Never back down: Rich and powerful exploit post-shame society
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
America is reaching the pinnacle of a post-shame society forged by Donald Trump and reinforced by powerful patrons.
Why it matters: Nearly 50 years after Richard Nixon resigned before ever being charged with a crime, the GOP is a month away from nominating a convicted felon to be president. Polls suggest the race is extremely close.
The big picture: While he may represent the most extreme example, Trump isn't the only one who has realized a lack of shame can be a crucial survival skill.
- Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose years of expensive private travel gifted by GOP megadonor Harlan Crow, even after recently amending his 2019 financial disclosure.
- Justice Samuel Alito refused to recuse himself from Jan. 6-related cases after acknowledging that his wife flew an upside-down flag — a symbol carried by pro-Trump rioters — outside of their home.
- Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) are both running for re-election despite being indicted on bribery charges.
- Serial fabulist Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) clung to his seat so long that he became just the sixth person in U.S. history to be expelled from the House.
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) lost her committee assignments in 2021 over her endorsement of baseless conspiracy theories, but became one of MAGA's most influential voices when the GOP won the House.
The latest: George Norcross, a titan of Democratic politics in New Jersey, defiantly sat in the front row Monday as prosecutors unveiled a sweeping indictment accusing him of running a decade-long criminal enterprise.
Zoom in: Trump has long defied the conventional laws of politics, surviving countless controversies by lashing out at his opponents, undermining the press and painting himself as a victim.
- He famously apologized after the "Access Hollywood" tape nearly ended his campaign in 2016 — only to invite women who accused Bill Clinton of sexual abuse to his debate against Hillary Clinton.
- Several party elders disowned Trump in 2016. Then he won. A few more did so after Jan. 6 — then he came back.
- Now, no matter what trouble he gets himself into, hardly anyone in the GOP utters a word of criticism.
Between the lines: The "never back down" phenomenon has spread to corners of the business world in recent years — led primarily by Elon Musk.
- Like Trump, the eccentric billionaire frequently promotes baseless conspiracy theories to his legions of loyal followers — and relishes criticism from the mainstream media.
- Musk won approval for the largest pay package ever for the CEO of a public company, $44.9 billion, days after yet another report raised questions about his conduct with employees at his various companies.
State of play: None of this is to say that high-profile resignations are extinct.
- Andrew Cuomo eventually stepped down as New York governor in 2021 after months of pressure over sexual harassment claims, though he has entertained a political comeback.
- Claudine Gay resigned as Harvard president in January after a disastrous congressional hearing on campus anti-semitism was followed by allegations of plagiarism.
Yes, but: The Trump playbook shows that for some people at the apex of American power, every scandal you survive makes the next one a bit less damaging.
The bottom line: If Watergate happened in 2024, there's every chance Nixon would have hung in there.
