” and “we” has meaning only insofar as it indicates others agreeing with or working for Trump’s ends. And, those ends serve a sole beneficiary: Trump — serving anyone else is incidental.
Normally, Trump’s use of the first person singular pronoun merely indicates his narcissism and egomania. In this case, however, it also is proof of his guilt in conspiring to commit fraud and obstruction by misleading Americans about the outcome of the 2020 election and attempting to overturn the results. Trump knowingly and willingly engaged in criminal behavior, as outlined in a court filing last week by the January 6 committee, because he believed he could get away with it.
An exhaustive analysis by The New York Times shows that Trump was told repeatedly that he had lost the 2020 presidential election. Justice Department officials — Trump’s appointees — insisted in presentations to Trump that his claim of widespread voting fraud was without merit. Yet, Trump kept pushing that claim on the public, repeating it at every opportunity. The January 6 panel argued, in its court filing, that Trump, in rejecting the assertions of his campaign aides, White House lawyers, federal investigators, and others that he had lost, was not just being ornery or ignorant about the facts. He was deliberately perpetrating a fraud on the people of the United States.
“What do I have to lose?” was the response of a man who has never had to suffer the consequences for his actions. Trump cared not a whit that others might be harmed by his criminal behavior. When Trump asked that question of Donoghue, the former deputy attorney generally responded, “Mr. President, you have a great deal to lose. Is this really how you want your administration to end? You’re going to hurt the country.” Trump evidently was unmoved, since he was convinced he would never be called to account — politically or legally — for his lies about the election.
Trump found it easy to slide into criminal activity as president for one simple reason: He had been engaging in criminal behavior his whole life. And, he has never paid for his crimes. He has cheated on his taxes — and bragged about it, saying in a presidential debate in 2016 that not paying taxes “makes me smart.” The New York Times has outlined Trump’s dubious tax filings over the years. Another Times report revealed how Trump managed to lose more money than any other individual taxpayer, yet manipulate the system to maintain a lavish lifestyle.
Trump has been accused by over two dozen women of sexual harassment, assault, and rape. But, there is no need to rely on the accusations of others, since Trump himself bragged about his treatment of women in the notorious “Access Hollywood” tape. So far, Trump has avoided prosecution for his behavior toward women. He even won election to the presidency a month after the tape went public. No wonder Trump believes he can get away with anything!
This pattern of illegal and improper behavior without any consequences is the background for understanding Trump’s cavalier “What do I have to lose?” remark. Trump knew — because he was told over and over again — that he had lost, but, rather than concede, as has every other losing presidential candidate, Trump decided to play the system. When his advisers shot down one conspiracy theory after another that Trump offered to prove he had won, he simply moved on to the next. His grasping for reasons and excuses is not the behavior of someone who sincerely believed he was the victim of a fraudulent election. It is the behavior of someone perpetuating a fraud and then seeking to find the evidence of it. Trump, of course, admitted as much when he told Donoghue to declare the election “illegal” and “corrupt,” even though there was no evidence to back that up. “Just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen,” Trump said, according to Donoghue’s notes. And, in another example, Trump admitted guilt when he told Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” him enough votes — by one — to overturn his defeat in that state.
Trump claimed the 2020 election was “rigged” for months before the election even took place. That was not the behavior of a candidate who later saw evidence of fraud and tried to right a wrong. That is the behavior, instead, of someone who plans to commit fraud and is preparing the public to believe his accusations.
“What do I have to lose?” — Trump’s emphasis on the first person singular pronoun —shows his utter disregard for the well-being of the American Republic. Nothing matters to him other than his own advancement, and he is willing to tear down the entire edifice of democracy and constitutional rule in pursuit of his single-minded goal. He will not be stopped by morality, because he has none. He will not be stopped by the Republican Party, because it has demonstrated its willingness to abet Trump’s anti-democratic efforts. And, roughly one third of the American people believe him and his bogus claim!
The only thing that will stop Trump is a real threat that he has to pay for his crimes. That is why it is necessary for Attorney General Merrick Garland to use the evidence gathered by the January 6 committee to prosecute the former president for his criminal behavior. Failure to do so will encourage Trump to run again and deploy whatever illegal actions necessary to steal the next election. What does HE have to lose?
There is no doubt that Trump intends to steal the next election. Sadly, a successful prosecution of him may be the only means of preserving American democracy.
Posted March 8, 2022