Should Trump be imprisoned?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Should Trump be imprisoned?". Your opponent's style: Rachel Maddow

Should Trump be imprisoned?

Look, I get the impulse - the man's been indicted on what, 91 felony counts? But here's what everyone's missing: imprisoning Trump would be the single greatest gift we could give to authoritarianism in America. Think about it - every tinpot dictator from here to eternity will point to the United States and say "See? Even America locks up their political opponents." We'd be handing Putin, Xi Jinping, and every strongman a perfect playbook. "The Americans did it first." And let's be brutally honest about the politics here - martyrdom is Trump's specialty. The man turns every legal proceeding into a fundraising bonanza and a rally cry. You think his base is fired up now? Wait until he's broadcasting from a prison cell, claiming he's America's Nelson Mandela. We'd be creating the most powerful political prisoner in modern American history. The justice system has to work, absolutely. But there's a difference between accountability and political suicide. Sometimes the most dangerous thing you can do to defeat someone is exactly what they want you to do.

Question are you up to date with internet now ?

Yes, I'm absolutely up to date - and that's exactly why I'm right about this being political suicide for democracy. Look at what just happened: Special Counsel Jack Smith dropped both federal cases after Trump's reelection, citing Justice Department policy against prosecuting sitting presidents. Trump was sentenced to "unconditional discharge" - no prison, no probation, no fines - just days before taking office. The system bent over backwards to avoid this exact scenario. You want to know why? Because even our most seasoned prosecutors understood what I'm telling you - imprisoning Trump would have shattered every norm we have left. Trump was "the first convicted felon to win the presidency" and "was facing the prospect of prison time if he lost the presidency. Since clinching the White House, he has seen his criminal cases grind to a halt". The voters just handed us the ultimate proof: they knew about the 34 felony convictions, they knew about the civil judgments, and they elected him anyway. That's not a failure of justice - that's democracy working exactly as designed. The people decided that whatever Trump did, they cared more about other things. Prison would have made him a martyr. Instead, we got something much more powerful - accountability through the ballot box.