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COLUMN: Trump Proclaims Himself the Most Honest Man God Ever Created

Jacques Pj Provost

2026-06-20 21:08:10

Guilty, guilty, guilty

The word was uttered thirty-four times in the Manhattan courtroom. Thirty-four times, the jury found Donald Trump guilty. This is a first in American history: never before has a former president been convicted of a criminal offense. The events date back to 2016, when Trump paid $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to buy her silence regarding an alleged extramarital affair. The money was funneled through his lawyer, Michael Cohen, and accounting records were falsified to conceal the true nature of these payments. The trial lasted several weeks, as testimony mounted and evidence was presented. And the jury, composed of twelve ordinary citizens, reached a unanimous verdict.

Thirty-four times. Thirty-four hammer blows to the coffin of presidential integrity. But Trump, for his part, doesn’t flinch. He remains impassive, as if these words had nothing to do with him. As if reality had no hold over him. And perhaps that is what is most terrifying: this ability to exist in a parallel universe where facts no longer matter.

Section 3: The Man Who Rewrites His Own History

The Cleanest Sheriff

During his rally in North Carolina in April 2022, Trump declared: “I must be the cleanest sheriff. I think I’m the most honest human being—perhaps—that God has ever created.” These words, spoken while he was already the subject of multiple criminal investigations, reveal a well-honed strategy. Trump doesn’t defend himself against the accusations; he ignores them. He doesn’t seek to prove his innocence; he asserts it as a given. And this assertion, repeated over and over, eventually creates its own reality. His supporters cheer him on, conservative media outlets amplify his words, and the disinformation machine kicks into gear.

The cleanest sheriff. I almost want to laugh, but the laugh gets stuck in my throat. Because behind this grotesque statement lies something darker: the deep-seated conviction that the rules don’t apply to him. That justice is a conspiracy. That the truth is whatever he decides it to be. And millions of people believe him.

Section 4: The Piling-Up Investigations

A President Under Scrutiny

The Stormy Daniels case is just the tip of the iceberg. Trump is facing several legal proceedings simultaneously. He is being prosecuted for tax fraud in New York, accused of inflating the value of his assets to secure favorable loans. He is also the subject of an investigation into his role in the January 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol, when his supporters stormed the seat of the U.S. legislature in an attempt to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s election. Each investigation reveals a new aspect of his chaotic exercise of power, his repeated lies, and his attempts to manipulate the judicial system. But Trump, for his part, continues to proclaim his innocence with disconcerting confidence.

Millions of pages of documents. Years of investigations. Damning testimony. And yet, he remains standing, smiling, defiant. I sometimes wonder if he truly believes in his own innocence. Or if he has simply realized that in the modern world, perception matters more than reality. That the appearance of truth is enough to create the truth itself.

Section 5: The Reaction After the Verdict

A Rigged Trial, According to Trump

A few minutes after the verdict, Trump spoke to reporters. His remarks were predictable: “This was a rigged trial presided over by a corrupt judge,” he said. He accused the Biden administration of orchestrating this “political persecution” to prevent him from running again in 2024. He claimed that “the real verdict will come on November 5,” the day of the presidential election. And he repeated, over and over: “I am a very innocent man.” This victimization strategy resonates with his electoral base. Donations are pouring in, the polls remain favorable, and Trump continues to dominate the race for the Republican nomination.

A very innocent man. Those words haunt me. Because they reveal something fundamental about our times: truth no longer exists. There are only competing narratives, alternative versions, parallel realities. And whoever shouts the loudest, whoever repeats their lie the most often, ends up winning. It’s terrifying.

Section 6: The Promise of Pardon for the Rioters

Rewarding Violence

Trump isn’t content with merely denying his own guilt. He also promises to pardon the January 6 rioters if he is reelected in 2024. “We will treat these people fairly. And if they need to be pardoned, we will pardon them,” he said at a rally. These words are a slap in the face to the U.S. justice system, which has convicted hundreds of people for their participation in the Capitol riot. They also send a clear message: political violence is acceptable if it serves Trump’s interests. The rioters are not criminals; they are patriots who have been unjustly persecuted. This dangerous rhetoric normalizes insurrection and threatens the very foundations of American democracy.

Pardoning the rioters. Rewarding those who attacked the Capitol. Turning criminals into heroes. I am at a loss for words. Anger is rising—burning, uncontrollable. Because this is no longer just a lie; it is treason. A betrayal of everything America is supposed to stand for. And he does it with a smile, presenting himself as the nation’s savior.

Section 7: The Unwavering Support of His Base

When Reality No Longer Matters

Despite the conviction, despite the overwhelming evidence, despite the testimony, Trump’s base remains loyal. Polls show that his popularity has not waned following the verdict. On the contrary, some of his supporters are even more determined to back him. They see him as a martyr, a victim of a corrupt judicial system controlled by liberal elites. This perception is fueled by a conservative media ecosystem that constantly amplifies Trump’s narratives. Fox News, Newsmax, and a myriad of alternative news sites portray the trial as a witch hunt. In this parallel universe, Trump is not a convicted criminal—he is a persecuted hero.

How did we get here? How can a society be so deeply divided over reality itself? I look at these crowds cheering for Trump, holding up signs proclaiming his innocence, and I feel lost. We no longer live in the same world. We no longer share the same facts. And I don’t know how we can turn back the clock.

Section 8: Implications for 2024

A Criminal in the White House

Trump’s conviction raises an unprecedented question: Can a convicted criminal become president of the United States? The answer is yes. Nothing in the U.S. Constitution prevents a convicted person from running for president. Trump could therefore theoretically win the November 2024 election and return to the White House, even if he is sentenced to prison. Judge Juan Merchan is scheduled to hand down the sentence on July 11, 2024. He could opt for a prison term, but he could also choose probation, given that the charges fall under the least serious category of crimes under New York law. Trump has already announced that he will appeal, which could delay the sentence’s enforcement well beyond the election.

A criminal in the White House. Those words should be unthinkable. They should belong in a dystopian novel, not in the reality of 2024. But here we are. And the scariest part is that it could actually happen. That Trump could actually win. That America could actually elect a man convicted of document forgery. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Section 9: The Decline of Truth

When Words No Longer Mean Anything

The Trump scandal reveals something deeper than a mere case of political corruption. It illustrates the decline of truth in our modern societies. We live in an era where facts have become optional, where everyone can choose their own reality based on their political preferences. Trump didn’t invent this phenomenon, but he perfected it. He understood that in a world saturated with information, whoever controls the narrative controls reality. It doesn’t matter what the courts say, it doesn’t matter what investigations reveal, it doesn’t matter what the evidence shows. What matters is the story you tell and the conviction with which you tell it. And Trump tells his story with unshakable conviction: he is innocent, he is being persecuted, he is the only one who can save America.

The decline of truth. Those words send a chill down my spine. Because without a shared truth, society is no longer possible. There are only tribes clashing with one another, each with its own version of the facts. And Trump, with his monumental audacity and his lies repeated ad nauseam, is the perfect symbol of this post-truth era. He doesn’t seek to convince through reason; he seeks to overwhelm through sheer volume.

Conclusion: America's Shattered Mirror

When the Absurd Becomes Normal

Donald Trump proclaims himself “the most honest man God ever created” even though he has just been convicted on 34 counts. This contradiction should be unbearable. It should provoke widespread rejection, collective outrage, and a democratic awakening. But no. Instead, millions of Americans continue to support him, to believe in him, to see him as their champion. This case is not just the story of a dishonest man who refuses to admit his faults. It is the story of a society that has lost its bearings, that can no longer distinguish truth from falsehood, that prefers the comfort of lies to the discomfort of the truth. Trump is not an anomaly; he is a symptom of a deeper disease that is eating away at American democracy. And as long as this illness remains untreated, as long as truth does not once again become a shared value, America will continue to sink into chaos and division.

I look at Trump, with his oversized suit and smug smile, and I see the shattered mirror of America. Each shard reflects a different truth, an alternative reality, a lie that has become truth. And we, powerless spectators of this shipwreck, are witnessing the slow disintegration of everything that once held society together. Trust. Truth. Justice. Everything is crumbling before our eyes. And Trump, for his part, continues to smile, to lie, to proclaim his innocence. How long will this go on?

By Jacques Provost