I know that a lot of people will disagree with me about this but I think the best way forward is to leave Donald Trump alone. If nobody pays attention to him, he might (notice I said might) just disappear. Now, personally, I admit it would be great fun to see the man in an orange jumpsuit. He certainly deserves it. On the other hand, the effort to get him in the orange jumpsuit might be more trouble than it is worth. All of Trump’s legal trouble keeps him in the public eye which gives him the attention he craves. The problem is people think of Trump as a normal person who might be embarrassed by all of this negative publicity. I know I would be mortified but Trump is not a normal person. He loves attention and because of that there is no such thing as bad publicity. He will take what he can get.

Then there is the media who, despite their seeming outrage over Trump’s behavior, in reality, love the man. And I mean love that has no bounds. Trump actually is aware of it and plays them. He didn’t become a reality television superstar for nothing. The media, however, isn’t so savvy or they just don’t care. Neither of which is particularly comforting. Trump, on the other hand, knows how to generate headlines. The media has to pay attention to headlines. Headlines drive the media.They can’t very well ignore them, can they? They need an audience for their news and Trump supplies it in spades. It is a very sick relationship.

But how can the country let such a prominent law breaker like Trump get away with his criminal behavior? It is pretty clear that he has engaged in illegal activities. The man needs to be punished or, at the least, reigned in. I would argue in this special case we would be better off not pursuing it. Half of the country thinks he is a martyr, finding a jury where at least one Trump supporter doesn’t slip through the jury selection is going to be difficult if not impossible. Then, even if the impossible does happen, and he is convicted, he is wily man with access to wily lawyers. Being an overweight 77 year old man, I am pretty sure that he can drag this out long enough that he will die in his own bed. There is a very small chance that he will get convicted and go to prison. In the meantime we are giving Trump endless access to the spotlight he craves. He is a careless man who doesn’t care a whit about anybody but himself. He will burn the country to the ground if he has too. Is it worth it just to see him behind bars?

If by pursuing legal action, we hope to shake loose his supporters and get them to see reason, then give up. It isn’t happening. His crimes seem to have little effect on his followers who, instead of seeing the man for what he is, are opting to take Trump’s complaints against the justice system and the media at face value. It has strengthened their commitment to him which, I am afraid, means that they will follow him with matches if he decides it is a good idea to burn down the country. Given Trump’s insatiable narcissism, I don’t like the odds that Trump can be persuaded to do the right thing.

The continued pursuit of legal action against Trump gives him a platform to talk about the really important issue of how horribly people treat Donald Trump. Again and again, day after day, waah, waah, waah. With his chorus in the media breathlessly asking the important questions. Did you hear what Trump said today? Is he admitting to a crime? How can prosecutors use this information in the coming trials? Will this finally force Republicans to abandon him? All great media fodder but increasingly meaningless sideshows to what really ails the country.

Every minute spent discussing Trump is one less minute Americans are talking about real problems like homelessness, crime, the Ukrainian War, inflation, educational reform and onward and so forth. He won’t stop talking as long as we continue to listen and the bright minds in the media can’t stop themselves from talking about Donald Trump. It would be better for everyone to ignore him and that means biting the bullet and leaving him alone. Let him rot away in the Florida sun.

Some Democrats think that all this attention will force the Republicans to nominate Trump again for president because they believe that Trump will be easier to beat. Maybe. But if all the Democrats have is a weak Republican candidate then the Democrats deserve to loose. The election should be about better ideas and good candidates. Talking about what a stupid asshole the Republicans have nominated is hardly a winning strategy and it is embarrassingly weak too. It is dependent upon the Republicans doing what the Democrats want and is pretty nakedly apparent that’s what the Democrats want. The Republicans might surprise us and change their minds about committing political suicide. Then where would the Democrats be.

It would be better for the country to start with a fresh face. Ron DeSantis maybe an asshole but he is a different asshole with different ideas and different ways of doing things. It is a risk. Yes. But I would much rather face someone like Ron DeSantis or anyone other than Trump. Because if someone other than Trump is the Republican nominee there is a remote possibility that Americans might talk about something other than Donald Trump. If Trump is the nominee, the media spotlight remains focused on Donald Trump. And all that means is waah, waah, waah people are so mean to Donald Trump. The media will give him 24/7 coverage and nothing will change. It is, however, great television. There is that.