Why Judge Merchan Should Give Trump One Week At Rikers
The president-elect can easily serve a one-week sentence before January 20.
In my latest New Republic article I argue that New York State Judge Juan Merchan should sentence Donald Trump to one week at Rikers, to be served before he begins his second presidential term on January 20. Yes, the people have spoken, I concede, but they also spoke last May when 12 of them found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts. Trial by jury is democracy too.
I’m being merciful in not demanding that Trump serve six months, a more typical jail sentence for first-time offenders found guilty of this particular crime within this particular jurisdiction. I propose just one week to spare the nation the indignity of having its president conduct the nation’s business from Rikers Island. In 1947 Boston Mayor James Michael Curley was found guilty of accepting $60,000 ($881,000 in today’s dollars) in exchange for directing government contracts to various cronies while serving in Congress. Hizzoner continued to perform his mayoral duties while serving five months of an 18-month sentence at the Danbury Federal House of Correction. President Harry Truman sprang Curley through a grant of executive clemency. For more on Boston’s Rascal King, I recommend Jack Beatty’s fine biography of that title.
In proposing one week for America’s Arancia Duce, I’m sparing him Curley’s indignity, and perhaps also sparing the nation some equivalent of the brass band that greeted Curley on his return to Boston. I would also permit Trump to bring his Secret Service detail to Rikers so he doesn’t get shanked in the shower. You can read my piece here.
His inflamed base (and judging by his base, that would be some inflammation) is already beyond antibiotics. This is no time to bow to the true believers. A week on The Rock and a year with a leg cuff. Forcing him to stay at the WH instead of golf or gaudy state visits overseas feels right to me. “No, we’ve got to move the G8 meeting here. I’m not allowed to leave.”
Imprisonment would only serve to further inflame his base and, and possibly even a majority of the American people, who, by electing him in 2024, have already forgiven him for criminally conspiring to violently and fraudulently overthrow the new duly elected government in 2020 . They also, by electing him in 2024, obviously forgave him for the crimes now before Judge Marchand, which were committed to conceal from the American public before the 2016 election his tryst with a porn star.
Trump would probably even welcome a short term of imprisonment to promote him to martyr status. I don't think that the American people would be as upset as Trump if a very heavy fine were to be imposed.