They used to call him “Teflon” Don because nothing ever stuck to him, and everything bounced right off. Former President Donald J. Trump is living up to that nickname today.
Having been indicted on a combined 91 felony charges, as well as being threatened with removal from the ballot under the rarely called upon “Insurrection Clause” of the Fourteenth Amendment (as he’s running again for president), and having the business licenses for multiple Trump Organization limited liability corporations (LLC) revoked, the walls were closing around Donald Trump again.
Yet, somehow, the forty-fifth president is already starting to evade some of these charges.
Yesterday, the former President received two bits of good news.
Trump’s Assets are (Mostly) Protected
After appearing in a New York state courthouse, the presiding judge who ordered the removal of the Trump Organization’s various LLC business licenses admitted that the statute of limitations applied.
Thus, all the Trump Organization’s purchases from before 2014 were protected from the New York State suit against Donald Trump.
Those purchases made after 2014, which were far fewer than what the media originally stated when the judge’s verdict was first handed down, are not protected. But if the Left’s goal is to make Trump poor (it is) as punishment for his political defiance toward their rule, then they have failed.
The Fourteenth Amendment Case
Then came another bit of good news for the embattled former president: the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) declined to hear the ongoing lawsuit challenging Donald Trump’s eligibility to appear on the ballot in the national presidential election in 2024.
According to the “Insurrection Clause” of the Fourteenth Amendment, any citizen who has engaged in insurrectionist activities will be disqualified from being able to hold elected office.
Although, it should be noted that the former president is not out of the legal woods yet. And I’m not even referring to the far more serious felonies he’s been charged with.
I am talking about the Fourteenth Amendment challenge. Already, the man who brought the challenge, John Anthony Castro, has claimed that he will simply bring the case again—as he has done before—with new parameters.
You see, the SCOTUS opted not to hear Castro’s challenge because they claimed Castro lacked standing. Now, Castro has posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he will have standing in his next iteration of the challenge because he is ensuring that his name will appear on the ballot nationally as a challenger to Trump for the presidency. By running against Trump nationally—even though Castro stands an even smaller chance of winning the 2024 race than does Gov. Doug Bergum of North Dakota—Castro thinks he can force the SCOTUS to at least hear the case – whether the conservative-dominated court decides in his favor is something else entirely.
It might work. Even Castro concedes that the SCOTUS decision is “not good news” for his legal challenge to Trump’s ability to appear on ballots in the 2024 election.
Castro’s Fourteenth Amendment challenge is not the only one. In Michigan, a Liberal group has filed another Fourteenth Amendment challenge that will now work its way through the courts.
But the fact of the matter is that the SCOTUS is controlled by the conservative wing, and they have already indicated their unwillingness to even hear the case.
The “Insurrection Clause” is Still in Play
Where things will get interesting for everyone involved, though, is if Trump is found guilty in either his January 6 federal case or the Georgia state prosecution against him for allegedly unduly interfering in the final vote count in the Peach State during the contentious 2020 Presidential Election.
Should he be found guilty of either charge – and they are linked, and many have speculated that Fani Willis, the Georgia prosecutor and Jack Smith, the federal prosecutor, are sharing information – the Insurrection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment becomes a factor again.
Trump shouldn’t celebrate, though.
Donald Trump’s Legal Problems are Only Starting
The two cases he avoided came about suddenly and could have completely derailed him financially and politically. There’s a wide chasm, however, between being “totally exonerated” as Trump believes he will be, and being taken down.
Presently, the court dates for the four criminal trials he’s concurrently involved with are timed to coincide perfectly with major dates in the ongoing presidential election. Right now, few voters are truly paying attention. After the New Year, more voters will be plugged into the race.
Trump’s legal woes might compel more Republicans to vote for him, but those same legal problems, if Trump is truly made the GOP nominee again, might dissuade the all-important independent voters from supporting his bid—thereby giving the White House back to President Joe Biden (or whoever is running for the Democrats when voting begins in 2024).
Donald Trump should enjoy his small legal wins now. But he’s far from out of danger. In many ways, the danger is just starting.
A 19FortyFive Senior Editor and an energy analyst at the The-Pipeline, Brandon J. Weichert is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, as well as at the Asia Times. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower (Republic Book Publishers), Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life (Encounter Books), and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy (July 23). Weichert occasionally serves as a Subject Matter Expert for various organizations, including the Department of Defense. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
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