We are already in October in a presidential election cycle, and both candidates are in a dead heat. Older Americans are well aware of a phenomenon known as the October Surprise and are waiting to see if we will have one this year.
An October surprise is an event or scandal that is revealed in the month before the November election and can change the election results. One of the most recent and well-known October Surprises was during the 2016 election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Eleven days before the election, FBI Director James Comey announced he was reopening an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. His investigation previously found that Clinton may have been careless in using a private server, but she did not commit any crimes.
At the time of the announcement, Clinton held a substantial lead over Trump, but this quickly disappeared after the announcement. Trump went on to win the Electoral College and become President, while Clinton overwhelmingly won the popular vote.
Political pundits continue to say Clinton would have handily won the election had it not been for Comey announcing his decision to reopen the case publicly. Some say he broke the tradition of the Department of Justice to get involved in political investigations so close to an election. Others say he did it intentionally.
Yesterday, Washington, DC District Court Judge Tanya Chutkin unsealed Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s filings of evidence in Trump’s January 6th election subversion case. This is the evidence that will be introduced at Trump’s trial if and when it takes place in the future. The revelations included testimony that Trump said, “So what”? When he was told that his Vice President, Mike Pence, was taken away to a safe place in response to threats against his life.
All of the evidence presented was shown to be Trump’s actions as a private presidential candidate, not the President’s official actions. The new filings supposedly negate the Supreme Court’s declaration of immunity for Trump’s official duties.
The filings included evidence that Trump was responsible for planning, overseeing, and implementing the January 6ty attempt to overthrow the election of Joe Biden. In other words, Trump acted with criminal intent.
This is nothing new to all who are not glued to Fox News. Oddly enough, Fox News has reported these filings showed Trump acted criminally before and after the insurrection. Some pundits believe these revelations could be a real October Surprise. They reason that for many Americans with short memories, they could be a reminder of that horrible day. Those intending to vote for Trump may be influenced to have second thoughts.
I believe these new revelations will sway very few people. People who have always supported Trump, knowing he is a pathological liar, convicted felon, rapist, racist, and misogynist, will continue to support him. They are too much like him. Even if proof is revealed that Trump had viciously raped and slaughtered a kindergarten class of small children, they would still support him.
The only candidate an October Surprise could hurt would be Harris. Trump has ample time to fabricate the evidence for such an event. Be prepared for some nastiness ahead.
