Two years after his election, President Donald Trump has won over many Republicans who vowed never to vote for him or work with him, the so-called NeverTrumpers.
Political commentator Ben Shapiro gave up his resistance to Trump in early August. saying Trump had “governed much more conservative than I thought he was actually going to.” Shapiro leans toward voting for Trump in 2020.
Blogger and radio show host Erick Erickson announced he would support Trump in 2020. Previously, Erickson vehemently opposed Trump’s candidacy and presidency. His Eureka moment came when he realized that no one else offered a more compelling alternative to the president.
Senator Lindsey Graham once said voters should “tell Donald Trump to go to hell.” He has since become a reliable ally of the President in the Senate. Rumors are circulating that Graham might be considered for the next attorney general.
Even the harshest and the most ardent critics of Trump appear to have turned around. One example is Bret Stephens of the New York Times. He wrote that Kavanaugh’s confirmation process was his catalyst for reversal. He’s grateful to Trump for standing up to the Democrats’ bully tactics.
Victories Bring Unity
NeverTrumpers may disagree with Trump politically and philosophically, and about his values, style, and character. But they can’t argue with Trump’s successes.Since Trump was elected, the president has been raking in one big win after another. The economy is booming, thanks to a tax cut spearheaded by the president. Jobs are moving back to America. Once desolate manufacturing towns have come back to life. Unemployment is at an historic low.
All of these achievements unfold against the backdrop of eight years of anemic “recovery” under President Obama. Just when the Democrats told us hope was lost for America and the best we could do was to manage the decline, the U.S. economy rejuvenated under Trump and became the engine of growth for the world again.
This attests to Trump’s leadership. Furthermore, it shows how wrong-headed the detractors of Trump are. If Hillary Clinton got elected, we’d still be stuck in the “secular stagnation” phase!
Under President Trump, two Supreme Court Justices were confirmed. More importantly, Trump broke the record for the number of circuit court judgeships confirmed. As of September 2018, Trump hasn’t “flipped” the partisan majority of a single appeals court. But 2018 is only the second year of Trump’s presidency. By 2024, he will have completely remade the appellate court system. Judicial appointments are going to be one of Trump’s major legacies and will have a far-reaching impact on America. NeverTrumpers may not like Trump, but they would have to be crazy to say no to Trump’s judicial wins.
Trump made many campaign promises and has kept them. He renegotiated NAFTA, a monumental task that his opponents claimed to be impossible. He pacified North Korea without loosening the sanctions, at least for now. He has taken measures to counter China’s unfair trade practices. He even moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a promise made and broken by numerous U.S. presidents before him. Trump’s courage and fortitude simply command respect, even from the NeverTrumpers.
Stalwart of Conservatism
Before Trump’s election, many Republicans believed he’s not a conservative and is a Republican in name only. Trump has proven them wrong. Trump advocates “peace through strength” and reasserts America’s leadership in the world. Some Reagan administration officials, such as Mark Levin and Art Laffer, have compared Trump favorably to President Reagan.On some issues, Trump is running to the right of Reagan, for example, immigration. Reagan granted amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. In contrast, Trump wants a wall at the Mexican border that stops migrants from coming in in the first place. This president may be one of the most conservative presidents in modern history.
NeverTrumpers derided Trump’s ideas as radical and absurd, but they are the ones that aren’t grounded in reality. Trump’s vision for America resonated with the voters. Despite relentless attack from the Democrats and their media allies since Trump announced his candidacy, he has never lost his core supporters. They turned out in mass for the candidates who embraced Trump. In 2018, 35 candidates endorsed by Trump for House, Senate and governor won their primary races; only two lost. NeverTrumpers can argue Trump is wrong all day long, but Trump is winning the American people’s hearts and minds. At the end of the day, the ballot box is the ultimate means for settling differences (although not for the Democrats, alas).
NeverTrumpers lamented that the Republican Party was dead after Trump’s election. Trump voters beg to differ. The last thing they need is a Republican Party that claims to be a conservative party but governs just like the Democrats. Trump now enjoys over 90 percent approval among Republican voters. In their eyes, Trump is the one true standard bearer of conservatism. Contrary to what the media want us to believe, under Trump the Republicans are doing just fine.
Choosing Trump is Choosing Reason
NeverTrumpers will never find an intellectual home among the Resistance. The left is not interested in diversity of viewpoints. They have one purpose in featuring the NeverTrumpers prominently: to create an illusion that Trump is universally detested by the left and right.Some NeverTrumpers have come to the realization that siding with Trump is choosing reason and civility; supporting his opponents is actually endorsing violence and harassment.
Hillary Clinton declared civility would return after the Democrats regain power in Congress. Eric Holder, Obama’s Attorney General, proclaimed Republicans should be kicked. Ted Cruz, the Texas Senator, was run out of a DC restaurant by leftists. Jeff Flake and Susan Collins were harrassed in the Senate building by Soros-funded protestors. The list goes on.
Anyone who has a little sense of decency would steer clear of the leftist mob; anyone that is in their right mind would reject the Democratic Party in the voting booth if such behaviors continue (they will).
Like it or not, Trump is remaking the Republican Party and America. One can contribute and win with Trump and one’s fellow Americans. One can sit on the sidelines. Don’t resist Trump. It is futile. The Resistance will be flattened by the Trump train. History won’t be so kind to them, either.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
