Trump Steadfastness on Kavanaugh Wins Over Some Never-Trump Conservatives
Some of Trump’s harshest critics have been people on the right who identify as “Never-Trump” conservatives.
But his record on the economy, judicial appointments and foreign policy is starting to change the minds of some. And Trump’s steadfast defense of Brett Kavanaugh sealed the deal.
There are people who will probably never change, Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post comes to mind, but who knows what the future holds?
Matthew Continetti, editor in chief of the Washington Free Beacon is not only a frequent critic of Trump, he is Bill Kristol’s son-in-law. Here are some highlights from his most recent column:
Trump’s Remarkable WeekCan we pause for a moment to consider what has transpired in the last seven days?TRADE: Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced it had reached an agreement with both Mexico and Canada to revise and rebrand the North America Free Trade Agreement as the United States Mexico Canada Agreement…ECONOMY: The Trump Bump continues, with Friday bringing news that unemployment has reached its lowest level since 1969. Consumer confidence is high, and data from the manufacturing and service sectors indicate continued growth…JUDGES: Susan Collins’s announcement that she will vote to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh practically guarantees he will be seated on the Supreme Court in the coming days. Kavanaugh’s elevation will secure a five-vote majority of originalist and textualist judges on the high court for the first time in modern memory…Donald Trump is putting the finishing touches on one of the most remarkable weeks of his presidency. For Republicans, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Erick Erickson of RedState fame, has been steadfastly Never-Trump, but he is also changing his tune. He writes at Townhall:
Trump 2020?I have wobbled back and forth on the idea of supporting President Donald Trump in 2020. I opposed him in 2016 and voted third-party. The candidate I supported, Evan McMullin, has, like so many others, abandoned all his values as his hatred of Trump poisons his conscience. I dare say the worst mistake in my life was not when I climbed a mountain only to remember I was scared of heights, or when I played with a scalpel that nearly cut off my finger as a kid. It was voting for McMullin…I find myself in an odd position where, for the first time, I see myself, one of the original so-called “Never Trump conservatives,” voting for Trump in 2020. I have inevitably concluded at times that Trump would do something to push me away from him. He has not disappointed on that front, from tariffs to character issues. But now I do not see how anyone else can offer a more compelling alternative to the president. Each time the president does something I do not like, his opponents play a game of “hold my beer.”…Trump is neither an ambassador for my values nor the articulate champion of my principles I would prefer. But he is a safe harbor in a progressive storm that seeks to both destroy my values and upend our constitutional republic….There is much in the present political age about which I am uncertain. But there is one thing about which I am absolutely certain: President Trump is not my enemy, and too many progressives view me as theirs.
Even Bret Stephens, resident Trump-hating conservative at the New York Times, is coming around:
For Once, I’m Grateful for TrumpFor the first time since Donald Trump entered the political fray, I find myself grateful that he’s in it. I’m reluctant to admit it and astonished to say it, especially since the president mocked Christine Blasey Ford in his ugly and gratuitous way at a rally on Tuesday. Perhaps it’s worth unpacking this admission for those who might be equally astonished to read it.I’m grateful because Trump has not backed down in the face of the slipperiness, hypocrisy and dangerous standard-setting deployed by opponents of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. I’m grateful because ferocious and even crass obstinacy has its uses in life, and never more so than in the face of sly moral bullying. I’m grateful because he’s a big fat hammer fending off a razor-sharp dagger.
The last few weeks have been stressful, but the American right hasn’t been this united in years.
Just in time for the midterms, too.
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