The Stossel TV Studio is just a block from Trump Tower.
Today, noisy helicopters hover, and sidewalks are pointlessly blocked by the usual politics/media excess: too many barricades manned by too many bored police officers.
The predicted “big demonstration!” and “possible violence” are not visible.
Donald Trump left for the courthouse around 1 p.m. to turn himself in. He was booked and fingerprinted at the courthouse. He then pled not guilty to the 34-count charge of falsifying records to hide hush money payments.
Presidents should not be above the law, but neither should they face politically motivated charges.
Manhattan’s district attorney campaigned on opposing Trump, bragging, “I have sued Trump more than a hundred times!” He suggested he would be best choice to get Trump before he even saw the evidence. That’s just wrong. Federal prosecutors did see the evidence and decided against charging Trump.
Using campaign funds to pay someone to keep silent about sex may well violate the rules, but most campaign finance rules are useless, and no serious person thinks this case would ever be brought against anyone other than Trump.
This is a slippery slope to banana republic.
On the other hand, Trump definitely is a horrible person.
In his real estate business, he cheated the little people, cleverly using our slow and expensive justice system to avoid paying what he owed.
As president, he was unpresidential and childish. He’s vain, selfish and mean. He doesn’t read or listen to advice from smart people, and he lies again and again. I hate him.
Yet it would be better for America if he were president today, instead of Joe Biden.
Nothing is more important to more people, especially the poor, than a solid dollar and a growing economy.
Trump’s presidency brought us closer to that than today’s Democrats ever will.
Trump knows how government can kill growth. He criticized “job-crushing regulations,” saying he’d eliminate two of them for every new one passed. He didn’t, but he did repeal some big ones: allowing more oil drilling, reducing the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to regulate waterways that are barely waterways, ending Barack Obama’s regulations forcing automakers to make “greener” cars (Biden reimposed them), and allowing internet service providers to charge different rates for different services (repealing the destructive net neutrality).
His words alone sent a message: “Not everyone needs welfare. You can work!”
Under Obama, people stopped looking for work. Democrats’ message was: Poor people are victims of an unfair system; you need handouts.
Under Trump, people started working again. Six million Americans were hired. Unemployment dropped to a 50-year low.
Trump signed the First Step Act, reducing long prison sentences for drug-related offenses.
He launched Operation Warp Speed, speeding production of Covid vaccines.
He appointed judges who believe in free speech and limited government.
Hooray for President Trump!
But then there’s the evil Trump.
He lies and breaks promises.
Trump promised he would “cut spending, big league” and then increased spending.
Biden’s been worse; this administration’s crazy spending is why inflation is killing your savings. But Trump was little better. He increased spending from an already astounding $4.1 trillion in 2017 to $6.55 trillion in 2020.
Trump promised to end America’s wars. He didn’t. In fact, he signed a massive $738 billion defense bill, bragging that it was “an all-time record!” At least Trump, unlike his predecessors, didn’t start new wars.
Trump imposed tariffs on China, ignorantly claiming they’d protect American consumers. Instead, the tariffs punished American consumers and businesses. So Trump then gave billions of your dollars to farmers and others hurt by his tariffs.
Finally, Trump refused to accept the results of the election. For 224 years, our democracy has had a peaceful transfer of power. Trump ended that.
He lied about voter fraud. He told his supporters, “Fight like hell.”
On Jan. 6, he did tell them to “peacefully” march to the Capitol, but when things got ugly, he did nothing. Only hours later did he post a video asking protesters to go home.
Today he shows no remorse for any of the nasty things he did.
Because of Trump, Biden will probably be reelected.
Photo by Gage Skidmore
You’re a mess John. Hating Trump? After pointing out all he did for the country? For FREE! Was he perfect. No but he tried to make it work in spite of the mass insanity from the left. Go talk to your shrink and maybe your priest.
I have no problem acknowledging that Trump was far from perfect as a president, but some things in this article you got wrong. As subsequently revealed by the video evidence and mobile tracking data presented in Dinesh D’Souza’s 2000 mules, Trump was RIGHT to question the results of the election, especially in certain metro districts where it could be proven that the vote was rigged. In addition, the video released from January 6, and even the acknowledgment by prosecutors that police officers who were supposed to observe the protest were actually involved in the instigation and escalation of violence at the capital. If you’re going to opine on this topic, check the facts first. There is plenty of evidence if you look. You’re an investigative reporter. Why not investigate that?
Wow! Hey John can you please be more specific when you say that President Trump “lies again and again”?
I usually like what you have to say, but you are so far off base here by letting your personal jealous feelings cloud your take on reality.
I agree completely to everything you wrote. I wish DeSantas would run. We need freedom and unity in this country. I wish Republicans would accept the right for women to choose because too many people have grown up with that choice and blame Republicans for taking it away. I personally don’t believe in it but that is choice as an american. I believe in freedom. Democrats will use that argument in 2024.
Well, I would say that Biden will not run for re-election but time will tell. For the current case against Trump, well to put it nice, WTH. Someone that has sued someone 100’s of times should be recused. This case is all a waste of tax payers funds. What is the worst of two evils. This country is in the worst shape it has ever been and not getting better. Next it will be run by China and we all know how they operate.
Yes he spent more but he had to , he had a pandemic to deal with !
I agree. I hope he doesn’t get the nomination, but if he does, I will vote for him.
PS – I would argue that he should not have shut down the economy – you had COVID in your 70’s and I had it in my sixties. We both survived, and as far as I know, no one has yet netted out comorbidities and reported on them.
My views on Trump are pretty much perfectly aligned with Mr. Stossel’s.
My family and my wife’s family have mostly voted Republican. Only 3 of 22 could stomach Trump last time. He’ll do worse this time.
I think the Republicans would do well if Trump decided their agenda but someone else, less childish, delivered it. It would kind of be lie the Democrats are doing now. No one believes that Biden is running the country. Thank God!
Biden Evil. Write the truth about Biden’s administration. There is an endless list of outrageous actions: Open borders, disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, balance of power in flux, executive actions, killing the oil industry, encouraging transgender rage and violence, excess spending causing inflation, suppressing parental rights, taking money from China and other countries, reams of secret documents in his possession. Democrats are striving for communism. This is the worst that can happen.
Donald Trump has been lied about for seven years. He had the best Presidency since Ronald Reagan. We need a President who loves this country. Democrats hate the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and our history and most citizens. Write about the real evil. People have been educated by the left for decades and are ignorant of reality and truth.
First, John, I’m a fan of yours and happy you overcame so many of your war-correspondence injuries. I was further happy that you present a fairly balanced view of Trump while recognizing that Biden policies have been so misdirected. I must agree though with an earlier poster that you have overlooked some damning evidence about election fraud and complicity of security police with the Jan6 incident and govt. operatives who helped incite it. I totally agree with you that the USA is dangerously on a path toward becoming a banana republic. As much as I dislike the political persona of Donald Trump, I yearn for his leadership over Biden’s. Truly truly Trump correctly identified the enemy–the swamp–and he may be presently the best means to eradicate it. Thank you, John, and please continue with your great work.
I just got introduced to you John and excitedly viewed several of your posts. I was really liking most of what I saw until this. I myself couldn’t stand Trump because of his candor and demeanor, but I was clueless and cared little about politics until the current ****show reared it’s ugly face and amazingly only got worse. In retrospect it’s quite clear that there are numerous BIG issues that he successfully tackled. Unfortunately many of them were willfully and purposely undone immediately upon the inauguration of the current administration and will continue to bring harm for years to come even if someone comes in and rights them. Your short-sightedness in this piece drowned the new excitement that ignited previously for me upon discovering your video presentations.
Well John, it looks like most of your readers, like me, are looking for honesty in media. The old John was truly objective, which is why we read you. The new “old” John let’s the “hate him” sentiment flavor objectivity.
Whether it is Clinton (both), Bush, Biden, Obama, or Trump I believe we should not criminally punish candidates. I know that is counter libertarian but the banana republic temptation is in our nature. Now, republican DA’s are gearing up for Biden. This is destroying America.
Re your objectivity, we may have different info sources but I do not agree with some of your conclusions. I am open to other data but only if it is true data and not more blather or political spin. Trump made many mistakes, especially on the spending, in an effort to get reelected. Candidly, I want DC drained and power returned to the states. Maybe a one term president can do that in a second run. That commitment would get my vote.
Hello John, You are spot on with Trump! I never did like him, am I glad he won over Hillary….yes for the 3 conservative judges on the Supreme Court. But, he acts like a damn 12 year old, calls people names, since when is that Presidential? He only cares about his damn ego and how he now looks as a failure as a one-term POTUS. His goal now is not to improve America, but to ensure he is in the history books as a two Term POTUS.
Will he be the GOP nominee, probably. The indictment in NY was only done to fire up those low IQ Trump voters. So, he will win the nomination with that base, but that is as far as he will go. Yes, he will lose gain to Brain-Dead Biden, he has lost every election starting in 2018, 2020, and 2022 when we should have cleaned house but Trump caused us to almost lose a sure win situation. Trump is the only candidate that can lose to Joe Biden and lose he will, Big Time!
People should never idolize any politician, instead be very critical of everything they do….even if your party is in power. Remember how idolizing a certain politician in the 1930’s turned out for Germany and the world! Trump is not Hiltler, but he is a damn Idiot! My prediction for 2024, Biden (if still alive) re-elected over Trump! Thanks a lot……LOW IQ Trump Voters!!