Media and legal targeting of Trump doesn’t mean he should be president again
In the two years-plus since former President Donald Trump left office, GOP voters have had a fluctuating relationship with him. Trump has garnered sympathy for some things, such as bearing the brunt of the blame for the disgraceful behavior at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. On the other hand, his claims of a 2020 “stolen” election have exhausted all but the most ardent supporters. Overall, the 45th president does a great job of playing the victim. The problem is, he embodies that role at all times, even when the casualty is obviously self-inflicted.
On March 31, Trump became the first U.S. president to be indicted. A total of 34 charges have been brought against him. To the disappointment of his biggest fans, there was no booking photo. The case, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, is flimsy at best. It represents a legal attempt to enact political harm on the former president and current 2024 Republican candidate for president. That Bragg is motivated by politics does not absolve Trump of his questionable personal behavior related to Stormy Daniels or the hush money payments. In all things, Donald J. Trump is not above reproach. But whether his actions are criminal is another story entirely. It’s a story the Democrats desperately want played out. And it’s a story the Trump team is all too willing to use as evidence of victimhood.
It’s well beyond time for the Republican Party to turn the page and forge a new path away from Trump. Party performance at the midterm elections was proof that connection to Trump is no sure case for victory and, in fact, can make things much worse. The political atmosphere in the country is not the same as it was in 2016 when he appealed to millions of voters fed up with career politicians eager to reject a Hillary Clinton presidency. Much has changed since then. The Biden presidency has been a disaster both at home and abroad. Everything, including the abysmal withdrawal from Afghanistan, inflation, and the border crisis, to name a few, points to the need for a Republican takeover at the executive level. But a GOP still stuck in the past seems willing to give Trump a third shot. The reasoning defies reality.
Recent polling shows a 2024 matchup against Biden would likely be an uphill battle, to say the least: “Quinnipiac University ... released a national survey that found Biden edging Trump 49% to 45% in a hypothetical 2024 matchup. A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll revealed Biden’s approval up nearly 10-points over Trump, locking in a 34% favorability rate among Americans compared to 25% who have a favorable opinion of the former president.” Trump just isn’t well-liked. Amazingly, this dislike is still evident when he’s placed in direct competition with an elderly Democratic Party placeholder whose record as commander in chief is rather terrible. That is the strength of voters’ disdain for Trump. And yet, Trump continues to be the Republican Party favorite for the 2024 nominee. It’s as if no lessons have been learned.
There seems to be an internal campaign of appeasement happening on the Right side of the political aisle. Trump is an embarrassment to the party in word and deed. That much is known by even some of his most staunch advocates, no matter how vocally supportive they are of him in public. But Trump won’t go away. As a result, the party faithful fall back on this comfort: Trump has been the subject of character assassination and unfair media and legal treatment from the start. If he’s the subject of constant derision by politicians, pundits, and lawyers, that means he’s doing something right. And if he’s doing something right, he deserves a third chance at the presidency. Furthermore, he fights as a representative for millions who lack power and influence. We can’t abandon him now, when so many are turning on him. Right?
That Trump is a target in no way qualifies him to be president. It shouldn’t qualify him for the nomination. It shouldn’t qualify him for blanket support during campaign season. He should not be given the benefit of the doubt in anything. That Democrats point to him and declare him unfit does not mean he’s fit to serve. Both the Democratic Party and Trump can be wrong. Voters don’t have to choose one or the other. In fact, both should be rejected.
There is no room for a candidate who won once, then lost, and whose influence in the 2018 and especially 2022 midterm elections was damaging. In addition, said candidate not only continues to repeat the lie of a “stolen” second presidential election but spends his days badmouthing other Republicans, such as effective, popular, young governors. This politician, if they were any other person, would be granted no compassion. But magically, Trump’s sway on Republican voters continues. And an indictment with 34 charges, however faulty the legal attempt may be, secures another measure of devotion. When will the GOP finally realize he’s just not worth it?
In a column at the New York Times, pollster Frank Luntz lays out his personal, eight-point plan for “making Trump go away.” This sentence sticks out: “It’s not about beating Mr. Trump with a competing ideology. It’s about offering Republicans the contrast they seek: a candidate who champions his agenda but with decency, civility and a commitment to personal responsibility and accountability.” The bare-bones political ideologies of current or prospective Republican candidates are rather similar. It’s the personal behavior, words, and actions that color voters’ perceptions of each one individually. As it stands, Republicans know all they need to know about Trump. What we see before us, every day, is that this is who he is and has been. That view isn’t made more palatable because Democrats are at war with him. Trump may be a victim in some things, but mostly, he’s a victim of his own choices, words, and actions. ★