The Trump Abandonment Has Begun - The Atlantic
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The former president's newest critics ought to show some contrition.
By Peter Wehner Getty December 19, 2022
Welcome, tentatively, to the resistance.
It took half a dozen years, but large parts of the Republican establishment—elected Republicans, wealthy donors, the Murdoch media empire (Fox News, the Wall Street Journal editorial page, and the New York Post), and right-wing websites, radio-talk-show hosts, columnists, and commentators—have finally turned on Donald Trump. Some are more direct and public in their criticisms of the former president than others, but without question something fundamental has changed.
The GOP establishment is angry at Trump, who announced his bid for reelection on November 15, for recently hosting a prominent white supremacist and Holocaust denier (Nick Fuentes) and an anti-Semite (Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West) for dinner. For embracing QAnon. For advocating for the termination of the Constitution. For trashing the Supreme Court, on which three of his nominees sit. For promising to look "very, very favorably" at pardoning January 6 insurrectionists if he's reelected. And for being embroiled in multiple criminal investigations.
But mostly, they are angry at Trump for costing them seats in the House and control of the Senate. This midterm election was the third straight election cycle in which Republicans, under Trump's leadership and in his shadow, suffered setbacks. They stood by as he handpicked terrible candidates and obsessively promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 election—and they suffered the consequences.
Scott Reed, a veteran Republican strategist and a former top adviser to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told The New York Times that the past several weeks have been "devastating for Trump's future viability."
"Abandonment has begun," Reed said.
Whether the damage Trump has sustained is enough to keep him from winning the 2024 nomination is impossible to know at this point. Although the erosion in his support is significant, a large part of the base has shown sustained loyalty to Trump.
So how should those of us who, for years, have repeatedly warned Republicans about Trump view those who have finally done an about-face, in some cases mimicking the very criticisms that Never Trumpers have been making since the start of the Trump era?
David Frum: What the Never Trumpers want now
We ought to welcome their turnabout. This is, after all, what many of us have been urging them to do. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone should have the chance to correct those mistakes, including onetime Trump enthusiasts. Just as important, purging Trump from America's political landscape can only happen if the Republican Party first purges him from its ranks. If people who once supported Trump are, at last, willing to cast him aside, that is all to the good.
But we shouldn't see a moral awakening where there is none. The reason many longtime Trump supporters are deserting him is because they believe he is a loser, and an impediment to their quest for power. They are tossing Trump overboard because he's no longer useful to them. Their considerations are practical rather than principled, and precisely because the shift is for unprincipled reasons, we should assume that if they calculate that Trump can win again—and certainly if he's the Republican nominee in 2024—they will once again rally around him.
Nor are the belated resisters honestly reckoning with their (recent) pro-Trump past. They are, instead, engaging in a series of rationalizations to explain why they enabled and championed this loathsome figure for so long.
Some have simply chosen to forget their role in Trump's rise. Some are eager to portray themselves as having been far more critical of Trump than they actually were. Some prefer to turn the tables and go on the offensive, chiding longtime critics of Trump for not forgiving and forgetting. And still others are peddling a narrative in which Trump is only now "spinning out of control." Since the midterms, we're told, "something has snapped." Trump has "apparently lost touch with reality." These people feign shock at what the man in Mar-a-Lago has become. Who could possibly have seen this coming?
All of this maneuvering is born out of a natural desire to escape moral accountability, protect their reputation, and not admit their mistakes, and an even more intense desire to refuse to admit that Never Trumpers, whom they view with contempt, might have been right all along. Their psychological defense mechanisms—rationalizations intended to prevent feelings of guilt, shame, or discomfort about actions that on some level they know were wrong or unwise—are preventing them from coming to grips with their catastrophic misjudgments.
Context is important here. We're not talking about a mistaken assessment of the effects that tariffs might have on prices for consumers; we're talking about a party that nominated and at every turn defended a uniquely malicious figure in American politics. And he didn't come disguised as anything other than what he was. Trump was a wolf in wolf's clothing.
Trump's dinner with Fuentes and Ye was not a break with the past. Rather, it exists on a long continuum of wrongdoing: making hush-money payments to porn stars, committing tax fraud, and falsifying records; pathological lying, cruelty, and political brutality; siding with the intelligence agencies of America's enemies rather than America's, complimenting savage dictators, and blackmailing our allies in order to dig up dirt on political opponents; demagoguery, borderless corruption, and calls for political violence; obstructing justice, abusing the pardon power, and wanting the IRS to investigate political foes; racist taunts and appeals to Americans' ugliest instincts; lighting the flame that ignited a mob that stormed the Capitol, ignoring pleas for help during the insurrection, encouraging those who wanted to hang his vice president, and trying to overthrow the election.
Read: The GOP can't hide from extremism
At no point did Trump deceive Republicans into supporting him; he simply broke them. Formerly fierce critics such as Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham became lapdogs. Republicans didn't change Trump; he changed them. Fundamental convictions, or at least what had been sold as fundamental convictions, were inverted. Character in leaders used to matter, we were told—until depravity became acceptable and even fashionable.
As Trump descends further into madness, "it's in the interests of Republicans to bury this record of iniquity—to move on as if it were all some kind of surreal dream," in the words of Andrew Sullivan. But it wasn't a dream: The trauma of the Trump years and the role of those who made them possible can't be papered over, forgotten, or pushed down what George Orwell called "memory holes." Individuals who allowed a man with fascist instincts into the Oval Office and, once he was there, provided him cover owe their fellow citizens—and themselves—an honest accounting.
Doing this would begin to repair one of the most damaging aspects of the Trump years, which was his (and his supporters') gaslighting of America; their nonstop, dawn-to-dusk assault on facts and truth, their attempt to distort reality to fit their narrative. The Republican establishment that stood with Trump may now want to break with him, but in the process, they are still relying on some bad habits, including inviting the rest of us into their hall of mirrors.
Trump supporters have deformed history and reality quite enough. Even as we welcome them to the resistance, we ought to expect from them an acknowledgment of the role they played in the rise and rule of Donald Trump.
At some point all of us, even the GOP, will move on from Trump. That process is hopefully well under way. Healing our nation will require different things from different sides, including some measure of civic grace and some measure of civic honesty. Other nations, more divided than ours, have found the balance between truth and reconciliation. So can America. But it will take time, intentionality, and love of country.
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Trump Who? Never heard of the bum. GTFOOH!
Lol ..... that day will never come for some of his haters here. ...... and Trump continues to lay eggs in their rotting grey matter. Forever and ever ....
lots of luck ditching that political albatross, especially with a congressional majority infested with his seditious sycophants.
Coming from a publication that has a extreme leftist liberal bias, it is hard for any but hard core leftist liberals to put ant real stock in what they publish. Not even worth reading to me.
Living completely rent free, taking daily dumps in the rotted grey matter of the triggered .... still funny after all these years ....
The reason many longtime Trump supporters are deserting him is because they believe he is a loser, and an impediment to their quest for power. They are tossing Trump overboard because he's no longer useful to them. Their considerations are practical".....
For me, the abandonment/rejection started shortly after the 2020 election and continues to this day. Some Dems think that Trump remains all that popular with main stream Republicans and right wingers in general. His fanatical core supporters don't have enough numbers to give him the nomination, let alone win another general election. He's useless to the party and needs to be replaced with someone who can win.
I recommend lauren blowbert or margie greene...
that is one thing that worries me. that his supporters are enough to give him the nomination. there's no way he has the pull to win a general election so him winning the primary would hand the White House to the Democrats.
The gop is doomed to nominate Trump again and Biden will whoop his ass, again!
One would then expect your collective comments to not predominantly be in defense of Trump and not deflect from criticism of Trump. Clearly he deserves the criticism and dealing with Trump truthfully is best for the GoP and the nation. Yet the bizarre support of Trump ensued and continues (to a lesser degree finally) today.
I agree that Trump will lose the general (if nominated). The GoP needs to ensure that never happens because he still has a chance at the nomination. Remember, he won in 2016 on a plurality, not a majority. Also, if he runs as an independent he will pull votes from the GoP nominee and in a close election (they all seem to be), that spells another GoP loss.
Clearly. He is worse than useless, he is (and has been) detrimental to the party. Every GoP member should have been on Trump like they are on Biden to detach him from the GoP. They D I D N O T D O T H A T.
The GoP is now stuck with Trump to some degree no matter what they do. Best to put as much distance as possible.
It is not a sure thing and Trump support continues to wane. But it is a practical possibility that Trump could be the GoP nominee. The GoP should be fearful of this and do everything they can to ensure this does not happen. Yet we still see many of them defending Trump.
... another republican created problem that has to be fixed by democrats.
to paraphrase christopher hitchens, if they gave trump an enema after he died, they could bury him in a matchbox.
Democrats need to fix the fucking problems that Brandon the Human Fuck Up Machine and they have created by themselves first.
Little things like the wide open borders; illegal immigrants streaming across our borders in record numbers; inflation; high gas prices; surging crime; the two tier justice system they created; and if they have time head off the recession that we are already in before it wrecks the country further.
Oh, and stop lying. Democrats and their media sycophants created Trump. The media hung on his every word; and froze out the myriad of candidates that were running against Trump in 2016 Republican primaries. Democrat voters crossed over to vote for Trump in open primary states- as he was the only candidate polls showed Hillary could beat.
Democrats are they only thing that is keeping Trump relevant. They need him to be the Republican candidate in 2024 if they are to have any chance of retaining the White House. Especially since Brandon the Human Fuck Up Machine is running again. Even Democrats have to keep him in the news 24/7 until the primaries.
Yawn, here we go again. Deflect to someone else, never actually have to reckon with the fact that you vehemently support a total piece of shit human being such as trump.
Go ahead and cry about the border some more, seems like it is only a problem for you when a dem is in office. For all the whining you do about it you must have some pretty good ideas on how to rectify the situation.
another republican created problem that has to be fixed by democrats.
What Republican created problems have the Democrats fixed?
The Dem dummies have never fixed anything and have only created more problems.
if you're going to quote me, at least have the decency to use quotation marks...
Are you now the punctuation police?
It is site policy to properly quote words of others. And it is very easy to do. See that Quote in the upper left hand corner? Put your cursor on text you copied from someone else and then press that Quote button.
Cite the policy please.
Dennis,
We do have a policy of quoting. You are supposed to use the quote button, hence why it is there.
Quoting falls under our rule about citations. You need to cite everything, including other members' words.
Thanks for the info
Gee, I thought abandoning Trump began two years ago with the 2020 election. It's Democrats who haven't abandoned Trump. Apparently Democrats haven't noticed that Joe Biden has been in charge for the last two years.
The Ds (at least the partisan Ds) would logically want Trump to win the nomination.
At the rate we get all the updates and day by day reports from the left, it seems they're the only ones that haven't abandoned Trump. Now with this announcement does that mean that the left will now finally be focusing on the problems caused by they Biden administration?
Surely you jest.....................
I know, I know. Don't call me Shirley
The 'left' never supported Trump so it makes no sense to say they abandoned him. Only supporters can abandon him and that pretty much lies with the GoP.
Those who refuse to even acknowledge wrongdoing by Trump support Trump. They are the ones who enable him to continue to be relevant. They are the ones who need to abandon him. They can start by stop defending him at every turn and face reality (aka actually be honest) about his wrongdoing.
I never said the left supported him. Maybe you should go back and read my post.
You deny everything. You stated:
The "they're" in you sentence refers, grammatically, to "the left". You then stated that "the left" haven't abandoned Trump.
Given "the left" never supported Trump, the concept of them abandoning him makes no sense.
What was it that you wanted to communicate (as opposed to what you actually wrote)? Were you trying to say that it is only "the left" that keep Trump in the news or something (obviously wrong) like that?
The meaning of what he said is that Trump is still alive and well as a tenant in their heads. And it seems he will never leave. They just can't let go.
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where does it actually reflect I said the left SUPPORTED Trump? I'll give you a hint - it doesn't. What I did say is that the LEFT WON'T ABANDON HIM. You all need him.
We don't need you to speak for Jeremy. He makes a fool of himself just fine without your support [deleted]
Again, Jeremy, logically the left cannot abandon Trump because they never supported him in the first place.
You apparently want to say that the left is what keeps Trump in the news and relevant. That is also incorrect. Trump is relevant due to GoP support. Lose the support (and defense from people like you) and Trump would not be a GoP candidate for PotUS.
Read 4.2.4. This time read what is written there and not what you want to hear.
Nah, the triggered worker drones will simply move smoothly to the next target to blaspheme ..... likely DeSantis .... which has actually already begun ..... just not quite in earnest yet. But give it time. As the saying goes .... haters gotta hate.
After 6 years I can see how transitioning their unfounded anger from Trump to a new target will take time. But in that time, we are still seeing failures across the board for the current administration that they refuse to acknowledge.
Yep but remember. For the triggered Bush quickly replaced Reagan and Trump quickly replaced Bush.
That is not to say Reagan and Bush aren’t still living rent free up there in their rotted, plaque filled brains. They are ... in perpetuity.
Pay close attention to this. This is why I don't want trmp to be the 2024 rep nominee
We want someone who can beat whoever the Dem nominee is. Right now that looks to be DeSantis
Bingo!
So simple yet for years the GoP has supported and defended Trump. Many continue to support him (albeit support is waning). How, exactly, could the GoP be so ... for lack of a better word ... stupid? After the Big Lie campaign it should have been absolutely crystal clear in everyone's mind that Trump should never hold any public office much less the presidency. Yet ....
What a friggin' mess Trump has made of the GoP and what a disgrace that the party allowed this to happen as they pursued a (perceived) short-term gain regardless of ethics policy.
I do not want either Trump nor Biden running again in 2024. Both did/are doing more than their fair share of a botched job as president. I will vote 3rd party rather than vote for either. I did that the last two presidential elections.
Agreed.
But too many in the GoP are keeping Trump relevant. How is it that we still have GoP members who defend Trump? What on Earth are they thinking? What drives someone to refuse to even admit wrongdoing by Trump?
Insanity comes in many forms.
They are simply asking themselves "WWDD?" "What Would Donald Do?" and the obvious answer is "Throw the dead weight out the door! Who cares who it is! If throwing them under the bus saves my ass, then out you go!".
There is an old saying, there is no honor among thieves, and it's clear that many Republicans who so far had been sniveling at Trumps feet were brandishing knives behind their backs ever ready for the "Et tu, Brute?" moment, when the Orange Julius has outlived his usefulness...
Wait until the Dems throw Brandon under the bus, knowing he can't win again...even against Trump.
If anyone throws 'Brandon' under the bus, it will most likely be himself. The difference in character between Joe 'John Doe' Biden and the pasty sad clown Donald is that even as a placeholder he's a hundred times the man than dirty Donald has ever and will ever be. Do I think Biden will really run again? No, not really. I think there will be far more capable candidates put forward by both parties other than old Joe and the orange Shit Show.
Yep, keep Trump relevant by continuing the psychological notion that he could win the general election. If people think he might win the general he will have a better chance at securing the nomination.
How is it that this is not extremely obvious?
Biden beats Trump again, no doubt about it. The simple reason is that a majority of americans can’t stand trump.
Sorry, but I'm just not going to. The one thing we have seen demonstrated a million times in the last 8 years is that liberal journalists understand Trump supporters even less well than they understand math. If it's possible to have negative amounts of understanding on something, this is where it would happen.
It's hard to imagine a more infantile comment. Of course, anyone with more than half a brain who reads that automatically knows there is absolutely no reason to read the rest of the comment because something so idiotic could only be followed by more infantile drivel and total bullshit.
Don't know where it came from but you're right that any reading beyond that comment would be headache inducing
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All he has is infantile drivel and total bullshit
Stop projecting .... again.
Speaking of drivel and total bullshit.....
And deflecting and denying!
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Yep ..... SOSDD
Indubitably.
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What about all the infantile comments made about Trump....and his supporters.
The truth isn't infantile
It's hard to imagine a more infantile comment. [deleted]
oh please
Said the King of . . . .
Especially since it is so oft repeated.