Friends, today President Trump issued a "farewell address" to the American people, in which he defended his legacy, lauded his accomplishments, expressed optimism about our country's future, and wished the incoming administration all the best. It was a surreal performance, given that just weeks ago Trump was telling us that succumbing to cheaters was unthinkable, and yielding the White House and Senate to socialists would sink the nation. Be that as it may, everyone should listen to his remarks and decide for themselves:
I find myself in agreement with Citizen Trump that he accomplished some important feats, particularly in wrestling the southern border (and the reprobates who cross it) into submission, in curbing senseless regulations, and in renegotiating trade deals to the (modest) advantage of the American worker. Perhaps his signal achievement was in repopulating the federal courts, including the Supreme Court, with originalists and constitutionalists. American democracy might be circling the drain as we speak if it weren't for Trump's election in 2016, since the loss of the federal courts to leftists would have, I fear, rendered all subsequent elections and lawmaking moot.
On the other hand, many of Trump's accomplishments will probably not stand the test of time. "President" Biden will find it easy enough to reinstate most of the regulations, and repeal most of the executive orders, that Trump cancelled and invoked, respectively. The border, certainly, can and likely will descend into chaos swiftly, if the federal government loses the will to enforce it. A few years of Biden appointments will make the courts, once more, a menace to liberty and justice.
Trump also missed many golden opportunities. He railed against the press, while never developing any alternative to granting it unfettered access to him and his White House, thus rewarding, or at least condoning, its disrespect and its lack of professionalism. He failed to capitalize on his fervent personal following to pressure journalists, lawmakers, and other elitists to adopt his policies, or even to respect his position as president. In fact, the organized opposition to Trump was always more vocal, and arguably more effective, than Trump himself. He manifestly failed to tame the Deep State, which frustrated him at every turn, and repeatedly connived to destroy his presidency. Most damningly, in the end, he lost. He made so many unforced errors and gaffes that, in a remarkably close election, especially considering the incredible headwinds he faced -- a pandemic, a recession, and an unprecedented firestorm of criticism -- he managed to fall short, thus handing over power to leftists and socialists increasingly hellbent on silencing and obliterating anyone who dares oppose them. Trump's loss in 2020, therefore, risks confirming the Left in power permanently, or at least semi-permanently, and is for this reason his most consequential legacy. For we must recall that Trump has spent no less than five years, and actually closer to five decades, telling us how great he is. Well, if that's so, then why is his presidency ending with a whimper, and not with a bang? Why is it ending with his followers and supporters feeling less certain of our country's prospects, and of their own futures as free men and women, than at any point in their lives up to now?
Despite all this, it's clear that Trump remains broadly popular with Republicans and conservatives, and indeed with the public as a whole:
https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/prez_track_jan19
And that may, in the final analysis, be Trump's most likeable and admirable trait: his sheer gumption and fortitude, in the face of blistering vilification. Such a man, it's abundantly clear, is never out of the fight, so long as he believes he can get back in it. For this reason, it would be naive and wrongheaded to imagine that Trump is incapable of making a political comeback, if that is the goal he sets out for himself. Whether such a comeback would be in the national interest, or in the interest of the conservative movement, is another matter, which no doubt we will all be debating in the months and years to come.
Finally, a bit of good news: it seems increasingly unlikely that Senators Hawley or Cruz will face meaningful sanctions for their roles in questioning the electoral college results on January 6th (and 7th). Mitt Romney is demurring on the issue, which is an excellent sign, and nor is he itching to convict Trump of "incitement of insurrection" either. If Romney is wavering, you can bet that the Dems with Trump in their sights will have trouble mobilizing the 17 GOP Senators they will need to seal the deal on DJT's final humiliation and debasement. What's more, absent a conviction, Trump will be free to run again, the mere prospect of which, one assumes, will make Democrats and leftists wake up in a cold sweat.
The drama, pageantry, and political burlesque that is Trump is ending, therefore, as of January 20th, 2021...or is it? Time will tell.
Trump will never run again. The civil litigation he will face will end up further destroying his brand, a process set in motion by his inciting the violence that occurred on Jan. 6. Given that a significant portion of his company is its brand equity, that will hurt his personal wealth, and his defending himself in litigation will reduce that even further.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see the answer to this question: who goes bankrupt first, Donald Trump or Mike Lindell (the My Pillow guy).
AH...still wishing for censorship and "off with their head(s)", huh Rod? Horrible that democrats, social media, and so on want to ruin peoples livelihoods. I suppose I will be one of the many Patriotic Americans in concentration camps, Oh sorry re education camps. ((shaking my head))--horrible, horrible, horrible.
ReplyDeleteDr.waddy et al from Jack: Donald Trump saved us from President Hillary.She would taken office with intensely vindictive antipathy. She had hitched her political wagon to a cynical cad who subjected her to unrelenting public humiliation. She was determined to make good of her sacrifice by transforming America into her totalitarian model of justice and trampling any who resisted.
ReplyDeleteDr.Waddy et al from Jack: I think Donald Trump is a gutsy street wise leader who faced scurrilous calumny with fortitude and a very appropriate (given the viciousness of his opponents), "thumb in ur eye" mien. Good for him!
ReplyDeleteDr.Waddy et al from Jack: He did the real America signal service at a time when he could simply have enjoyed his plentiful means.He honored the real America's lasting values and did his best to support them under exceedingly difficult and complex conditions. Sure, he had rough edges; he's no consumately amoral swamp denizen and he lacked their disgraceful cynicism about America.
ReplyDeleteDr.Waddy et al from Jack: Those who did him unparalleled excoriation will make haste to do him as much personal harm as is possible for as long as they can.They are determined to make an example of him of the futility of presumptuous intrusion into their ruling elite. But he exemplifies defiance of them and his travails yet warn us: we are all in for what they have tried to do to him if they have their dictatorial way, as they have demonstrated in those settings they already dominate. -- Thank you President Trump! Thank you for a lawful Scotus and all the other accomplishments detailed above by Dr.Waddy. You have done our country lasting benefit at enormous cost to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteRod, Trump has several billion dollars in assets more than he has debts. Plus, you're forgetting that there's no such thing as bad publicity, and there are tens of millions of people out there who would buy virtually anything he cares to sell. Trump may or may not run again, but if you think he's going to be poor you've got a rude awakening coming.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I was thinking just today that so far the Biden era has exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations: after all, I'm not YET in a concentration camp... Hooray!
Jack, I quite agree: if all Trump had ever done was keep Hillary out of the Oval Office, he'd still be one of the greatest Americans in history!
Undoubtedly the Dems will TRY to incarcerate Trump, or worse, but I'm not at all sure they will succeed. After all, they hate his kids almost as much as him, and they've had four years to harass the little sprites with litigation and/or send them to the slammer, and nada! Pulling crimes out of thin air isn't as easy as it sounds.
Nick, first, no one knows what kind of assets Trump has compared to his debts. Plus, the estimates of his wealth (usually in the $3-4 billion range) includes at least a third given to brand equity, which is rapidly being wiped out.
ReplyDeleteAnd, no, there is such a thing as bad publicity. Not only are businesses walking away from him (including banks), but last year, his businesses took a major hit in value.
Add in the costs of litigation that Trump is facing, and, if not poor, Trump will be a shell financially of what he used to be.
The one saving grace is that in Florida, your home can't be taken in a legal proceeding, so he will have Mar-A-Lago to play golf at.
Dr. Waddy, nope not yet. But I suspect if certain members of government get their way, I am sure us 74 million white supremacist will be in some form of reeducation camps at some point. Scary thought, but a way to get to us is through the indoctrination of public schools.
ReplyDeleteBoy, Rod -- you seem to think millions of adoring fans are a negligible asset. Okay, I'll bet you a Coke. Four years from now Trump may or may not be taking the Oath again, but I say he'll be richer than he is now.
ReplyDeleteLinda, quite so! You and I may not be shunted off to camps, but our kids and grandkids surely will be. They already are, in point of fact. Expect the firing of Trump-supporting teachers to become a regular occurrence in the months and years ahead. Expect the indoctrination of America's youth in the public schools to become ever more brazen and shrill.