The less than surprising news that president senile Joe Biden had suddenly decided he would step down as 2024 Democrat presidential nominee on Sunday was met with absolute horror among many in the establishment media and glee and hilarity from the
preponderance of conservatives and Republicans. It could be argued that the Democrats are now as fractured and divided as Republicans are united behind their candidate.
If there was one takeaway from last week’s highly entertaining and substantive Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it was the overwhelming sense of unity that the delegates seemed to share in the aftermath of the presidential race-altering event that occurred just a couple days prior to the meeting’s opening.
In just a few days’ time, Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt, chose a running mate, saw the entire party rally around his ticket and witnessed remarkable harmony as the result of consolidating to adopt the theme of Make America Great Once Again.
What a contrast from 2016, where the first-time nominee still had to deal with visible factions within the party who hadn’t yet made up their minds whether they would support the Trump/Pence ticket at all. Back then, the best thing Trump had going for him was his being pitted against the Democrats’ Crooked Hillary Clinton, a politician who was as unpopular as he was.
Fast forward to now, where Trump is virtually clear of any intra-party opposition. There remains a token few Never Trump holdouts, but those who still won’t commit to Trump aren’t murmuring anything any longer. Even the eternally antagonistic establishment media seems resigned to accepting Trump’s frontrunner status in the 2024 presidential race.
One of the most noteworthy stories from last week was the affection and endorsements from Trump’s formerly bitter Republican rivals. It wasn’t all that long ago that elements of the Republican Party were still openly skeptical about Trump’s ability to bring everyone together under one big tent. Now, just weeks and months after the primaries concluded, all of the GOP is on board the Trump train with no barriers in sight.
Trump’s ability to forgive and forget has become legendary. Will the good vibrations last? In an article titled “‘A Different Donald Trump’ Beams as Rivals Become ‘Converts’”, Philip Wegmann wrote at Real Clear Politics last week:
“’If there is one thing Donald Trump loves more than a Day One supporter,’ Hogan Gidley, who served as a Trump White House aide, told RealClearPolitics, ‘it is a convert.’ …
“At this convention, things just feel altered, said Republican pollster Frank Luntz. ‘And it feels different, which means people are hearing something different,’ he told RCP. ‘That hasn’t happened for years.’ What changed among the Republican faithful? ‘Their hero was almost taken away from them,’ he replied, an occurrence that ‘humanized Trump and humbled his supporters.’ …
“Trump has made plenty of bitter rivals into friends during his time in office. Just think of the nicknames. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who challenged him eight years ago, went from ‘Lying Ted’ in that time to ‘Beautiful Ted.’ Consider also the props. He had a pallet of Trump bottled water, complete with his face emblazoned on the packaging, delivered to the campaign headquarters of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in 2016. ... Ultimately, the barb did not matter. Rubio became a key legislative ally of Trump, even auditioning this time around to be his running mate.”
All of this is true, and it’s not hard to believe that Trump somehow found a way to win over an awful lot of people – at least those who opened themselves to changing their opinions based on facts and experience rather than clinging to discredited notions of Trump’s irreparable “divisiveness”. At the same time, it’s highly doubtful that Trump will ever add establishment-to-the-core mouthpieces like Liz Cheney, Paul Ryan or Mitt Romney to his growing list of folks who’ve seen the light on the real Donald Trump.
Think back to the last time you heard a Republican say “Trump can’t win” in reference to this year’s election. The boobirds from last year have not only quieted down, they’ve completely disappeared. I don’t even think hefty dirigible bowl of goo Chris Christie is claiming such things these days. What a difference from six months ago.
Is Christie still asked to be an “expert” Republican commentator on establishment media talk shows? We’d definitely hate to see the rotund New Jerseyan lose his meal ticket.
Some might argue that Trump was a political acquired taste in 2016 and I count myself among many Ted Cruz supporters who decided it was better to adopt Trump and his faults than join the Never Trump ranks and sit out the election. Or worse, gulp, throw-in with Hillary Clinton and the Democrats. Or senile Joe Biden in 2020. How are John Kasich and Cindy McCain feeling these days about the state of politics?
Trump never really changed. It’s the people around him who abandoned their prejudices and prior opinions of his political movement to “convert” to Trumpism. Even some in the reporting class are coming around.
It’s hideously ironic to figure that it took nearly getting assassinated for the establishment media to finally present a positive side of Trump, something that was on full display last week during the Republican National Convention. For four days and evenings, speaker after speaker stood up and said something nice about Trump – not just his fighting spirit, populist/conservative platform and America First foreign policy orientation – but about the man himself.
Particularly memorable was his granddaughter Kai’s (Don Jr.’s oldest daughter) brief tribute on Wednesday evening, talking evenly and confidently about how Donald Trump is just a “normal” grandpa to her who slips his grandkids candy and soda when their parents aren’t looking and sometimes calls her at school to ask about her grades and golf game.
Equally thought-provoking was the testimonial from the first of the Gold Star parents who’d lost sons or daughters in the suicide bombing attack in Afghanistan that killed 13 United States service members. The grieving mother recounted how Trump invited all of the parents to his golf club in New Jersey and spent hours hearing their stories and consoling them while senile Joe Biden ignored their cries of grief.
Or how about the mayor of East Palestine, Ohio, recalling how Trump visited his town shortly after the life-threatening railroad chemical accident that should’ve drawn a rapid and compassionate response from the president and his Trans Secretary, Pete Butt.
Trump cared, and played the role an American president is voted-in to perform. Senile Joe Biden didn’t do anything for months there. Therefore, who’s more “human” in the eyes of real people?
The media talkers suggested last week’s Republican gathering was merely an attempt to “humanize” Trump, to perhaps portray him as a nicer guy and better soul than he really is. It could’ve just been my inkling, but were the journos hoping to convey an impression that they still didn’t believe it, as though they were qualified and empowered to pass judgment on the career real estate developer/tabloid celebrity/reality TV star-turned first-time politician-turned president of the United States-turned banished political outcast-turned resurrected major party presidential nominee.
The fact is, there’s been enough said and written about Trump during his time in the spotlight for people to formulate their own opinions, and if they’re wise, they’ll pay close attention to the quality of people who swear that Trump not only has a beating heart, but that it’s authentically a heart of gold.
There’s a constant theme throughout Trump’s life if his detractors would only pay credence to it. Trump doesn’t like people who lie about him, accuse him unfairly, judge him or pretend that he’s something that he’s not. As often stated in this space, Trump isn’t the one who usually starts the arguments or the controversies. He’s a counter-puncher. You hit him, expect that you’ll get punched hard in return.
And it won’t be nice, or pleasant. Whether you become an enemy for life is up to you, but it doesn’t make Trump a bad person because he’s got a thin skin in some ways.
Trump has done some bad things in his life, and he’s admitted them, sometimes begrudgingly, but, as I’ve been reminded lately, doing bad things doesn’t necessarily make one a bad person. There is such a thing as taking responsibility and feeling remorse. Trump has shown he has capacity to forgive others for past slights against him. If this weren’t true, he certainly wouldn’t have chosen J.D. Vance to be his running mate this year.
And Marco Rubio wouldn’t have been under consideration for the same honor – and there’s no way Rubio would’ve been allowed to speak in primetime at the convention if it were feared that the Floridian was less than 100 percent. Nor would Nikki Haley, who literally spent months probing for the weakness in Trump’s electoral armor, often getting personal (as Trump did too). Yet there she was last Tuesday, saying she “strongly” endorsed Trump’s candidacy now.
What happened to Nikki’s demand that Trump take a cognitive test? Establishment politicians say the strangest things when they’re trying to win the disgruntled loser vote.
Meanwhile, Trump’s capacity to turn the other cheek is alive and well. Since he’s got the political power – and the patronage privileges, it’s not as though he’d made inroads because he wants something from his old foes. If there’s anyone who could be holding a grudge, it’s him.
It could be argued that everything in politics is temporary and that the great enthusiasm Trump currently enjoys could evaporate in an instant. But you’d have to be a fool to surmise that the emotion enveloping Trump is a momentary balloon that could burst spontaneously. Much to the Democrats’ chagrin, the MAGA movement appears here to stay.
Trump is the obvious figurehead, but with J.D. Vance involved in the 2024 effort now, the sky is the limit. With the Democrats and senile Joe imploding on the other side, it’s hard to see a way that the three-time Republican nominee could be stopped. Lawfare didn’t do it; the establishment media couldn’t do it; and a bullet flat out missed due to the Grace of God.
Donald Trump, unifying leader. Who wouldda thought?
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I still do not trust Vance. A friend of mine sent me an article referring to Vance as "Mike Pence 2.0."