No, It Wasn't a Coup Attempt. It Was Another Trump Money Scam.

[brooklynite]

Washington Monthly

President Trump’s post-election machinations are not a bungled coup attempt; they add up to a scam to enrich himself. A coup would require broad collaboration from the courts and, failing that, from the military. The evidence suggests that Trump may not even be serious about election fraud. If he were, he would have recruited serious election law experts in the states he has contested. Instead, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell blanketed the country with a blizzard of lawsuits, offering fever dreams from the dark web as their legal justification and evidence.

The president’s post-election campaign demonstrates his singular talent for taking care of himself even when he loses. It is a momentous historic attack on the democratic process, on the order of Reconstruction. But for Trump, as Michael Corleone put it, “it’s just business.” Ultimately, Trump’s goals are to remain a star, make money, and solidify his clout. The corrosive effects on democracy are collateral damage.

Donald Trump has always craved fame, a drive common to national politicians. But he alone honed his approach to politics through his stint as a reality TV star. That’s where he learned how he could weave a narrative around his personality that tapped into the fantasies of a national audience. His quixotic claim to have won an election that he knows he lost rests entirely on his curated public persona. And as long as he pursues his claims, he is the center of attention instead of an ignored, sad, lame duck.

Trump’s intrigues embody his drive to come out ahead whether he succeeds or fails. His campaign hardly touched on the pandemic, the economy, or even his signature complaints about immigrants. Instead, he offered a narrative about systemic voter fraud and a stolen election. The strategy was smarter than Trump’s consultants and most media understood. It strengthened his connection to Americans who feel vulnerable to powerful shadowy forces beyond their reach, sufficient to drive nearly enough of them to reelect him.

[Jirel]

1. Nonsense. It's a lame coup attempt.

I can’t believe anyone would say this. Just because it’s a pathetic coup attempt because he hasn’t a leg to stand on, doesn’t mean it’s not a real coup attempt that could succeed if people didn’t fight it as hard as they can.

Is is a money scam? Of course it is. Everything he does is a money scam. Including all attempts to subvert the rule of law, coup or otherwise.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

3. Well said.

Equality before the Law.

Corrupt, wealthy crooks in positions of power need to be brought to justice, and should never be allowed to skate because of conservative apologists creating strawmen by putting lipstick on a pig.

There is not a shred of doubt in my mind that if Trump believed he could get away with using the US military to overthrow the government of the United States right now, he would do it in a New York minute, and declare himself supreme dictator.

[unblock]

5. Yup. The coup equivalent of trying to pass Monopoly money as real money.

Just because it's unlikely to succeed doesn't mean it isn't a crime.

[Hotler]

6. I agree. And it was a fascist coup with Bill Barr up to his eyes in it.

He needs to go to prison for sure.

[panader0]

2. A money scam he perpetuated by trying to convince the idiots that he was cheated.

He knew he was cooked, but by ranting about fraud, he was able to soak his dimwit tribe
to give and give. It would be amazing to someday see the trails of money that comes his way.

[Orangepeel]

4. his presidential campaign was also a money scam

and we know how that turned out. with the sycophancy of almost the entire GOP, best to be vigilant