Make America great again or MAGA was a slogan first used by Ronald Reagan, and later by Bill Clinton. Mr. Reagan first contested for America’s highest office in 1981 and Mr. Clinton in 1993. Three and four decades later, as Mr. Donald Trump appropriates the slogan in his bid to return to the White House, two things ought to be self-evident. First, the quest for greatness must still elude the Americans, and second, there must be something seriously wrong with a country that needs Mr. Trump to take it to greatness. Consider the facts. In Mr. Trump, the Americans have a candidate who was held civilly liable for assaulting a woman and asked to pay damages. He faces 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in a case brought against him in Manhattan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has said it found 11 sets of documents with classified markings ~ in other words, documents he had no business possessing ~ from his home in Florida.
Some were marked Top Secret and could involve violation of the stringent Espionage Act. An inquiry is on to determine if Mr. Trump instigated the violent attack on the US Capitol in January 2021. In Georgia, a district attorney is investigating if Mr. Trump broke the law in his attempt to overturn the vote in the 2020 Presidential election. Two units of his Trump Organisation have been found guilty of being party to a tax evasion scheme. And if all that is not enough, he is a man who has faced two impeachment proceedings. In most countries around the world, the barrage of charges would ensure either of two things ~ disqualify Mr. Trump from holding the country’s highest office, or make it unlikely that he would secure the support of his party, and of his people. Yet, as America renews its efforts to become great again, it seems neither possibility is on the table. Mr. Trump remains the frontrunner for his party’s nomination, having extended his lead over his nearest rival from 13 to 34 points. And legal experts say there is nothing in Article II of the Constitution, which outlines a President’s qualifications, about criminal accusations or even convictions coming in the way of a bid.
As a consequence, officials are clutching at two straws ~ one, that federal law disbarring a person held guilty of destroying public records from holding public office may come into play, or two that a person guilty of engaging in an insurrection or a rebellion could be disqualified. But as Mr. Trump points out, not even the “radical Left crazies” believe there is a chance of that happening. Is it at all surprising therefore that Mr. Trump should make it clear to Americans and the world that not even a conviction or imprisonment in any of the many cases he faces would stop him from making a bid for the White House. And a sharply polarized electorate, one that sees few other viable options, may well rally behind his candidature. Truly, America is on the path to greatness!