Something the right has to wrestle with is the nettlesome truth that Donald Trump was, and I believe still is, a huge advocate for the jabs (I'm not a fan of Newsweek, but here's a recent article). Operation Warp Speed was his baby, after all, and I even recall a lot of conservatives feeling relieved, at first, when the jabs started rolling out. But with the passage of time, attitudes among the rightie hoi polloi began to change as news of the jabs' ill effects started to pile up. Trump—unless things have changed—has remained pro-jab. This isn't to say that Trump was pro-mandate: he never was. He advocated for people's right to choose whether they got jabbed or not. Still, Trump's stance puts him in an awkward relationship with his advocates, and they're going to have to figure out where they really stand vis-à-vis Trump.
I didn't disagree with most of Trump's policies. To me, it's simple common sense to want strong borders, a strong economy, and none of the woke virus that has ensnared half the country. That said, I recognize that Trump has made poor decisions as well: as we now know, the "vaccines" don't prevent infection and don't prevent spread. Continuing to advocate for them is wrongheaded. Trump has also had a history of picking the wrong people for his team: he's a good judge of human nature at the macro level, but a terrible judge at the micro level, where he surrounds himself with kiss-ass staffers of shaky loyalty—people who end up betraying him. I'm also not a fan of Trump on a personal level. As I've said many times, I wouldn't want to sit with him at dinner, listening to him talk about himself for two hours.
So I recognize that people's relationship with Trump can be complicated; people in general are complicated. While Ron DeSantis may seem like an appealing alternative, DeSantis still doesn't quite have the clout Trump does, and he has less of an "outsider" vibe than Trump, who—aside from four years' experience as president—has no political formation. For that reason, most of the focus remains on Trump, who recently made the decision to get back on Twitter (which means what, exactly, for his Truth Social?). Like it or not, if you're a supporter of the MAGA agenda, you're stuck with Trump.
Trump himself wants to take credit for rolling out the "vaccines" and saving thousands, even millions, of lives. His base, meanwhile, has moved out from under him on that issue, and Trump will never admit he was wrong. It'd be such a simple thing for someone like me to say if I were in Trump's position—"Hey, I made a mistake that may have cost lives"—but because Trump has invested his massive ego in a heroic self-image, he is physically incapable of making the necessary U-turn that would bring him back into sync with his base.
I don't envy the right the task that lies before it. Figuring out how best to appreciate Trump is no easy thing: the man himself doesn't make it easy. But Trump brings with him contradictions that need to be considered. He can be wise, even prescient, on some matters but utterly boneheaded on others. In the end, it may indeed come down to the binary choice of either (a) rejecting Trump because, overall, he doesn't make sense, or (b) accepting Trump as he is, warts and all. For some on the right, this is an easy choice. For others—the ones who think—it's not so easy because reality is rarely so simple.
(In case it's not clear from the above, I'm not a Never Trumper.)
We are of like minds when it comes to Trump. Don't like him personally much, but respect the job he did as President.
ReplyDeleteRe: the vaxx. He was right to fast-track availability IMO, but big Pharma fucked it up. I think acknowledging that the plan was good, but the execution was not, would be a good move, but as you note, probably beyond the capability of Trump's ego.
I've grown to like DeSantis more, and with all of Trump's baggage (real and made-up) think he'd be a stronger candidate in 2024. But, I always take the best option and I can't think of any Democrat who would be better than Trump.