People like Trump or Biden aren't built like regular people. Me or you at 78 would have put our hat down a decade prior. But these guys feel some sort of need to continue, for whatever reason.

And as long as they can a) speak with lucidity and charisma and b) make decisions then they are fine. Any hard work is done by advisors.

Skipping the debate I think was probably the right move. If he gets on stage, he's one guy in a crowd of many having to wait his turn to speak. In addition he could get difficult questions about his legal position for example.

By doing the interview with Tucker Carlson not only is he cementing this weird alliance between Carlson / Elon / Trump but he's basically saying "I'm not a part of the establishment" which is a main pull from his supporters

I think the recent indictments happening now, right before Republican primaries and election season starts in ernest, and not two years ago, shows there are people pulling strings in the back here.

Call it a conspiracy theory, but I've seen it in my home country of Brazil. A president conspired with members of the judiciary to charge an ex-president with a crime and got him in prison.

There are many corrupt people in Brazil who did not get charged. You see what I mean? The fact Lula went to prison was politically motivated. And it's not a conspiracy- he was eventually released because it was proven in court that it was politically motivated. Just because a system has checks and balances against this type of thing doesn't mean it's immune. Enough pressure and everything breaks. And where there's incentive to put pressure, people with power will do so

I think Trump should answer for his crimes- no president should be above the law. But I also doubt this ends well for us as a country. We're in a position where all paths lead to hell. You put such a figure like Trump in jail right before a tight election and there will be consequences. Regardless of whether it's justified or not.

And it will be tight. Last I checked polling in a hypothetical Biden v Trump was a coin flip. Unfortunately for Biden, the record inflation along with increasing interest rates will seriously hurt his chances at re-election. He obviously has that historical incumbent advantage - but so did Trump.

Oh, well if 40% want it that way I guess there nothing to be done :(

The 40% that already tried one coup because he asked nicely. Who knows what kind of crazy through try now.

20-25% of the country, max. And it's the same 20-25% that has voted wannabe dictators into office this whole time.

40% is based on his polling with republicans and assuming they make up a full half of the electorate. They do not. 50% don't usually vote, so you have to basically halve any percentage when it's just d vs r.

I think you're misreading this. I've been varying levels of nauseous for 7 years now and every single hour of every single one of those days, I've screamed internally, "something is going to be done, this will get better, he will be stopped." And absolutely nothing happens. It just gets worse and worse and it's been deeply destructive to my mental health. It's emotionally safer to distance yourself from this. Pessimism is a shield against the arrows of disappointment.

I won't feel safe until that man expires while serving several lifetime sentences behind bars and all of his followers are shunned into obscurity. If then. Such is the nature of trauma.

I said "so far" and that "it was likely to end badly".

Thought experiment: all the cases are thrown out on procedural grounds tomorrow.

Would you feel like the inconvenience of a few court dates, an embarrassing photo, and some expenses borne by his dupes corresponded to the gravity of what he is alleged to have done?

I wouldn't.