There Are No Kings in Rome

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I have been utterly aghast at the discourse in the media over the last two years in regards to Trump. The assumption - in all media, by the way - is that Trump would be able to pardon himself if he became the President.

Do people actually hear themselves saying this? Do people understand what they are saying? Have all of our history and social studies classes taught the entire population literally nothing about this concept?

It is astounding to me that nobody is countering this. Not even on MSNBC, where liberal and anti-Trump rhetoric resides (thankfully). Everyone apparently is just comfortable with the idea that if he becomes the President, he could just do that - that they might not like it, but that is “the law”.

How can anyone believe this utter bullshit? How can anyone believe that this is “the law”?

There are no kings in America. The Founding Fathers made it clear that a king was something which they utterly rejected. George Washington was quite bloody clear on this point when he became the first President of the United States.

A President who can pardon himself can literally do anything. Even some autocrats sometimes have to pretend to have limits. But a President who can pardon himself doesn’t have to pretend. He can literally round up 10,000,000 Americans and gun them down and the law could not touch him. He could genocide any racial, ethnic, or otherwise group in the USA, and the law could not touch him. He could literally behead people live on TV, and the law could not touch him. He would be above the Constitution, and above any justice whatsoever.

He would be above Congress, and above the Supreme Court.

For a Presidential candidate to even entertain the possibility of a self-pardon should be tantamount to treason.

Is this really an acceptable position to have for any President?

Not only that, but it would mean that every President in history, and every future President was, is, and will, be above the law. Do you think that sounds like the United States of America? Do you think that fits the ideals of a democracy, or even the barest framework of a republic?

This should not be something which people just assume is the case. This should be such a huge and obvious blasphemy (and I don’t use that word lightly) against the very ideals and foundation of the republic. It is anathema to our entire existence as a nation - historically and in the present day. One would hope that this would hold in the future as well.

I implore everyone - everyone - to counter this assumption every time it is brought up. This is not acceptable. It is not something which should ever be allowed. It is not American in any sense whatsoever. I don’t care who says anything to the contrary, they are wrong.

Trump cannot simply pardon himself, nor should we ever allow it to happen.