From a Google Image Search - CNBC - Trump and Steven Bannon
Donald Trump is not on trial for sleeping with a paid sex worker/prostitute/cash-strapped mom. He is on trial because he was afraid this information would become public while campaigning to be the President of the United States of America. Donald knows that there are no ways to access the thoughts in someone's mind (yet). He doesn't think out loud. He whispers to whoever his consiglieri du jour happens to be with his arm draped casually around their shoulder holding them close. Can't you picture that pouty, bow mouth saying words we can't hear in someone's ear?
Trump chooses methods that give him plausible deniability so that he can later do his victim act. He knows we see through his ploys, but he loves that we can't easily place blame. He thrives on frustrating his "enemies" who are legion. So, he has Michael Cohen, his lawyer, use his money to pay off Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels. The National Enquirer is also paid $150,000 to kill a story about his alleged affair with 1998 Playmate of the Month Karen McDougal. Trump writes checks to reimburse Cohen for the payouts he made but Trump believes that he can claim he was just paying his lawyer and that will cover up any wrongdoing so he can stay in the running for the American presidency—his ploy works. Most of Trump's "lieutenants" keep quiet; they even go to jail rather than implicate him, but not Michael Cohen. He does go to jail, but he also squeals, loudly and often.
Tawdry--that's the word that comes to mind when considering the behavior of DT. It's a word that means morally low or bad, cheap, shoddy, and tasteless.
Does the injection of Trump's tawdry behavior, his familiarity with the generally seen as low life, world of prostitution, blackmail, trashy journalism, and tasteless decorating tarnish America in the eyes of the world? Perhaps not. Countries far older than ours have survived scandal, human frailty, "bunga bunga", and inquisitions. Can we still believe in our once-vaunted image of clean-cut men and women, outgoing and well-meaning? That image barely outlasted the Second World War. However Americans do like to portray a high moral tone and sincere humanitarian concern for nations we share this planet with.
Now we have this tawdry parade of payoffs, broken laws, and broken promises like the promises between a husband and a wife, between a politician, the citizens, and the rules. In addition, we have learned what "catch and kill" means. A source of a scandalous news story sells the story to an ally who happens to own a media source and that ally agrees to kill the story. In this case, the story of Trump's apparent dalliance with Karen McDougal was given to a tabloid (perhaps by Trump himself) along with that $150,000 check. An agreement was made to kill the story to allow the ally to run for the presidency without the negative valance of another scandal.
Perhaps we can be excused for ignoring 45's tawdry behavior (Access Hollywood video, etc.) but will ignoring such low, immoral behavior taint the country we love for decades to come, and will the fact that we allowed it in our highest office haunt America in the future?
Turning our Democracy into an authoritarian state is anathema but allowing it to descend into depravity, oligarchy, and misogyny for imaginary economic gain is possibly existential, the beginning of a death spiral. Do not vote for this man, please. This great nation can own its bad policies and strategies and can live with its sins, as all nations great and small do, but we don't have to believe that our sins will bring us to a place where tawdry becomes our new normal. Let's forgive ourselves, atone for our sins as best we can, resolve to do better, and forge ahead with something like our old confidence using the lessons we have learned. America will not be a failed democratic state. These are just growing pains, our nation's adult adjustment reaction.