Trump looks like a lame-duck President

 Donald Trump’s boast that he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue in New York and not lose any voters is being sorely tested by allegations in The Wall Street Journal that he wrote a “bawdy” letter to the late paedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein. 

Together with revelations about the large bruise on his hand and his swollen ankles, the scandal could hobble his presidency by the most insidious means – the drip-drip loss of credibility and spread of gnawing distrust, fuelled by increasing questions about his health on cable news and social media. This could leave Trump looking like a lame-duck President, the fate he most fears.

At 79, Trump is more vigorous than many men half his age and has escaped multiple career-ending allegations, such as the Access Hollywood “grab ’em by the pussy” tape and a conviction for hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, but he may have finally hit a scandal he can’t escape by crying “hoax”. 

The danger is his presidency will slowly unravel, just as Joe Biden’s did over the behaviour of his son Hunter and 24/7 media scrutiny of his health and mental acuity.

Trump strongly denies having written the lewd letter to Epstein and branded The Wall Street Journal’s report “false, malicious, and defamatory”. Knowing the newspaper’s British editor, Emma Tucker, who was pressured by the President to drop the story, there is no chance the contents of Trump’s alleged letter were published without thorough sourcing. 

That said, unless the original copy of the 2003 letter is produced (and perhaps even then), there will always be plenty of Trump supporters willing to give the President the benefit of the doubt. Some of his biggest boosters are already in full circle the wagons, defend the President mode.

To recap: the letter purportedly written by Trump to his “pal” Epstein on his 50th birthday claims, “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” suggests, “Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?” and signs off, “May every day be a wonderful secret.”

The typewritten letter was allegedly framed by a marker pen outline of a woman’s naked body with two arcs for breasts and the squiggly signature “Donald” serving as pubic hair.

The newspaper claims it was included in a leather-bound album along with other risque banter from Epstein’s wealthy friends produced by Ghislaine Maxwell, now serving 20 years in a New York jail for recruiting teenagers to be sexually abused by Epstein.

Let’s not go overboard. Perhaps the “secret” allegedly referred to was a nod and a wink to the celebrity-filled Victoria’s Secret party we know Trump and Epstein attended in 1997 (there is a photograph). But the word has sent conspiracy-mongers into a frenzy.

Trump claimed on Truth Social the letter was a “Scam”, and insisted: “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also I don’t draw pictures.” However, several of his drawings of the New York skyline in black marker pen are circulating on the news and internet.

It is impossible to overstate how important paedophile conspiracies are to Trump’s Maga base. During the 2020 election, I was astonished to find how many sincere, deeply concerned people had swallowed the QAnon bilge that Democrats were sex-trafficking young girls in wardrobes sold by a leading US furniture company.

Trump is playing the role of Wizard of Oz – “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” – to a very credulous set of voters, who are only just beginning to think he might have feet of clay.

Pictures of his “cankles” at Chelsea’s victorious Club World Cup Final and images of a large bruise on his right hand, pancaked with concealer, forced Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, to admit Trump was recently diagnosed with “chronic venous insufficiency”.

This is a fairly minor condition affecting the flow of blood to the heart in older people but Leavitt’s claim that it is not causing Trump discomfort stretches credulity. She also insisted the bruising on his hand was produced by too much handshaking and the use of aspirin for “cardiovascular” treatment. But any further medical issues now will lead to questions the White House will be expected to answer.

In addition, Trump has been having a few “senior moments”, such as claiming Biden appointed Jay Powell as chairman of the Federal Reserve, when he hired him in 2017 during his first term as president.

With Trump’s approval, the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has promised to publish the testimony about Epstein presented to a grand jury before he killed himself in prison, but this is unlikely to include salacious details of any VIPs on Epstein’s (possibly non-existent) client list, only temporarily appeasing some Maga critics.

None of this is terminal for Trump, who has three and half years to go in the White House. But the drip-feed of pressure will be hard to turn off. Having fed the Maga beast, Trump is now trapped and cornered by his own base. This could make him more erratic and dangerous as he seeks to avoid lame duck status.