Trump Demands That He Be Appointed President

 Click here for Heather Cox Richardson's diary entry for December 3, 2022.

Today, one of former president Trump’s messages on the struggling right-wing social media platform Truth Social went viral. 

In the message, Trump again insisted that the 2020 presidential election had been characterized by “MASSIVE & WIDESPREAD FRAUD & DECEPTION,” and suggested the country should “throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or…have a NEW ELECTION.” 

Then he added: “A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution. Our great ‘Founders’ did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!” 

In other words, Trump is calling for the overthrow of the Constitution that established this nation. He advocates the establishment of a dictator.

Today, both Trump’s White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, and deputy counsel, Patrick Philbin, testified before a federal grand jury for several hours. They had previously refused to testify, citing executive privilege, but another court struck that argument down, and they were forced to testify to what Trump had said to them.

 Judge Aileen Cannon's appointment of a special master to review the documents seized from Trump's residence at Mar-A-Lago last August was struck down, so the DOJ now has the documents in their possession. 

The Trump Organization's fraud trial is concluding -- and Trump lost yet another lawsuit and has finally been forced to turn over tax records to the Senate Finance Committee. What will the committee find in the documents Trump fought so hard for six years against turning over?

But Trump's demand to overturn the Constitution and establish him as president is the newsworthy event of the day:

White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement: “The American Constitution is a sacrosanct document that for over 200 years has guaranteed that freedom and the rule of law prevail in our great country. The Constitution brings the American people together—regardless of party—and elected leaders swear to uphold it. It’s the ultimate monument to all of the Americans who have given their lives to defeat self-serving despots that abused their power and trampled on fundamental rights. Attacking the Constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation, and should be universally condemned. You cannot only love America when you win.”

But Republicans, so far, are silent on Trump’s profound attack on the Constitution, the basis of our democratic government. 

That is the story, and it is earth shattering.