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Trump fanatic wants to Take America Back in 2024
I used to be an avid news watcher. I wasn’t doing it to get informed, it was more like hate-watching. But eventually I got tired of feeling like news channels were just trying to manufacture enough outrage so that I’d keep watching. So, I stopped.
Recently, I decided to dip my toes back in the news pool with a couple caveats. I started by following only those pundits and public figures who have changed their party affiliation, regardless of which way they’d changed. I also gave my attention to anyone who criticized their own party publicly. My options were limited.
We’ve been in an age of fierce, unyielding political loyalty for so long now that when we see such acts of disloyalty it shocks us. "Loyalty" is a bit of a misnomer. What the word has come to mean in politics is unconditional allegiance. Blind loyalty is more accurate.
My biggest beef with former President Trump isn’t any one policy decision, or the fact that he isn’t a nice person. It’s that, given the choice, he always surrounds himself with those who agree with him, rather than those willing to tell him like it is. This is the opposite strategy of Lincoln’s "Team of Rivals," in which cabinet members were chosen because they would disagree with him.
Trump constantly reminded us how he felt about loyalty. "I value loyalty above everything else—more than brains, more than drive and more than energy," he said. But Trump didn’t require loyalty to the party, just loyalty to him. And there were several ways to show this:
- Option 1: Praise him. This was the most popular (and easiest) option. All you had to do was pick one policy, campaign slogan, or talking point that you liked, declare it publicly, and watch the loyalty points add up.
- Option 2: Lie for/with him. Windmills are causing cancer and killing all the birds. The election was stolen. It didn’t really matter what the lie was, as long as you lied with him. If you were willing to act like Trump’s press secretary, you could earn even more loyalty points.
- Option 3: Debase yourself publicly. This was the most difficult option but also potentially the most politically advantageous. Just ask Ted Cruz. In 2016, Trump spent the months leading up to the election degrading Cruz, his father, and even his wife. But none of these insults were ultimately enough to convince him not to support the future president. Trump probably could’ve slapped Cruz in public, and he would be on FOX that same day praising the President for the quality of the slap.
Cruz was playing the long game, eating the proverbial… let’s call it "dirt" to advance his career by being a loyalist to Trump. For this, he did enjoy more time in the spotlight and more job security. Trump even dangled a supreme court nomination in front of him. But whatever Cruz got in return, it was a better deal for Trump. Besides Cruz’s unwavering support, Trump got to assert his dominance. Senator Cruz’s actions showed everyone who was in charge. This was (Trump voice) Huge.
If you don’t choose Option 3 on your own, Trump will do it for you (Option 4?). Like when he branded Senator Marco Rubio "Little Marco" or when he called his opponents weak or said they have a low-IQ. If there is a chance to put down, humiliate, or demean someone, Trump will always take it.
And I’m sure you’ve noticed how the stories that Trump tells about himself always include some groveling "big, strong guy" or a public figure who desperately needs him. In a recent speech Trump gave criticizing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump said, "When a man comes to me, tears in his eyes, he’s at almost nothing in the polls [saying] ‘Sir, if you endorse me, I’ll win. Please! Please, sir, endorse me!’" The reason that Trump paints DeSantis as begging for his endorsement is the same reason that the guy has to be "big and strong"—to signal his own status. Virtually everything Trump says and does is meant to boost his ego and show that he’s the boss.
Trump’s stories may be exaggerated, but once he became President, he was actually the boss, the Commander in Chief. This might have been Trump’s greatest motivation for becoming President: once elected, no one could be above him. Trump doesn’t want to run for President, he has to.
But beyond crying out for authority and attention, Trump is doing something quite shrewd. Let’s go back to that speech about DeSantis. How much of this story is true is anyone’s guess, but part of Trump’s genius is that he says a lot with a little. The subtext of his remarks is, I helped make this guy, and THIS is the thanks I get? The message that voters receive is that DeSantis is the type of guy who doesn’t return favors, not even to THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. This is a red flag for humans, and especially so for Conservatives who live by the Law of Karma and deeply respect authority. We’re also hardwired to value loyalty and selfless commitment to the group. So, when Trump goes on to proclaim, "I’m a loyalist," he’s also stating what DeSantis is not.
In the span of a few sentences, Trump made a compelling (moral) argument about why Governor DeSantis is not the type of leader you want. This is why people (should) fear Trump and why crossing him is basically political suicide. He knows exactly what voters want to hear. And he knows how to "Out-Conservative" any challengers within the party. Tapping into voters’ morals better than any other politician today, he’s effectively Newt Gingrich on steroids with a spray tan.
All of this makes it that much more impressive when someone does stand up to him. Liz Cheney’s prosecution against Trump and his role in the January 6th Insurrection is nothing short of heroic, especially since it likely cost her re-election. The same could be said for former Congressman Adam Kinzinger who received phone threats against him and his family for serving on the January 6th Select Committee. It is a dangerous time to be disloyal... but that might be just what the doctor ordered.
The difference between Ted Cruz and Liz Cheney is that one’s actions convey I will say, do, and endure anything to advance my leader, my party, and my career; the other’s say, I will sacrifice myself and everything I’ve worked for in the name of service to my country. For Cheney (and Kinzinger) this is far bigger than Trump—even if Trump is defeated (or goes to prison), Trumpism will live on.
This is a battle between two very different Americas: one that is selfish or one that is selfless. One that welcomes disagreement or one that squashes it in favor of blind loyalty. To truly make it out of this, Americans must become a little less loyal—to our egos and our political identities.
We need to decide which America we want: Trump’s or Lincoln’s.
