Credit Kara Scannell and CNN for the first known use of this journalistic banality in describing Donald Trump’s pending indictment, but I’m sure we are going to hear it ad nauseum from every news outlet over the next few weeks.
The decision is sure to send shockwaves across the country, pushing the American political system – which has never seen one of its ex-leaders confronted with criminal charges, let alone while running again for president – into uncharted waters.
Pushing the “American political system” into “uncharted waters,” huh? That’s rich, coming from a network that bears heavy responsibility for hyping Trump into office in the first place. But I’ll bite. Let’s talk about those “uncharted waters” that our “political system” now finds itself in.
RELATED STORY: Democrats call for due process and the rule of law as Republicans spew outrage at Trump indictment
We had a president who attained office by actively soliciting and accepting the efforts of the Russian Federation, then lied about it. Those were “uncharted waters.”
We had a president who openly campaigned on racism and xenophobia, urging his rallygoers to beat up journalists. Those were “uncharted waters.”
We had a president who instituted a policy of kidnapping children, first putting them in cages and then separating them from their families. Those were “uncharted waters.”
We had a president who banned Muslims from entry into the U.S. Those were “uncharted waters.”
We had a president who tried to extort a foreign leader to invent dirt on his anticipated political opponent. Those were “uncharted waters.”
We had a president turn the Oval Office into a money-grubbing scheme for members of his immediate family and political allies. Those were “uncharted waters.”
We had a president who compiled the longest list of uncharged criminal offenses of any president in history. Those were “uncharted waters.”
We had a president who was impeached: twice. Both times for offenses for which he wholly deserved conviction. Those are “uncharted waters.”
We had a president who so badly botched a response to a pandemic that he likely killed nearly half a million Americans in the process. Those were “uncharted waters.”
We had a president who embraced white supremacy and intentionally inspired terrorist attacks against Americans. Those are “uncharted waters.”
We had a president who was defeated soundly in 2020, then proceeded to lie about the results, corroding our democracy, probably irreparably. Those are “uncharted waters.”
And we had a president who deliberately incited an attempted coup, supporting an attack on the very heart of our democracy, simply because he couldn’t face the fact that he’d lost the election. Those are “uncharted waters.”
I could go on and on, but you get the idea. For the majority of people in this country, the entire Trump administration was one long, involuntary experiment in “uncharted waters,” one that has ultimately left our country crippled, effectively torn in half, with millions distrustful, if not outrightly disdainful of our democracy, and millions unable and unwilling to separate truth from lies. We now have one of our two political parties completely devoted to performative cruelty and reveling in election denialism, fascism, and violence.
So please, don’t even talk to me about “uncharted waters.” That ship sailed a long, long time ago.
RELATED STORIES:
Reactions pour in following news of Trump's indictment
Trump reportedly caught off guard by news of indictments