Breaking with Trump

Although I have never considered that Donald Trump could be the solution to the many problems American society faces, I have been sensitive for a long time to those Americans who feel little or rarely heard, or even respected, by the Washington political class.

These Americans, frustrated and too often missing from the polls, showed their support for Bernie Sanders and Trump during the 2016 presidential election cycle. Moreover, I was not surprised that a disappointed Sanders supporter might join the Trump camp after Hillary Clinton’s victory in the Democratic primaries.

This mass of voters can make a difference if one manages to mobilize them. Trump knew how to draw their attention and direct major sections of his campaign speeches at them, reiterating the slogans that appealed to them as often as necessary.

Still under the spell of the 45th president, many supporters are hoping for his return and continue to put pressure on a Republican Party that needs their votes for the midterms as well as for the 2024 presidential election.

It was to all of these supporters that a former Trump ally addressed a commentary in The Washington Post on Wednesday. Freelance columnist Gary Abernathy well represents the Trump supporter, whose motivations and inclination I can understand.

Aware of the man’s shortcomings, his narcissism and the fact that he sometimes behaves like a jerk, Abernathy has defended Trump against every attack. He opposed Trump’s impeachment and denounced an assault by the most progressive news media. However, yesterday, Abernathy explained why he was breaking with the Republican leader.

He not only explained why he was personally breaking with Trump, but also advised the Republican Party to immediately disassociate itself from Trump. Why? Because of Trump’s pathological incapacity to accept his defeat and, worse, the fact that he is maintaining the lie that there was election fraud, all the while refusing to distance himself from those who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Abernathy is now disturbed by the fact the Republican Party tolerates disinformation, and that it contents itself with criticizing Joe Biden without proposing anything in return. The writer mentions in passing that he is not breaking with all that Trump is putting forward, but he maintains that in order to move forward, the party must get rid of him; somewhat like what one does in ending a passionate romantic relationship. Abernathy underscores that the break will not be easy and that not everyone will get there in the same way, but that splitting up seems inevitable to him.

How can people successfully carry off such a separation?? By concentrating on what drove us to support Trump in 2016 and pursing the same issues with the top candidates. Whether it is a question of demanding better protection at the southern border, denouncing the “woke” or the “cancel culture,” favoring “America First” in foreign policy or demanding energy independence, it is possible to attract the attention of numerous other politicians in the Republican Party.

Abernathy adds that while the break is necessary, the hesitant Trump lovers need not rush into anything and that they have plenty of time before the 2024 presidential election. After all, the midterm elections this year are, above all, a referendum on Biden’s mandate, and Biden is barely managing to distinguish himself.

Although Abernathy’s awakening seems a little late to me, I was drawn to his column because he gets close to what I have been asserting for quite some time. The arguments Trump loyalists make and their anger are legitimate. The problem is they have placed their confidence in the hands of an unfit and untested lout.

The frustration and anger are still brewing. If many hoped for a solution to their misery as a result of Trump’s victory in 2016, their situation has scarcely improved, the billionaire having made sure to satisfy the richest Americans before descending into conspiracy theories.

This is not the first time that I have argued this, but the United States needs the Republican Party to once again become a party of ideas that lives in 21st century reality. If the Democratic Party remains the best option, it is because it is the only party living in the right century. But the Democrats have many weaknesses and they no longer know how to unite those Americans who, for lack of anything better, lean toward Trump.

Abernathy is thus correct. There is no rush for Republicans in 2022, and 2024 is still far off. Before Republicans think about the platform for the next presidential election, they must first break with Trump. Everyone will be better off.