The single flaw that brought down the Democrats

Alan Cai

January 17, 2025

Is Trump the product or the cause of modern political divisions? In 2016, it was hard to tell; the fire of his tweets ignited the well-oiled kindling of the social media landscape, creating the bonfire that culminated in his presidency. While Trump’s 2020 fate was ultimately the result of his own decisions or lack thereof, 2024 was different. With the benefit of hindsight, the Democrats handed the election to Donald Trump on a silver platter through their various missteps, and one mistake may rise above the rest.

As Biden’s term comes to an end this Dr. Martin Luther King Day weekend, it is only fitting for us to reflect upon how our country reached a second non-consecutive Trump presidency, this one possibly more tumultuous and unnerving than the last. One of the biggest blunders the Democrats committed was prosecuting Trump after he left office.

January 6th should have been the nail in the coffin for Trump. In one day, the real estate mogul-turned-politician revealed how much he was willing to push to keep himself in power — even if doing so required destabilizing the foundations of democracy. The backlash was immense and bipartisan, even the staunchest of Trump’s supporters over the years, including several longtime members of his cabinet, withdrew their support or resigned from their positions in protest. That day, America saw the darkest side of MAGA and how dirty it was willing to play. That day, Americans almost universally decided that enough was enough.

Yet, over the next several years, Democrats began chipping away at their easy victory. While it’s true that no one is above the law, Trump’s slew of court cases made it all too obvious that the Democrats were looking for political retribution against their political opponent. Cases such as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case prosecuting Trump’s falsification of business records to hide porn star payments appeared as a conspicuous and pathetic attempt to slander Trump’s name. The case regarding the mishandling of White House documents held slightly more merit but was also dubious at best. These cases served little to sway the public against Trump and were only useful in bolstering Trump’s message that he was the target of unduly investigations and a victim of the political bureaucracy. While the cases surrounding election interference could be borderline justified as a defense against democracy, even those seemed excessive at times as the issue was already addressed during Trump’s second impeachment trial.

Although the cases undoubtedly had legal standing, from a political standpoint, they were an absolute disaster. The debacle was reminiscent of Al Capone’s 1931 tax evasion conviction, where the notorious gang leader was found guilty on such a menial charge. The various prosecutions likely influenced Trump’s decision to join the race. And when he eventually did, they substantially contributed to his success. Additionally, they set the convenient precedent that individuals in positions of political power can prosecute their political enemies and vindicate them by saying, “No one is above the law.” Even though little stops them from doing so, Americans throughout history have customarily shunned political vengeance after leaving office but the Democrats have unfortunately pried open that can of worms. Only time will tell how Trump uses this newfound tool to his advantage.