Talking Points Memo

There is … let's call it a myth. There's a myth that important, consequential events need to be covered as serious, earnest events. But this is not necessarily the case. Things can be important and hilarious or important and absurd. Trump's hush money trial is an example. Of course it is important: An ex-president is a defendant in a criminal case.

But it's also absurd and objectively very funny. If you don't think it's funny that Donald John Trump, of all the people on Earth, had to sit in a courtroom and hear how one prospective juror, who was sitting in front of him, posted an AI-generated video of Trump saying 'I'm dumb as fuck,' I don't know what to tell ya.

If you don't think it's funny that, as Josh Kovensky wrote in today's live blog, Trump has a staffer carry around a portable printer "to show him positive social media posts in order to brighten his day," then I just don't know.

Of course it's not all funny. In fact, it's mostly not funny. This is a man whose defense includes taking aim at basic pillars of Western civilization, like the very notion of jury impartiality. And lest you forget what this man wrought while in the White House, his hand-picked Supreme Court justices are currently feeling around for ways to make it illegal to be homeless, further restrict abortion, and any number of other very bad things.

The thing is: you have to have both. The truth is both. The absurdity is part of the historical record. However, very few news outlets, if any, can match TPM's depth of understanding of the politics, the legal machinations, AND the historic absurdity at play. And you need all of it to fully grasp what's taking place. If you've been reading TPM for any length of time, you are familiar with Josh Kovensky and you know he's been covering Trump's misdeeds for years. Many years. That allows him to paint an accurate, meaningful portrait of what's going on in the courtroom and what it means for all of us. You can go anywhere and hear a random legal professor opine on hypotheticals or read about Trump's facial expressions. But Josh delivers on all fronts. And if you want to support the important work he's doing, we hope you'll consider becoming a member.