Dear America,

It has been a while since I last wrote about the state of our country. My hiatus was largely due to feeling disheartened, disgusted, and ashamed of the ongoing issues our country is facing. Over the past year since I have written, the failures of our current administration have continued to undermine the very foundation upon which America was built. Economically, millions of Americans are struggling due to rampant inflation and a lack of common-sense investments to stimulate growth. Additionally, our country has been rewarding and financially supporting illegal immigrants flooding across our borders, a crisis that our current administration has failed to address for years. It should come as no surprise that since we have been unable to fix our domestic issues, America is no longer held in global esteem. Our allies can no longer trust us to be a protector of freedom and liberty across the world, and our enemies have grown stronger, having the luxury of not having to fire a single shot, instead watching as America destroys itself from within.

With all that has been going on in our country, it's hard for even the most optimistic individual to truly believe that things will turn around. Regrettably, I admit that my absence from writing was due to my own surrender to the futile poison that is the tyrannical communist goal: demoralization. Today, however, alongside millions of Americans across the nation, I could not sit idly by. Today, May 30, 2024, will be remembered as a historic day in our country's history, and not for a good reason. On this day, former President and presumptive Republican 2024 presidential nominee Donald J. Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying his business records. This decision was undoubtedly shadowed by political motives, undermining our faith in the justice system and setting a dangerous precedent for the future.

I am not saying anyone is above the law,  but everyone in this country deserves a fair trial. Sadly, in the state of New York, President Trump was never going to receive one. He faced Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York State Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom have openly expressed their dislike for Donald Trump long before his indictment (Montgomery).

However, one of the most concerning aspects is the selection of Judge Juan Merchan, an acting judge who was also "randomly" assigned to two other Trump-related cases: the organization fraud case and the Steve Bannon case, involving a former senior advisor of the Trump campaign. From the outset, there was a clear conflict of interest, given his open support for the Democratic Party. Although it may seem like a small amount, he donated a total of $35 to Democrats during the 2020 election, a clear and symbolic indication of his disapproval of Donald J. Trump. This included a $15 donation to Joe Biden's campaign, as well as $10 donations each to groups called the "Progressive Turnout Project" and "Stop Republicans." His wife, Lara Merchan, worked for Letitia James for three years. His daughter, Loren Merchan, is president of Authentic Campaigns, a Chicago-based progressive political consulting firm whose top clients include Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who was the lead prosecutor in Trump’s first impeachment trial (Levine and Calder). Additionally, the firm received $1.4 million in consulting fees from Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Montgomery).  Loren Merchan also worked for several high-profile Democratic campaigns, including those of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden (Caralle).

This trial proved to be dubious from the start. Judge Merchan refused to dismiss prospective jurors with obvious biases. One juror had scoffed on social media that “Republicans are projected to pick up 70 seats in prison.” Another juror had attended an anti-Trump demonstration celebrating President Biden’s victory. Furthermore, there were several reports of misconduct incidents during the actual trial proceedings. While I do not feel I am well-versed enough in the law to comment on whether the judge violated any of Trump’s constitutional rights, at its least nefarious, I do believe a higher standard of care would have been practiced in court proceedings with any other defendant.  It’s quite clear from Judge Merchan’s political viewpoints and his family’s connections with Democratic members who have openly called for Trump’s conviction that his ability to rule over this case in a fair manner is brought into question.

How can they expect millions of Americans to ignore these facts and trust that this was nothing other than a political hit job on the current leading 2024 Presidential candidate? I urge those on the left not to let their previous disdain for Donald Trump blind them to why this constitutes one of the darkest moments in American history. The weaponization of the justice system against political opponents is characteristic of third-world countries and dictatorships.  It was a dangerous slope on which we have descended and now we find ourselves in the depths of fascism.  We have seen this and condemned it only to become it. While Trump is not above the law, the trial should at least be conducted in a manner that does not blatantly exhibit political biases.

Undoubtedly, we are experiencing some of the darkest moments in our country’s history. Millions of Americans are wondering if we can ever trust our justice system to rule fairly, not just for people like Donald Trump, but for ourselves. I ask those on the left who are cheering for Trump’s conviction: who’s to say the pendulum won’t swing back, targeting Democratic opponents or outspoken Democratic influencers next? This is now the world we live in. The only saving grace is that this case will be appealed and, hopefully, overturned on the grounds of a mistrial.

Unfortunately, the far-left Democratic Party has made this election deeply personal, arguably one of the most vindictive in our country’s history. The party is so blinded by their own hatred towards President Trump that they fail to realize that this incessant eight-year witch hunt has only made Trump a martyr in the eyes of millions of Americans. I cannot recall any president or candidate in the history of our country who has been attacked so viciously by the media with lies for trying to make our country great. However, we are not the same America we were eight years ago. We no longer listen to the lies propagated by the mainstream media and the elites. We no longer blindly support our political parties. Millions of Americans have been awakened to stand by those who protect our God-given American rights. I advise any citizen on the fence between Biden and Trump to ask yourself which America you want to live in and whose actions and track record better reflect a great America.

I stood by Trump in 2016 and 2020, and I will continue to support him now, in November 2024.

Signed,

G.S.P.

Works Cited

Caralle, Katelyn. “Daughter of Judge in Trump’s Case Worked for Kamala and Joe Biden.” Mail Online, 4 Apr. 2023, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11938591/Daughter-judge-presiding-Trumps-hush-money-case-worked-Kamala-Joe-Biden.html. Accessed 4 June 2024.

Cuza, Bobby. “How Letitia James Says She Plans to Investigate President Trump.” Ny1.com, 24 Dec. 2018, ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2018/12/24/how-letitia-james-says-she-plans-to-investigate-president-donald-trump-once-new-york-attorney-general. Accessed 4 June 2024.

Levine , Jon , and Rich Calder. “Dem Clients of Daughter of Judge in Trump Trial Raised $90M off Case.” Nypost.com, 30 Mar. 2024, nypost.com/2024/03/30/us-news/dem-clients-of-daughter-of-judge-in-trump-trial-raised-90m-off-case/. Accessed 4 June 2024.

Montgomery, Jack. “Top Dem Hakeem Jeffries Sent over $1.4 MILLION to Trump Trial Judge’s Daughter’s Home.” The National Pulse, 24 May 2024, www.google.com/url?q=thenationalpulse.com/2024/05/24/top-dem-hakeem-jeffries-sent-over-1-4-million-to-trump-trial-judges-daughters-home/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1717466767721925&usg=AOvVaw3KI_bChF6O6SHRybuiVAGu. Accessed 4 June 2024.