For a host of reasons, all of which I’ve laid out in excruciating detail both on Twitter/X and my past Townhall columns, Donald Trump wasn’t my choice to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee. I considered myself a “Never Again Trumper.” Though I happily voted for him twice, I felt strongly that Ron DeSantis was the better option this cycle. Yet, for better or for worse, despite the efforts of all of us who wanted an alternative, here we are, with Trump as the Republican presidential nominee for a third election in a row.
For a while, I’ll admit I was a bit salty about it. Well, probably more than a bit. I felt, and still feel, that DeSantis was the most accomplished GOP candidate in a generation and would have been magnificent at the top of the ticket. But, for this election at least, GOP voters disagreed with me, and that’s that.
Now, I could stew in my own disappointment and for all intents and purposes sit this election out, take my ball and go home. I’ve done it before, most recently in 2008 when Republicans nominated the horrible John McCain over Ron Paul. I voted third party that year and slept like a baby. Believe me, I strongly considered it this time. I even suspended my column for a while and spent far too many social media posts lambasting Trump and unleashing “I told you so’s” every chance I got when things looked the least bit dim. And maybe I’ll still do that last part, once the election is over or even during the election reacting to specific issues as a way to try to get Trump and his people to up their game. I'm not saying I'll never be critical. But for now, I’m going to by and large put my “Never Again Trump” instincts aside and go all-in on MAGA, and let the chips fall where they may.
‘Why?’ you may ask. ‘What changed your mind?’ It’s a great question, especially considering that I wrote a column for Newsweek just three months ago making the case that an unlikely second Trump term could be disastrous for conservatives over the long haul. It’s not that I was ever for Joe Biden, it’s just that we find ourselves in the nightmarish conundrum of having to pick our poison, and it is indeed quite possible that another Trump term could set the country up for a Democratic trifecta in 2028 and permanent Democratic rule after that as they abolish the Senate filibuster, open our borders to massive Third World hordes, and permanently install totalitarian socialism.
And that may very well happen if Trump does indeed pull it out. After all, the man isn’t exactly a unifier, and he has an uncanny way of alienating voting blocs and unwittingly helping Republicans snatch defeat from the jaws of victory (see 2018, 2020, and 2022 as examples). On the other hand, there is the possibility, however remote, that history doesn’t repeat itself. Maybe, just maybe, four more years of decent policy contrasted with the disaster we’ve experienced over the past four years will convince even Americans who hate Trump that conservative policies actually work better. Maybe the GOP can improve and outlast Trump while keeping the great ideas he pushed to the forefront of conservative politics. Even the strongest pessimist would have to admit the chances aren’t zero, right? Right?
Despite his many drawbacks, Donald Trump is thankfully no John McCain. He still seems to believe in the core tenets of what drew me to him in the first place - border security, fair trade, and an end to foreign interventions. These, combined with other Republican policies that actually work to create prosperous societies, are the antidote to the economic and societal malaise the country is currently under. Instill them, and maybe our base will grow.
In the end, it comes down to whether we even have four more years to rescue the country we once knew. Sure, the Dems could take it all in 2028, but if they take it all next year we are probably done anyway. And we won’t even be able to count on the Supreme Court to hold back their excesses, because even if Thomas and Alito are able to hang on another four years, Democrats will look for a way to pack the court until they have the majority.
In Trump’s favor, Joe Biden is no Barack Obama. If the former president could beat any Democrat, it would be the one occupying the White House right now. I didn’t think that was possible months ago, but I also didn’t think the polls would even be competitive by this point in the election. Yes, Trump’s lead is shrinking and I’m not sure he’ll even have a lead at all when election time rolls around, but it was also worse, much worse, at this point in 2016 and 2020. Additionally, it seems like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a candidate I like in a lot of ways yet disagree with on others, will likely hurt Biden more than Trump.
To Trump’s detriment, he will likely be a convicted felon when voters begin to cast their ballots, and polling shows that could very well cost him up to 9% of his current support regardless of how ridiculous the New York case against him is. I hope that doesn’t happen, but sadly far too many voters don’t bother to read past mainstream headlines. Still, I’d love nothing more than to see the lawfare being waged against Trump come back to bite them in a major way. In truth, the New York case is so absurd, so outlandish, so Stalinesque that Trump almost deserves to be president based on that alone.
At the end of the day, Donald Trump is the GOP nominee, and there is nothing any of us who supported other candidates can do about it. He’s a sunk cost at this point, and crying over spilled milk does nothing. Instead, we have to make the best with what we have right now.
My prediction? I still think the odds favor Biden just because the sh*tshow that currently makes up the Republican Party extends far beyond just Trump’s inadequacies, and Democrats have the numbers and know how to rally them. But I do think there’s a remote chance that 2016 can happen again, and the crow I would eat if it does would be the best tasting bird I’ve ever consumed.