People call me 'Never Trump,' but I was as Trumpy as the Trumpiest Trumper in 2015-16. Wore the red hat. Donated. In 2015, I argued in op-eds for TheBlaze and other places that Trump could win where no other Republican could. And he did, thank God.
So what happened? Why did I switch?
Things were going swimmingly for a while, for three years to be exact. As any of my columns or tweets from the time will prove, I was among Trump's biggest cheerleaders. Then Covid hit, and though I was frustrated with various aspects of the way he handled things, I continued to support him throughout 2020, because obviously Biden was a lot worse.
Then J6 happened and the worm began to turn for me. I realized Dems would play nonstop clips of the worst aspects of that riot in a 2024 rematch. I also saw Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis set himself apart as a leader willing to take bold stands and get important policy measures passed that conservatives in other states could only dream about.
Where Trump wilted on Covid, DeSantis learned, grew, and threw up a proverbial middle finger at the tyrannical biomedical establishment hellbent on using the virus as a vehicle to ever more power. He did it on masks, vaccines, mandates, treatments, all of it. It was a stark contrast that only the willfully blind wouldn't notice.
Then, DeSantis won a resounding reelection victory that should have made him the toast of the GOP. Except that, since he refused to rule out a presidential run, Trump's attacks - and lies - grew ever more bitter and unhinged.
And the lies, oh the lies ... DeSantis obviously wasn't some sort of RINO, establishment, globalist shill hellbent on doing the bidding of Paul Ryan, the Bush family, and George Soros. Anyone with half a brain knew that, yet Trump and his minions happily unleashed a hellstorm of insanity down on the most popular governor in the land whose policy positions ironically were the closest to Trump's own. Just nonsensical, made-up stuff.
People who were allies against some of the most evil forces humanity has ever encountered began to turn into enemies simply because of our differences about one politician. Instead of a friendly if competitive political rivalry that could have sharpened both candidates and made the winner better, one side treated the other like traitors who were committing political treason by daring to question the king.
They can pound sand with that.
Too many were fooled by the lies and the cult of personality that has developed around Donald Trump. Still are. I wasn't. To me, politicians are vehicles to get policies I like implemented. Nothing more. Even when I loved the guy and what he was doing, I never bought into the cult.
Instead of doing something, anything, to expand his voter base and try to win swing states he lost in 2020, he was attacking a popular governor and making bizarre ALL CAPS statements on Truth Social.
Of course, the multiple felony indictments across multiple jurisdictions have made him even more unelectable on a national scale than he already was, yet even more popular with his core base of supporters who make up around 30% of the GOP. Despite the fact that Trump is absolute poison to independent voters and suburban women and has a 37% favorability rating nationwide, many of these people insist their candidate is the ONLY person who can "save America." Some even say they would vote for him even if he's in prison. It's insanity.
Trump should bow out, exercise his right to remain silent, and focus on his legal defense. (That last part is what he'll be forced to do during the campaign anyway if he stays in it.) He should pray for a GOP win and a pardon so he can then focus on the various state charges he's facing. But his ego would never allow it.
Over time, my frustration and even animosity towards Trump has only grown. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - Donald Trump cannot win a general election. Not in this universe and not in any other. His entire campaign is a money-grabbing grift, not a real attempt at political office. Ron DeSantis isn't a lock, but he can at least compete, and he's closest to the policies I originally supported Trump for.
I'm still as MAGA as ever. I've just switched horses in favor of one that will actually run, and I'm hoping enough people decide to do the same before it's too late and the country is gone forever.
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