OP-ED: Trump’s role in politics must end
President Trump’s first inaugural address, given during his first few weeks in office, was a bizarre description of America as a “hellscape.” After hearing it, former President George W. Bush observed, “well that was some weird s—.” Little did we know that Donald Trump was not describing America under Barack Obama, but rather the America he would create before he left office. COVID-19 is rampaging across the country, the economy is having serious difficulties (primarily due to the pandemic), Trump and a shockingly large portion of the Republican Party are trying to overturn the presidential election, with some of his supporters going so far as to invade the Capitol in an attempt to stop the Electoral College count.
There are two main groups of Trump supporters. There are traditional Republicans who are aware of Trump’s character flaws (and often embarrassed by them), but feel that he would be better than any Democrat. They are not troubled by his incompetence, because they really don’t want him to do anything other than cut taxes and regulations, and appoint young, conservative judges that they suggest to him.
The other group that supports Trump consists of the populists. They are generally not fans of the aforementioned traditional Republicans, who they see as part of the coastal elite who have been in charge for decades, and through deindustrialization and globalization, have taken away jobs, cut wages, and made their economic existence insecure in pursuit of profit. But since they see Trump as independently wealthy, and outside of traditional Wall Street social circles, they see Trump as immune to the sway of the oligarchs.
The populists see themselves as the foundation of the America they love (Sarah Palin’s “Real America”), and are threatened by the changing demographics and culture. While some Democratic policies might help them economically (Obamacare, higher minimum wages), they see other policies as hurting them (affirmative action, environmental regulations that threaten their jobs), and they prioritize issues of identity over economics. Many who are former Democrats feel that the Democrats failed them, because even when they’re in power, not much changes (the fact that it’s often Republican opposition that prevent the changes is less obvious). And they really hate the liberal elites who they think control the party (after the decline of unions), and who they believe look down on them as racists, xenophobes and misogynists.
These are the supporters who tend to go to Trump rallies, and are affirmed in their beliefs by the size and energy of the crowds. Unfortunately, the false narrative that Joe Biden and the Democrats stole the election, supported by the failure of elected Republican officials to correct this lie, has radicalized a portion of them to use whatever means necessary to retrieve what they think has been stolen.
After the invasion of the Capitol on Jan 6, many of Trump’s supporters in the former group have recognized that Trump’s character flaws may be more dangerous than they realized, and have started to abandon him. They also recognize that since he is about to leave office, his usefulness is near its end. They’ve also realized that while Trump may be too incompetent to fulfill his literal promises (or that he never meant them in the first place), some of his supporters are all-in. How many supporters are willing to go that far is the crucial question. If they really do represent a “silent majority” in the country who supported Trump, but are afraid to do so for fear of being called racists or misogynists, the country might be in trouble. But thankfully, the people who invaded the Capitol seem to represent only a small portion of Trump supporters.
Given that the invaders seemed to be more interested in taking selfies than taking power, one might dismiss the invasion as a fraternity-type prank gone too far. But that perfunctory view is overwhelmed by the five deaths, and the fact that once the Capitol was breached, nothing would have prevented more serious agitators from creating a mass casualty event, even killing or taking hostage members of Congress or Vice President Mike Pence. Of course, the fact that their plan seemed to be based on the idea that they could pressure Pence into refusing to accept the results of the Electoral College, and that refusal would somehow lead to Trump remaining president, demonstrates how delusional they were. Their incompetence reduces their effectiveness but not their danger.
The right-wing news media, supported by a large portion of the Republican Party, has (according to a December Fox News poll) convinced 77% of the Republicans in the country that Trump won the election, and the Democrats stole it from them. Republican elected officials are in a position to know better, but lack the courage to tell their supporters something they don’t want to hear. Josh Hawley, who is a smart (but very ambitious) man, epitomizes this approach. In contesting Biden’s Electoral College win, he doesn’t claim it was a fraud (because he knows it’s not), he asserts that “it needs to be investigated” because many of his constituents believe it was a fraud. A responsible leader would educate his constituents so they would no longer believe something that wasn’t true. An ambitious politician with no conscience would use that false belief to ingratiate himself with his base to set himself up to win the Republican presidential primary in 2024.
Republicans who have only supported Trump because he was the only alternative to a Democrat should take this opportunity to rid the party of his influence. He has damaged the Republican Party, most recently in undermining the Republican position on the COVID relief bill and probably costing the Republicans control of the Senate by hurting the Republican Senate candidates in the Georgia run-off. Populists need to recognize that even though Trump was able to amplify their anger, his divisive nature and narcissistic personality make him the wrong messenger for their cause. Trump cannot make America better; he has proven that he can only destroy things. For the good of America, Trump’s role in politics must end.
Kent James has a doctorate in History and Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and is an adjunct in the History Department at Washington & Jefferson College.