Recent Events and Statements

Events and statements made over the past few weeks show that Republicans intend to continue their misguided support for Donald Trump.

On May 7, 2021, in an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News, Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) said the following (6:10):

I would just say to my Republican colleagues, can we move forward without President Trump? The answer is no. I've always liked Liz Cheney, but she's made a determination that the Republican Party can't grow with President Trump. I've determined we can't grow without him.

...all of the people you just named are attracted to the Trump Republican Party: economic populism, America first agenda. If you don't get that, you're making the biggest mistake in the history of the Republican Party.

Source:

Graham, Lindsey. (May 7, 2021). "Lindsey Graham on GOP momentum heading into 2022". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-05-20

Granted, Graham doesn't officially speak for the entire Republican Party, but he's certainly one of its most outspoken members. For him to say that the GOP "can't grow" without Trump, and that if you're not attracted to what Trump is peddling you're making the "biggest mistake in the history of the Republican Party", that's making an extremely bold and definitive statement.

One week later on May 14, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted 134-46 (by secret ballot ) to replace GOP House conference chair Liz Cheney (Republican-Wyoming) with Elise Stefanik (Republican-New York). Cheney was voted down primarily for repeatedly calling out Trump on his ongoing claims of a "stolen" 2020 election and for attributing some blame to Trump for the January 6 Capitol riot (read her speech delivered on the House floor on May 11 here).

Source:

Wong, Scott; Lillis, Mike. (May 14, 2021). "GOP votes to replace Cheney with Stefanik after backing from Trump". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-05-20

On Hannity's May 14 show, when asked about his recent meeting with Joe Biden at the White House, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Republican-California) said the following:

He [Biden] was with it and he was engaging and he was giving me numbers and talking. But at no time, having known Joe Biden for quite some time, does he have the energy of Donald Trump. We both know it.

Donald Trump didn't need to sleep five hours a night. If you called Donald Trump, he would get on the phone before staff would.

Source:

Dorman, John L. (May 16, 2021). "'Donald Trump didn't need to sleep five hours a night': McCarthy says that Biden doesn't have the 'energy' of the former president". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-05-20

So, it seems clear that the Republican Party intends to "double-down" with Trump for the next presidential election cycle. The big question is whether Trump will actually run for president again in 2024, or whether he will just continue to be a driving force and spokesperson for the party. Either way, in my opinion the "Grand Old Party" is making a huge strategic, ethical, and moral mistake with this decision.

If the GOP was smart, if it had the courage, and if it was not still inextricably attached to Trump's teat, it could choose to regroup, re-brand, and stop the insanity of Trumpism. It could look ahead and realize that Trump and his style of politics do not have to be the future of the GOP. That would be the right thing to do, for the party and for America.

Recent Statements Made by Trump

On May 15, Trump posted the following statement on his newly launched "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump" communications platform regarding news two days prior about the 2020 election audit in Arizona:

The entire Database of Maricopa County in Arizona has been DELETED! This is illegal and the Arizona State Senate, who is leading the Forensic Audit, is up in arms. Additionally, seals were broken on the boxes that hold the votes, ballots are missing, and worse. Mark Brnovich, the Attorney General of Arizona, will now be forced to look into this unbelievable Election crime. Many Radical Left Democrats and weak Republicans are very worried about the fact that this has been exposed. The DELETION of an entire Database and critical Election files of Maricopa County is unprecedented. Many other States to follow. The Mainstream Media and Radical Left Democrats want to stay as far away as possible from the Presidential Election Fraud, which should be one of the biggest stories of our time. Fox News is afraid to cover it—there is rarely a mention. Likewise, Newsmax has been virtually silent on this subject because they are intimidated by threats of lawsuits. One America News (OAN), one of the fastest growing networks on television, and the "hottest", is doing a magnificent job of exposing the massive fraud that took place. The story is only getting bigger and at some point it will be impossible for the weak and/or corrupt media not to cover. Thank you to OAN and other brave American Patriots. It is all happening quickly!

Source:

Trump, Donald. (May 15, 2021). "Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America". From the Desk of Donald J. Trump. Retrieved 2021-05-25

True to form, rather than waiting for all the facts, Trump responded impulsively with a string of lies. Here's what happened:

• On May 12, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann sent a letter to Jack Sellers (chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors).
• Also on May 12, Maricopa County Audit (the official Senate liason for the 2020 AZ election audit) tweeted:

Breaking Update: Maricopa County deleted a directory full of election databases from the 2020 election cycle days before the election equipment was delivered to the audit. This is spoilation of evidence!

• In the letter Fann said, "We have recently discovered that the entire 'Database' directory from the D drive of the machine 'EMSPrimary' has been deleted. This suggests that the main database for all election related data for the November 2020 General Election has been removed. Can you please advise as to why these folders were deleted, and whether there are any backups that may contain the deleted folders?"
• In the letter Fann also said, "The audit team has encountered a significant number of instances in which there is a disparity between the actual number of ballots contained in a batch and the total denoted on the pink report slip accompanying the batch. In most of these instances, the total on the pink report slip is greater than the number of ballots in the batch, although there are a few instances in which the total is lower."
• In the letter Fann also noted that some seals on ballot bags were "cut" and at the bottom of boxes containing the bags.
• On May 15, Trump posted the response noted above.
• On May 17, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors sent a 13-page response letter (signed by all five Board members) to Fann
• In the letter the Board goes into excruciating detail, addressing both the deleted database directory, the disparity between actual ballot counts and counts noted on pink report slips, the "cut" seals, and more.
• The letter unequivocally states that NO databases were deleted, and that the alleged problem is most likely with the copies of databases made by the hired technicians working on the election audit.
• The letter also gives a long-winded "tutorial" of how ballot batches are processed, concluding that there is no disparity as alleged by Fann.
• The letter also addresses the "cut" seals, stating that the seals were initially intact, and that they must have, for some reason, come off from the bags.

Source:

Deese, Kaelen. (May 17, 2021). "Maricopa County officials blast 'ineptitude' of 2020 election auditors and refuse meeting with Arizona Senate". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2021-05-26

Deese, Kaelen. (May 13, 2021). "Arizona Senate questions whether Maricopa County erased key election files". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2021-05-26

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. (May 17, 2021). "Response Letter to Senate President Fann". maricopa.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-26

Maricopa County Audit. (May 12, 2021). "Maricopa County Audit | Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-05-26

So, let's count the lies and misinformation in Trump's May 15 post:

• Entire database of Maricopa County deleted: LIE, nothing was deleted
• Missing ballots: LIE, none are missing
• Unbelievable election crime: LIE, no crime has been committed
• Radical left Democrats and weak Republicans very worried: Don't think so
• Many other states to follow: Doubt it
• Mainstream media and radical left Democrats want to stay as far away as possible from the presidential election fraud which should be one of the biggest stories of our time: They're not interested because there was no widespread fraud, and other than the radical Republican Arizona Senate's election audit, it's no longer a story
• One America News exposing the massive fraud: LIE, there was no "massive" fraud
• Story getting bigger, impossible for the weak and/or corrupt media not to cover: NO, it's not getting bigger, it's on life support

On May 25, Trump posted the following:

Now everybody is agreeing that I was right when I very early on called Wuhan as the source of COVID-19, sometimes referred to as the China Virus. To me it was obvious from the beginning but I was badly criticized, as usual. Now they are all saying "He was right." Thank you!

Source:

Trump, Donald. (May 25, 2021). "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump". From the Desk of Donald J. Trump. Retrieved 2021-05-25

No, not "everybody" is agreeing that Trump was right. The source of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is still unknown. Trump is making this statement based on a recent news article in The Wall Street Journal, and recent statements made by Scott Gottlieb (a former FDA commissioner when Trump was president), neither of which come to any conclusions about the source.

Also on May 25, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reiterated the Biden administration's desire for an "expert-driven evaluation of the pandemic's origins that is free from interference and politicization." Regarding the WSJ news article, Psaki said:

It doesn't mean we can draw a conclusion. We don't have enough information to draw a conclusion about the origins. There is a need to look into a range of options. We need data, we need an independent investigation, and that's what we've been calling for.

Source:

Chalfant, Morgan. (May 24, 2021). "White House pushes for independent investigation on COVID-19 origins". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-05-26

As president, Trump exaggerated, misrepresented, mis-characterized, and lied countless times. Now, with the recent launch of his new personal communications platform "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump", he's picked up where he left off at the end of his presidency.

These are the ramblings of a madman, and a mad man. It's Trump's ego STILL trying to prove he's right. And, as was the case when he was president, his ramblings and his ego are extremely harmful to our democracy and our standing in the world.

Trump is a Failed Presidential Candidate

Donald Trump is a failed candidate and a highly-flawed human being. How so?

First, Biden won the 2020 presidential election popular vote by over seven million votes (81,268,924 for Biden vs. 74,216,154 for Trump). That's a 4.5% difference. While that's by no means a record percentage, it's substantial and convincing.

Second, Trump admittedly downplayed the threat of COVID-19. How many lives could have been saved if he had just done the right thing and leveled with the American people? Instead of being at odds with the science he could have embraced it. On April 3, 2020, the day the CDC first announced its recommendation to wear masks, instead of using his bully pulpit to put out a positive, unifying message, Trump did just the opposite, and by doing so he set the tone for the ongoing mask debate.

Third, Trump's "Big Lie" and all the lies and gross exaggerations he continually spewed out leading up to the November 3 election. It was bad enough that Trump barked out the message that the only way he could lose the election was by fraud. But then, after the results of the election were officially certified by all 50 states, and over 50 lawsuits were dismissed, he STILL, to this day, contends the election was rigged, that there was widespread voter fraud, and that HE, not Joe Biden, won the election. By perpetuating his "Big Lie" and helping to bring about the January 6 Capitol riot, Trump has hammered the last nails into his political coffin. He's now alienated himself from too many "swing" voters to ever have a legitimate chance at reelection.

Sooner or later, egocentric, narcissistic people like Trump usually self-destruct, as Trump did with COVID and the "Big Lie." If Trump had just behaved reasonably and done the right thing, he might very well have been elected for a second term. But, as I've stated many times before, Trump's behavior is controlled by his ego, and his ego always ends up getting the best of him. Trump is a failure, he's toxic, he comes with way too much baggage and everyone knows it, even his most loyal supporters.

Trump has been and will continue to be a huge embarrassment for America. His "glory days" are over. Trump has been and is the primary divisive catalyst in American politics. Get rid of Trump and you immediately bring the levels of division down and get America back on the road to at least some degree of healing. With Trump in the picture, we are inextricably saddled with bitter divisiveness and hatred.

Still not convinced? Read my August 24, 2020 op-ed entitled "What Kind of Person do We Want to Lead Our Country?" where I expound upon all of the failings of Trump.

Other Events

Other than Trump's own personal failings, what other events signal that the GOP should change course?

First, the stock market continues to rise, despite Trump's claim it would tank if Biden were elected. Today (May 24, 2021) the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 34,393.98. On Biden's inauguration day (Jan 20, 2021) the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 31,188.38. On November 3, 2020 (election day) the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 27,480.03. That's a 10.3% increase since inauguration day, and a 20.1% increase since November 3, 2020.

Source:

"Dow Jones Industrial Average". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 2021-05-24

Second, after four months in office, Biden's approval rating remains high - much higher than Trump's during his first four months as president. According to the "RCP Poll Average", on May 1, 2021 Biden's approval was 53.8% (42.2% disapproval). On May 1, 2017, Trump's approval was at 43.1% (52.0% disapproval). That's a difference of 10.7%.

Source:

"President Biden Job Approval ". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved 2021-05-24

"President Trump Job Approval ". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved 2021-05-24

Third, less than four months ago, seven Republican U.S. senators voted to impeach Trump.

Fourth, on May 19, 35 House Republicans voted in support of legislation to establish an independent commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol riot.

Fifth, Ben Sasse, Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, Adam Kinzinger, and a few other Republicans continue to speak out against Trump.

These recent events show there are chinks in Trump's armour. He's not as strong as he was at the start of his presidency.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of the outcome of the 2022 mid-term elections (when the party not holding the presidency historically gains seats in Congress), and even taking into account all of the new statewide GOP-led election reform laws sweeping the country, it's not going to change Trump's chances for reelection if he chooses to run again in 2024. Oh sure, if gains are made by the GOP in 2022 they will spout off in the media for months afterwards, trying to convince themselves that the gains are a harbinger of good things to come in 2024. But that's all it will be - just a lot of misguided hope and bluster, in an attempt to once again fool the electorate into reelecting the most dangerous political person in America.

A recent Ipsos/Reuters poll showed that 53% of Republicans believe Trump is the "true president", and 61% believe the 2020 election was "stolen." While those numbers are significant and astounding, they're simply a reflection, for the most part, of Trump's rabid base. His base is NOT going to be sufficient to get him reelected, and with his steadfast adherence to the "Big Lie", he now has the nearly impossible task of trying to get enough voters to win an election.

The only way Trump would stand even a "ghost" of a chance in 2024 is if something really, really bad happens during the Biden administration - something that could be directly attributed to Biden - or if for some reason Biden is not able to run again in 2024.

Trump has shown his "true colors". With all that's transpired over the past 4-5 years, how can anyone in good conscience still support Trump?

Continued GOP support for Trump is bad for the party, bad for American democracy, and bad for the world.

May 28, 2021

By a vote of 54-47, the U.S. Senate rejected a House-passed bill to form a commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the Capitol (60 votes were needed for passage).

Six Republican senators voted in favor of the bill.

The rejection of this bill is further evidence that the GOP is "full steam ahead" with its ongoing support for Trump.

Source:

Carney, Jordain. (May 28, 2021). "Senate GOP blocks legislation on Jan. 6 commission". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-05-28