Benzinga - by Shanthi Rexaline, Benzinga Editor.
Amidst Donald Trump‘s legal turmoil, his niece Mary Trump provided perspective on the dynamics surrounding her uncle’s legal challenges this week.
Fines Not Enough: Donald Trump is doing exactly what he’s been permitted to do, said Mary Trump in an interview with MSNBC.
“Nothing stops him because nobody is stopping him,” she said.
Mary Trump also took a shot at the prosecution.
“It seems absolutely absurd to me that the prosecution is going out of its way to argue there shouldn’t be any incarceratory penalty at this point. Because what is that financial fine going to do? Nothing,” she said.
The former president can pay the penalty “all day long,” as the judge can’t fine him more than $1000 per offense, his niece said.
“So, the offenses will keep piling up, unless and until something serious is done,” she said.
The psychologist, podcaster, and author remarked that the prosecution’s argument about Donald Trump seeking jail time is on shaky ground.
“You don’t punish somebody based on what they want. You punish them based on the offenses in front of you,” she said.
“It isn’t enough,” Mary Trump said, referring to the fines. “He gets the money from somewhere else, to cover the fraud trial in the New York City or his payments to E. Jean Carroll.”
Standing Up To Trump: Mary Trump expressed doubts about the court system standing up to Donald Trump, especially considering that Congressional Republicans have unanimously supported him. She mentioned that hope is dwindling, particularly because the New York fraud trial may be the only one that will start and possibly end before the election.
She also expressed wishful thinking that her uncle will be punished for his offenses.
“I hope that the jurors will weigh the evidence appropriately and punish Donald appropriately,” she said.
Mary Trump also said that the Supreme Court is “going out of its way” to ensure that Donald Trump is allowed to run for presidency, “completely unburdened by the crimes he allegedly committed against the Unites States of America.”
She additionally noted that her uncle “is covered in a split screen.”
“On the one hand, he’s a criminal defendant who has allegedly committed all sorts of crimes against this country, and, on the other hand, he is a candidate for the presidency, as if the former doesn’t impinge at all on the latter,” she said, adding that “it’s quite stunning to see that his candidacy, in some respects, remains completely unscathed.”
Mary Trump also weighed in on the way forward in the run up to the November election.
“Right now, the only thing we can really do that can have a big impact on voters, leading up to November, is making a very clear case, not just what has he done, but what is he telling us explicitly he’s going to do on the one hand and, on the other hand, what has the Biden administration been able to accomplish in three years in many cases with both hands tied behind its back,” she said.
Family’s Support: On why Eric Trump showed up in the courtroom during his father’s trial, the lone family member to do so, Mary Trump said her cousin was in attendance probably because the defense lawyers told Donald Trump it looked “really bad that he doesn’t have any family members.”
“I don’t think Donald cares. I think all these relationships are transactional. I don’t think it matters to him. I don’t think his children or his wife think that it does them any good to show up,” she said.
The psychologist said the former president may be more concerned about the complete lack of supporters outside the courtroom.
“I think that is a much bigger blow to him, both his ego and his narcissistic need for attention,” she added.
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