Comprised of a pinch of experience, a dollop of knowledge, and a dose of guesswork, political predictions are for fools and I’m no fool. So instead, I make guarantees. My last guarantee to bring to the bank cannot be false? Donald Trump will win in 2024 and there is nothing you can do to stop him. In fact, he will win twice.
Here’s my case: good news travels fast and bad news travels faster. No one excels better than Trump at exploiting and manipulating this environment. Say it faster than the other side, with more conviction and confidence than Muhammad Ali at his peak, and half the country will buy what’s being sold.
When good news arrives, Trump rallies the faithful around the flag and equates his victory to a historical figure or event, for example Nelson Mandela or the storming of the beach at Normandy. When the news isn’t rosy, he leaps like a mountain lion and spits in the face of defeat to shamelessly tell a story of gratifying victory. Unlike the stock market, past performance in this case predicts future results.
We’ll then see this play out in the coming days when Trump, whether acquitted or found guilty by a jury of his peers at his criminal trial in New York, wins in the courtroom.
Trump’s verdict is approaching. But judge him by the horrible things he’s doing right now.
Trump will win, win or lose
The best-case scenario – acquittal – would be described by Trump as sweet, sweet revenge for every harsh word that has ever been spoken about him. Every accusation, every indictment, every case yet to be tried would be erased. If this one is wrong, they must all be wrong. RIGHT? No? Maybe?
On the other hand, a condemnation, rather than serving as a justification for what was said and done about him, would be a validation of what he said about others. This would prove, as he said behind the courtroom bike rack twice a day, every day (except Wednesday), that the judge was conflicted, that the jurors were tainted by ideology and that the outcome was predetermined by a US Department of Justice which used its prosecutorial power to harm a political opponent in the middle of a campaign.
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Even a prison sentence is a victory. What image could better justify Trump’s insistence that this is a sham trial conducted by a kangaroo court than serving a prison sentence? A combination worked wonders for Martha Stewart and it would do wonders for Trump too.
His second guaranteed victory will come in November. Do I know that Trump will get the most electoral college votes when the race is called? No way. But I know he’s going to win so much that I’ll be able to see him by May.
Trump’s next victory will follow the 2024 election
Much like an acquittal in court, capturing the Electoral College and residing in the White House again would be vindication. This would vindicate those who ardently believe that Joe Biden is an illegitimate president and that Trump has been the legitimate president this entire time.
Do you think this is far-fetched? Why else did the Trump campaign refer to him as “the President” and Joe Biden simply as “Joe Biden” in his statements and correspondence?
Evidence from the Trump trial: Trump’s secret trial reveals his sordid, cynical behind-the-scenes manipulations
The opposite outcome, in which Trump’s third quest for the Oval Office fails, would be a loss to an objective observer. But not for Trump. This would be a huge victory – on par with actual victory – because it would provide validation.
Close your eyes and you can hear it now: the process is rigged, our institutions are failing us, the world is out to go after Trump and, by extension, you. Valid. Valid. Valid.
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, remorse and reflection are the antithesis of the Trump code. After all, he is a winner and winners never apologize for being winners. They continue to win even if they lose.
So when the verdict is read and Trump’s face shows a grimace or a smile, know that behind that grimace is a smile and behind that smile a bigger smile because Trump knows he has already won.
Pete Seat is a former White House spokesman for President George W. Bush and campaign spokesman for former Director of National Intelligence and U.S. Senator Dan Coats. Currently, he is vice president of the Bose Public Affairs Group in Indianapolis. He is also a member of the Atlantic Millennium Council, a temporary member of the Council on Foreign Relations and author of “The War on Millennials.”“
You can read various opinions from our committee of contributors and other authors on the front page of Opinion, on Twitter. @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Trump be convicted? Guilty or not, he still wins
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