If one wondered how far Donald Trump would go to stay in power after losing the November 2020 election, Trump’s private communications to his inner circle of advisers should dispel any doubt.

What’s even scarier than the White House memos is the fact that the former president hasn’t given up and is still angry about the “stolen” election.

From the New York Times, in an article about the then-president in the aftermath of his loss: “A series of new remarks from Donald Trump. . . and new revelations about his actions, including the use of the national security apparatus (the Pentagon) to seize voting machines – have removed any claim that the events of January 6, 2021 were anything but the culmination of the stubborn spirit of the former president the pursuit of maintaining power.

We shouldn’t be surprised that Trump focused his anger on one individual. But this individual is not President Joe Biden. No, it’s Mike Pence.

Trump is obsessed with what he claims is the vice president’s disloyalty. This accusation of disloyalty is based on the dubious notion that Pence “could have nullified the election.”

Just days ago, Trump let his anger – hate? – from Pence out. And instead of repeating his claim that Pence might have acted, not just to buy time, but in fact to declare Donald Trump the winner as president-elect, what I find troubling is the continued blame for the outcome. unfavorable to the election.

Something else is happening here because of Trump’s “Big Lie.” Trump is still popular among the hardline Republican base. This means that many, perhaps most, Republican politicians at the local, state, and national levels are afraid to voice doubts about Trump’s “victory” claim in the 2020 election. In other words, Republicans all over the country have sold their souls to the devil. And if you doubt Donald Trump is still obsessed with ‘stealing’, he encouraged his supporters to rise up if any of the prosecutors implicated him in guilt allegations and urged his supporters to come together ‘as soon as possible. great manifestations that we have ever had. ”

Much of the legal work that could target Trump focuses on the state of Georgia. You may recall that after Georgia voted for Biden, Trump called Georgian Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger and tried to convince him to “find” 11,780 votes which would then yield Georgia’s electoral votes. to Trump. Raffensberger declined and recorded Trump’s hour-long phone call for the story.

The midterm elections are approaching in November. It turns out that due to his popularity with Republican loyalists, who are actually Trump loyalists, Trump has racked up $122 million, so Republican candidates are unlikely to challenge him or his ethical history. .

The likely strategy was demonstrated recently in the race for governor of Virginia, where Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated favored Democrat Terry McCauliffe. Youngkin’s strategy was simple: Don’t mention Trump. We may see more as November approaches. Trump has the fame, the money, and a loyal, enthusiastic following. It will be visible as we approach the mid-terms of November.

Bud Stevenson, a retired stockbroker, lives in Fairfield. Join it at [email protected].

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