The drums of impeachment are getting louder and louder. Equally, are Trump’s best strategies for misinformation and doubt. Trump has never shied away from less-than-truthful comments and even all-out lies. To him, all is fair.
If you pay close attention, he began by relying on the oldest of his tricks; there was nothing wrong. He took it one step further by annotating it with “perfect”. However, the basis of his strategy is the same one, there is nothing to see here folks.
The other strategy is to demonize his prosecutors and to lump them all together into something that is easy to reference; drain the swamp, coming for our Presidency, the deep state, etc. This is one of his most effective strategies because it forces people to make a choice, even if that choice requires you to make moral compromises. When it is us against them, compromises must be made.
Trump may be a buffoon, but a complete idiot he is not. He’s an excellent fisherman and right now he’s throwing out his various baits. If they do not work; either by not stopping or slowing down the impeachment procedures, he’ll surely move over to more radical alternatives. Alternatives like re-election/support threats to fellow republicans, twitter tirades, and the most dangerous, inciting civil unrest (under the veil of martyrdom).
The latter he’s already began to try out. Much like a comedian tries out new material as he refines it for primetime, Trump is trying out the idea of a civil war, should he be removed from office. So far, the support for his civil war seems to be non-existent, but this is only the first act, not yet fully refined.
Ultimately, it is up to the democrats to follow-through on the articles of impeachment and for the senate to agree to a trial. Getting this far, believe it or not, is not a given. The senate, though it would be highly unusual, could ignore the the house’s recommendation. So before the big guns come out, Trump will wait to see how loud this whole impeachment drumming will get. Once it gets loud-enough, so will he.
