Crime boss 'thuggery' turned 91 felony charges into a Trump caucus victory: columnist

The modern-day Republican Party is a "de facto political crime organization" led by a stereotypical gangster leader, according to Salon's Chauncey Vega.

With his overwhelming win in the Iowa caucuses, Trump solidified his dominance over the GOP for 2024, all while he faces 91 felony charges that could potentially result in him spending years in prison.

According to Vega, Trump responded to the indictments by "attacking like the de facto crime boss and aspiring dictator and apparent sociopath that he has repeatedly shown himself to be."

In his posts to Truth Social, Trump is continuing to incite violence against judges and witnesses in his trials, Vega said. The writer contends that Trump's "MAGA followers" serve the role as his foot soldiers who follow his directives "by the increasing incidents of violence, intimidation, and other thuggery targeting their 'enemies' across the country."

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Then there is Judge Aileen Cannon, the Trump-appointed judge who is overseeing his classified documents case in Florida — who, according to Vega, "is acting more like his personal attorney and advocate than a neutral party who is enforcing the law."

And just like a crime boss, Trump has grown richer since he took over the GOP.

"Trump’s businesses received almost 8 million dollars from foreign governments, with the majority of the money coming from China," Vegas writes. "Reporting and other investigations have shown that Trump and his inner circle turned the presidency into a type of personal ATM and influence peddling operation potentially involving tens of millions of dollars. For example, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner received 2 billion dollars from the Saudi government for his new equity firm."

If Trump makes it back into the White House, he won't be just another common political thug, wrote Vega. "He is now claiming to be the Chosen One, picked by 'Jesus Christ' and 'God,' a type of messiah and holy man (for fascism and authoritarianism) as he leads his MAGA flock to the paradise on Earth that will be his second regime," he wrote.

Read the full op-ed over at Salon.