Crash Course: "Too stupid to know better": MAGA eats up Trump's idiot president defense

Evangelicals, in particular, feel a flock should follow leaders who are neither smart nor moral. [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNTlyc3A1MGQzYi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmFXA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZzYxbDF0ODY4cC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). "Too stupid to know better": MAGA eats up Trump's idiot president defense Watching this Fox News interview, what really stands out is how focused Trump is on arguing that, ultimately, he was just too stupid to know any better. He portrays himself as a doddering old man who is both daunted by his own disorganization and too dimwitted to understand this whole "subpoena" business. But rather than be embarrassed to back an admitted dumbass like Trump, expect Republicans to adopt Trump's talking points, arguing that their beloved leader is just way too dim to be held responsible for his actions. [Read more from Amanda Marcotte.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbnQxOXY1ajFqaC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo via Getty Images) "Decline into anocracy": Experts outline Trump's retaliation plan [Following the advice of his infamous mentor Roy Cohn](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMHZ0MG80bzY1Zy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmFXA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), instead of being chastened and cowed by the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison, Donald Trump has instead chosen to go on the attack by proclaiming his innocence through lies and fantastical statements. The tumult and troubles of the Trumpocene and America's democracy crisis are far from over – and will likely get much worse when Donald Trump's various criminal trials begin in Miami, New York, and likely in Georgia and other parts of the country as well. In an attempt to make sense of his truly historic moment, I asked a range of experts for their reactions to last Tuesday's events and predictions for what comes next in the Age of Trump and the country's democracy crisis. [Read more from Chauncey DeVega.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZTgwbTN2ZWRpMi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo edit by Salon/Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) - “Colossal blunder”: Legal experts say [Trump’s Fox News interview](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZW00d3JpdjV3by8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) was an “admission of guilt" - Judge Aileen Cannon sets ["utterly bananas" trial date](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvd2hlNHFxMnJudy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) — but experts expect Trump to delay case - ["This was his campaign plan"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcHQ4NWliN2xiaC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo): Trump has flipped the stolen documents case into "a farce" - "Whataboutism": GOP immediately rushes to "shift the goal posts" over [Hunter Biden plea deal](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNHExcjA5em44dC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - Worse than a bust: [Republicans' Biden blockbuster](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMveHI2dWE5dXJhai8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) blows up in their face - The [podcast bros](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvd3RvMjMyb29lNi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) profiting off the loneliness epidemic - “I don’t think it’s going to hold up in court”: [Fox analyst trashes Trump’s “incoherent” interview](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcTFuYjkwNHRsay8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - Burned out: How [Instant Pot](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbGVxM2NvbDE2by8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) went from cult favorite to Chapter 11 bankruptcy - [Climate change denial](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcjQ3ZTBmYzZjeC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) hit its stride in the Bush-Cheney era, precipitating today's climate disaster - We focused on the [wrong feminist icon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZDFxcW9zdXFsbS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) in the "Sex and the City" franchise - Here's why experts say [men need more friends](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZHpnNzh4eGEwNC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) in their lives — and how they can make them If you found yourself here without subscribing, sign up for [Crash Course](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbDZwenNoN3BwNi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmEmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), so you don't miss anything! "It is an admission": Legal experts warn Trump's "I was very busy" defense could blow up in his face Former President Donald Trump in his first interview since being indicted on federal charges for retaining national security documents said he failed to hand over government records to federal officials because he was "very busy" and didn't have time to sort through the box's contents. "Trump's defense that he was too busy to return national defense information is not a valid legal defense," former U.S. Attorney Barb McQuade, a University of Michigan law professor, told Salon. "In fact, it is an admission that he failed to turn over the documents when requested. In addition, not only did he fail to return the documents, he also engaged in proactive efforts to lie and obstruct the investigation." 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Washington Post reporter Carol Leonnig [told MSNBC](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmdV0_P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcWdkZGt2NDg2eS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXR3ZjFjbTVsdmFXA3NwY0IKZJFA2JJk9hM2kVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) on Monday that those officials were finally spurred into action once the House Select Committee launched its own probe into the Jan 6 attacks. "As it started to emerge in the summer and especially the fall of 2022, still, the DOJ sort of turned its eyes away from this until it became a drumbeat of criticism, news stories, some of them on this story and some of them in my paper. And a groundswell of concern that the Jan. 6th committee was really without the same kind of power as the Department of Justice uncovering stunning and worrisome and, likely criminal acts." 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