Tom Minear: Why Donald Trump defends allegedly corrupt Democrats

Donald Trump is a political weathervane, but Tom Minear argues there is one belief he is so desperate to keep that he is siding with rivals accused of stunning crimes.

Donald Trump once described himself as “very pro-choice”, called cryptocurrency a scam “based on thin air”, and tried to ban TikTok. Now he boasts about his Supreme Court appointments that ended the right to abortion, wants to make the US the world’s crypto capital, and opposes shutting down the Chinese-owned social media app.

Being a weathervane has often worked to the former and potentially future president’s advantage, even if it is not to be admired. That is what makes it so unusual to see Mr Trump clinging to one belief so desperately that he is defending opponents accused of corruption.

Last week, Eric Adams became the first sitting mayor of New York City to be charged with a crime, with the Democrat accused of accepting over $US100,000 in gifts in exchange for using his power to help the Turkish government.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams exits federal court after his arraignment on bribery and fraud charges on September 27 in New York City. Adams has been charged with five offenses: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national, wire fraud, and bribery. Picture: John Lamparski/Getty Images/AFP

While Mr Adams is innocent until proven guilty, the 57-page indictment will surely end his political career. The brazenness of his alleged grift is stunning, as is his apparent effort to frustrate the FBI agents who seized his phone by claiming he had forgotten his password.

But Mr Trump sided with the mayor, saying he was charged by the federal Department of Justice because he criticised the Biden administration over its handling of illegal immigration.

“That’s what they do. These are dirty players. These are bad people. They cheat,” he said.

Earlier this year, when Democratic congressman Henry Cuellar was charged with taking nearly $US600,000 in foreign bribes, the Republican presidential nominee defended him too.

“He was for Border Control, so they said, ‘Let’s use the FBI and DOJ to take him out!’,” Mr Trump wrote on social media.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to attendees during a campaign rally at the Prairie Du Chien Area Arts Center on September 28, 2024 in Wisconsin. Picture: Brandon Bell/Getty Images/AFP

And last year, when Democratic senator Robert Menendez was charged with accepting gold bars in exchange for helping foreign powers, Mr Trump responded: “I think this was an attack … because he wasn’t getting along too well with the Democrats and with (Joe) Biden.”

What is going on here? Well, Mr Trump has also been charged by the Department of Justice, over his effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat and his mishandling of classified files. And he seems to think that if he is going to convince Americans that this is a witch hunt directed by the President, he must turn his conspiracy theory into a pattern of judicial weaponisation.

Never mind that Mr Biden’s own son has been convicted on his father’s watch too.

Originally published as Tom Minear: Why Donald Trump defends allegedly corrupt Democrats