THE TRUTH ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP

 

A fellow Democrat approached me at the gym. He was frustrated with the recently passed Republican Big Beautiful Bill (BBB). He could not believe that in his conversations with young men, many continue to support Trump and his policies. I have experienced the same reaction from Trump supporters of all ages.

Despite the Jeffery Epstein kerfuffle, most Republicans could not be happier with their elected leader. It is time for the rest of us to wake up. Do not underestimate Donald Trump or the loyalty of his followers.

My epiphany will be painful to Democrats who live in a universe populated by like-minded progressives who rely on liberal news channels, Atlantic magazine, and New York Times editorials. Our world rightfully paints Trump as an authoritarian, white nationalist, showing signs of old age. For Democrats, Trump’s power is propped up by an administration of unqualified, loyal followers who never question his decisions.

We believe Congressional Republicans follow his edicts based on fear, not principle. Our heroes are the Democrats in Congress and the courts, who continually remind us that they are the last line of defense against the total collapse of our constitutional republic.

The problem is not a lack of consequential issues on which to attack Trump. His demeanor is oppressive, anti-democratic, and racist. His statements are boastful at best and outright lies at worst.  His treatment of immigrants lacks respect for human dignity and is accompanied by militarized political theater to instill fear in minority communities. His treatment of elected officials from other democratic countries is abhorrent.

The passage of the BBB came with its own set of outrages. There are Medicaid cuts of nearly $1 trillion. There is no extension of Obamacare subsidies to help low-income Americans afford medical insurance. The bill calls for tens of billions in SNAP (food stamp) cuts.

The problem is that none of these actions that Democrats find repugnant have moved the needle with the President’s voters. Some members of his coalition may disagree on the Epstein files or the budget deficit, but they still support him. Why does Trump remain an immovable force in American politics?

The answer starts with the 2024 presidential election. The twice-impeached former President with 88 criminal offenses in four criminal cases and one criminal conviction easily won the election. MAGA made overwhelming gains in working-class counties across the country, including our own. According to the New York Times, “Mr. Trump has increased the Republican Party’s share of the presidential vote in each election he’s been on the ballot in close to half the counties in America — 1,433 in all.”

Immediately after the election, the NYT expressed the opinion, “Trump conquered America not by force, but with a permission slip. He would fire thousands of career public servants. He would deport millions of immigrants in military-style roundups. He would crush the independence of the Department of Justice, use government to push public health conspiracies and abandon America’s allies abroad. He would turn the government into a tool of his own grievances, a way to punish his critics and richly reward his supporters.”

Six months later, Trump has kept most of these domestic campaign promises. The Republican Congress helped by keeping taxes the same, with passage of the BBB. While the Senate did not honor Trump’s promise to not cut Medicaid, the President continues to ignore the damage. To soften the blowback against Republicans, the drastic cuts do not take effect until after the 2026 midterm elections.

When Trump turned the financial world upside down in April with his tariff policy, many, including me, thought he had reached his Armageddon. Today, the stock market is back to all-time highs. Our most important trading partners are negotiating to end the tariffs, to not lose market share. His supporters are not alarmed that the tariffs will spur higher inflation and act as a tax increase.

It is time to admit the truth. Trump, based on the dimensions of his record, is the most important political figure of the modern era. As POLITICO has pointed out, “He is a force of history.” Trump’s election and the disruptive promises to his voters gave him an opportunity to confidently attack domestic and international democratic institutions. For the next 3½ years, He will continue to push the limits.  Hopefully, our constitutional republic will bend, but not break. Democrats must never doubt his political skills or his combative and resilient character.

What is to be do? Only attacking Trump will win back few voters. Here are some other ideas. 1) Treat young male voters with respect and stop talking about “toxic masculinity.” 2) Choose new party leaders attractive to the working class, not just to government bureaucrats, academia, and the socially liberal sectors of the wealthy and upper middle classes. 3) Make sure the voting public understands that it was President Biden’s Democratic programs, opposed by Republicans, that brought infrastructure projects back to the Rust Belt. 4) Democrats need to assail financial and corporate elites with more enthusiasm than Republicans attack cultural elites. 5) Democrats need to utilize social media and popular podcasts with the same commitment as the Republicans have in recent years.

Winning back the working class and the White House will require hard work, new faces and new ideas. We should not waste resources attacking Trump’s character and statements to please our own supporters.