Not surprised either, corruption is inherent ni politics. I am living in a country were the power of an ex-dictator's clan were put back to power as his son back as president of our republic after successful non-violent revolution not more than 40 years ago.
It used to be that there was an unspoken risk that ignoring all these norms would result in your being summarily tossed on your ass in the next election. But thanks to Murdoch, Limbaugh, Stone, Gingrich, and all the right wing media pushing hyper-partisan, no-compromise, the-other-guy-eats-babies politics, combined with a court system that refused to rein in the lies that were poisoning our discourse for decades, eroded that critical check on political society.
Innocent until proven guilty, and ongoing criminal trials, or even convictions can't bar someone from the presidency.
imagine a world where Donald could just eliminate political opponents by having them arrested and put on trial just before an election. Personally, I'm a fan of democracy
That's what's gonna end up happening anyway whether it's Trump or DeSantis, or anyone sufficiently power hungry. The idea that any system we build can protect us from people like that is a fucking joke and needs to be abandoned.