“The Felon, the Prosecutor, and the Redefinition of Corruption in

American Politics”

BY TJ KING

A convicted criminal now commands the strongest military in the world, dictates the foreign policy of the USA, and has direct federal influence across every American state. We all know the common stigma: politicians are corrupt (they are). But what do people actually mean by this? The general consensus establishes that politicians often use unethical methods to climb their way to the top, lie to their constituents, and take cheeky back-pocket deals from anyone willing to give them cash. But now with the election of Donald Trump we all see a new interpretation of corruption, with a certain exemption for him.

Last month I spoke on a wonderful panel with QR The Scoop about the calamity going on in the country that I call home. The panel was hosted on the day Trump won- and we all kind of walked in the room with excitement to listen but an odd feeling in our stomach that the election that took four days to be decided four years ago was over in 24 hours. The odd feeling continued as the panel began and I really got to reflecting on the fact that Trump had won both the popular vote and the electoral college (he had lost the popular vote in 2016 and 2020). We touched on how swing states like Pennsylvania and social media platforms like TikTok had swayed the election- but what was bothering me was the nature of the election. There is a vast dichotomy between the candidates- and I think this sentiment is not biased, but rather a simple observation that is grounded in truth. In this American election we saw what was almost like two opposites running against each other- and I am going to break down how because I think it is genuinely interesting.

Trump Kamala

Convicted Felon with 3 ongoing court cases. Former prosecutor and DA for California.

Makes effort to show lack of respect for Makes effort to inlay respect with

any opponent of his. professionalism when addressing opponents.

Man. Woman.

History of sexual misconduct allegations. Specialized in prosecuting sexual

offenders. White from a wealthy family. Mixed race from middle class family.

Campaign focused on negatives of Campaign focused on economic

Biden and mass deportation. policies and freedom of choice.

Denies climate change. Listens to scientists.

Is connected personally with multiple Elected a high school teacher as VP.

billionaires.

Spent Thanksgiving with said billionaires Spent Thanksgiving handing out food to

and his elite circle at his mansion. people with food insecurity.

Is openly transphobic. Stands for LBTQIA+ rights.

Pro-life. Pro-choice.

Pro-assault rifle. Pro-gun, but wants an AR ban.

Often lies. Often lies.

Okay, I think you get my general point. Again, I am genuinely illustrating all objective truths about both candidates there. All those differences were running through my mind as criminal law professor Dr. Allesandro Corda and I were walking up to speak, and I was unsure where to start. The focus on our segment was the felon v. prosecutor aspect of the election. Dr. Corda brought up this extremely fascinating point I think you have to consider. Trump depicted himself as tough on crime whilst illustrating Kamala as “weak” on crime and a “fascist communist” (who knew she could be on both ends of the spectrum at once). Keep in mind Trump was peddling this agenda as he was literally getting his mugshot taken (see the popular MAGA “never surrender” t-shirt, which contains the photo of Trump surrendering himself to the police). This comparison that Dr. Corda offers is a fascinating piece of food for thought, especially considering their history with the law. Trump successfully orchestrated the middle-school “I know you are but what am I?” tactic to foster an agenda that was heavily attributed to his opponent losing the election. Truly baffling.

Now here is where I tie in the rest of the article to the beginning of it (see Trump’s explanation of “The Weave” on YouTube if you are in further need of understanding my tactics). Trump has taken the corruption he has actively participated in and then pinned it on his opponent. He has redefined corruption to the point where he is exempt from it. He has raised the standard to a point where the standard is raised so high where some supporters cannot even be bothered to criticize Trump. Trump has corrupted the word corruption to the point where it does not apply to him.

On the panel Dr. Corda and I addressed the Trump exceptionalism that seems to plague his followers. Trump is exempt from criticism and illegal actions- and if Trump is held accountable, then the system is crooked, or followers excuse his behavior for being “a man”. This set standard makes Trump invulnerable to criticism from his loyal followers- allowing Trump to focus his energy on attacking others rather than defending himself. Well did it work? Obviously, yes. Trump won by a pretty solid chunk and the panel clearly had a very “what now” and “how the hell did that happen” vibe. I would, however, love to end with the message from PHD student Jamie-Lukas Campbell. There is hope. The first transgender congresswoman was elected (Sarah McBride) and there is nothing set in stone for the next four years. I want to thank the amazing Jessica Toal for providing this opportunity to discuss my passion with the circus-like catastrophe that can be American politics. I also want to thank you for reading and if you find American politics interesting, please tune into The Scoop as I will be doing more with them.