Scott Tibbs
Realities that anti-Trump conservatives need to recognize
By Scott Tibbs, August 7, 2023
The most important reality of politics is that we cannot play on the field we wish we had. We must play on the field as it actually exists. This is the primary reason anti-Trump conservatives have not been able to reach the majority of Republicans who continue to support Donald Trump. There are certain realities that must be acknowledged, or pleas to abandon Trump will continue to fall on deaf ears.
First, Trump did deliver solid conservative policy on a number of issues. Is Trump personally pro-life? Probably not. Does it matter? Not when he is advancing pro-life policy. The same goes for judges that Trump appointed. The fact that three of the five justices who voted to overturn
Roe v. Wade were appointed by Trump is not something that happened "in spite of Trump." Making that argument will not convince anyone. The big tax cut we got in 2017 might be a Paul Ryan construct, but Trump did sign it into law. Hillary Clinton would not have done that.
Second, the ethical concerns surrounding Trump are not going to convince the majority of Trump voters. This is because there is enormous distrust of both the mainstream media and Democrats pursuing the investigations of Trump. Even the law enforcement institutions such as the FBI sown distrust, due to a number of missteps and the outright corruption of some who were investigating Trump. There is a great deal of ill will and distrust to overcome, so any criticisms have to be supported by well-documented facts and - most importantly - restrained and focused. Going overboard in criticisms of Trump is a sure-fire way to be dismissed.
Third, talking about Trump's alleged racism is not going to resonate with Trump voters. This goes back much farther than Trump, as race-baiting has been used against Republicans for generations, long before Trump ever came down the escalator in 2015. Remember, President Biden openly said that Mitt Romney was going to put Black people "back in chains" during the 2012 campaign. Unless you have something really overt, Republicans voters are inclined to distrust
any accusation of racism against
any Republican.
There are ways to criticize Trump that could possibly appeal to Trump loyalists. Where Trump is weakest is on government spending, his willingness to side those who pushed the harshest COVID-19 restrictions, and political arguments about how his needlessly abrasive personality and lack of discipline turns off moderates in key states that are essential to winning the 2024 election.
But anti-Trump conservatives will not be able to appeal to Trump loyalists with arguments that they have rejected time and time again, especially given the personal connection many of them feel to Trump. Those arguments, no matter how strongly anti-Trump conservatives feel about them, will not shake loyalty to Trump.
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