By: Donald V. Watkins
Copyrighted and Published on July 28, 2024
An Editorial Opinion
My group of independent voter influencers has begun the vetting process on Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Our analysis of Trump began right after the Republican convention ended on July 18, 2024. This article focuses on GOP nominee Donald Trump.
For our group to support Donald Trump, we have to believe the following things:
It is okay for rich and famous men to grab women “by the pussy.”
It is okay for Donald Trump (or any other man) to refer to women as "fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals."
It is okay to sexually abuse up to two dozen women, if you are a rich, privileged, and famous businessman in New York City.
It was okay for Donald Trump to pal around with pedophile Jeffery Epstein while Epstein was partying with underage girls who served as teenage concubines on his private island in the Caribbean. (Bill Clinton was reportedly doing the same thing on the island as Trump.)
E. Jean Carrol was lying about what Donald Trump did to her in the dressing room at in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City.
Porn star Stormy Daniels lied when she said Donald Trump had sex with her while Melania was recovering from the birth of Trump's son Baron. She even described his penis in a way he never disputed.
Trump did not pay stormy Daniels $130,000 in “hush money.”
Playboy model Karen McDougal lied when she claimed Trump cheated on Melania with her.
Trump okayed Howard Stern calling his daughter Ivanka a “piece of ass” during a live raido broadcast.
Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald Trump’s recently deceased sister and a former federal judge, lied when she said on an audiotape that “Donald’s out for Donald,” “Donald is cruel,” Donald Trump is always “lying,” and Trump cheated to get into the University of Pennsylvania by having Joe Shapiro take his entrance exam for him.
Trump is a good Christian leader, who knows and practices the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The Trump Bible is the word of God.
Trump’s “Art of the Deal” book is second to the King James version of the Holy Bible in worldwide popularity.
Trump is endorsed by Jesus Christ, as stated in a Roger Stone tweet.
Trump did not commit tax and business fraud with his companies in New York City.
Trump does not legitimately owe $400 million in court fines and penalties on his New York City businesses.
Trump did not embezzle millions of dollars from his Donald J. Trump Foundation, which he was required by court order to pay back.
Trump did not scam his defunct Trump University students out of millions of dollars by promising academic offerings that did not exist.
Trump’s four business bankruptcies did not hurt scores of innocent vendors and service providers who worked diligently on Trump’s defunct Atlantic City Taj Mahal casino and three other real estate projects.
The 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump, but was not stolen from the thousands of other MAGA Republican candidates across America who ran for political office in 2020, including dozens of successful top-of-the-ticket Republican candidates in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Georgia who were far more right-wing than Trump.
Trump was not complicit in the January 6, 2021, insurrection, including the attempt to hang former Vice President Mike Pence. (No wonder Republican officeholders are afraid of Trump.)
Trump did not steal classified documents, which he refused to return to the federal government when he was requested to do so.
Trump did not extort Ukraine in 2020 to help him win the 2020 election (which he lost).
Trump did not collude with Russia during the 2020 campaign.
Trump does not exude adulation for dictators like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump did nothing to justify two Congressional impeachments while serving as president.
Trump did not commit the 34 felonies in New York for which a state court jury convicted him.
Trump could not have managed America’s response to COVID-19 any better than he did in 2020.
Trump's packing of the U.S. Supreme Court with right-wing political zealots is a good thing.
Trump’s separation of tens of thousands of young migrant children from their parents at the southern border was a good thing.
Trump’s promise to deport 15 to 20 million illegal immigrants using the militaristic tactics first deployed in 1954 during “Operation Wetback” is a good thing.
The Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was a good thing.
Dismantling affirmative action programs that are designed to include women and minorities in the socio-economic progress of America is a good thing, while encouraging and engaging in affirmative action that excludes them is acceptable.
Wall Street will take care of Mainstreet.
Trump knows nothing about the Project 2025 Manifesto.
Trump is not a liar, grifter, bully, rapist, philanderer, thief, tax cheat, fraudster, racist, sexist, and insurrectionist.
My legal training causes me to conduct a "preponderance of evidence" analysis on Donald Trump’s “character and fitness” to serve in public office. This analytical approach is more useful to me than simply reviewing an endless parade of political soundbites, memes, tweets, social media posts, and polished campaign ads.
Between today and Labor Day, we will conduct (and publish) the same kind of "preponderance of evidence" analysis on Kamala Harris after she accepts the Democratic nomination for president.
Personally, I believe that “character and fitness” still matters for those who seek to serve our nation in public office. Republican and Democratic partisans do not seem to care about “character and fitness” attributes, but we do.
My group of independent voter influencers will decide who to endorse and financially support (up to $75 million in donations to favorable Super-PACs) after Labor Day.
We are not looking for an angel, but we are certainly not trying to elevate a devil to the presidency, either. Our group’s endorsement and financial support will go to either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
The race to the bottom did not take long. I told you the Trump-Harris contest was going to get very ugly, fast. We are there. Our job is to get the political discussions out of the gutter.
The presidential selection process within a political party is essentially a popularity contest, much like the one for choosing a high school or college homecoming king and queen. My group of independent voter influencers have run major businesses all of our lives. Our process for vetting, endorsing, and funding a presidential nominee is akin to the one we have used for hiring corporate CEOs and other top executives. As such, "character and fitness" matters to us. Prior executive experience and performance matters. Job references matter. Truthfulness matters. Slick marketing and promotional materials do not matter, nor does lobbying by friends of the nominees.
This election has turned ugly, fast. It's going to be a slugfest. Political operatives are now bashing Donald Trump's father and grandfather.
Trump sycophant Roger Stone said Donald Trump is endorsed by Jesus Christ.
Christian Nationalists have even portrayed Donald Trump as Jesus at his crucifixion.