Trump: The Criminal Conspiracy Case review: How Donald threatened and bullied like Tony Soprano to cling to power, writes CHRISTOPHER STEVENS

Trump: The Criminal Conspiracy Case (BBC2)

Evaluation:

Bada bing, bada boom! There’s one smart guy who can take the U.S. presidential election by the collar and bring some sense into the matter – and it’s not Donald Trump.

New Jersey mafia boss Tony Soprano is the man America needs. He will ensure the security of the country, because protection is the basis of his business. He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, especially if that means dismembering a body in a bathtub.

And he understands the economy and isn’t afraid to raise interest rates — or burn down the homes of people who don’t pay.

One could argue that “Big Tony” suffers a fatal disadvantage since “The Sopranos” ended in 2007 and the actor who played him, James Gandolfini, died six years later. But resurrection from the dead is common practice for US politicians. No one can convince me that Trump isn’t Tony S reincarnated.

As Trump: The Criminal Conspiracy Case unfolded, it was hard to believe that the tenured New York real estate mogul could be just days away from returning to the White House. His actions after the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden, were similar to those of a banana republic dictator who clung to power during a coup.

We heard tapes of his call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which he threatened, cajoled, harassed and even suggested rewards if the vote count could be overturned.

“Instead of saying over and over again that the numbers are right,” Trump urged, “why do you keep fighting this thing? You would be respected, really respected, if this thing could be resolved.”

This is dialogue straight out of “The Sopranos” – Tony’s arm rests on a rival’s shoulders, his voice full of manipulation and menace.

The documentary examines Trump’s refusal to concede defeat in the 2020 election and how he allegedly tried to overturn the result

Others caught up in the disputed vote count on which the outcome of the entire election depends are so fearful of a Trump victory that they are preparing to leave the country. “I haven’t opened my blinds in years,” said Eric Coomer, an executive at the IT company Dominion, which developed the ballot verification software.

He played back some of the threatening messages that drove him underground. “I hope you found your cell in Guantanamo Bay,” growled one of the more moderate ones.

All allegations that Dominion tampered with voting machines were proven false, and the Fox News network was forced to pay more than $700 million to settle the defamation claims.

But that doesn’t stop Trump supporters from believing the election was rigged. In fact, it reinforces their certainty that the conspiracy theories are true, which is exactly what this documentary failed to capture. Trump’s masterstroke was to portray professional media outlets, including the BBC, as implacable enemies of his freedom, just as Tony views the FBI. Anyone associated with them is, by definition, insidious.

There will be another election in America in less than two weeks. The predicted result is on a knife edge. If it goes against Trump, the anger of his supporters will make the Soprano gangsters look like the Salvation Army.