I get the argument that by letting our leaders commit crimes, we are heading towards facism. But I also think that the insistant reporting and hope of actually prosecuting Trump is doing harm to democracy as well. By constantly being the attention of media, either good or bad, people are making ultimatums on how the government works or doesn't. Trump supporters see these constant attempts, that have failed each type, as "witch hunts." People on the Left see DA's such as Vance as part of the "establishment" and therefore would never persecute somebody with real power.

We are meant to see this case as a trial on our democracy, on democratic norms and our resistance to fascism. Mayer references Anne Applebaum's writing, which I also read from The Atlantic, and I just don't really buy it. People voted for Trump because he was a shifty, wealthy, real-estate mogul with status. They wanted a return to the America that they thought they had the opportunity to achieve. They thought he could bring America back, through his deals and business acument, to its role as an economic powerhouse no matter the stakes.

I think that we already had a referendum on Trump and his like. Of course there are a lot of things happening now on state levels as far as voting rights, LBGTQ+, abortion, etc., but no matter how much we may disagree with them, they are being done through the democratic state. Acting as if persecuting Trump will reestablish democratic norms just seems ludicrous to me. I guess I just wish this was over and people would stop reporting on it until a decision has been made. I doubt that will happen though. People love a spectacle.