One of the more profound statements about President Trump was first published in the Atlantic by Salena Zito (archive link): “the press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally.” Of course this was in September 2016, when no one in the press, but every last one of his supporters, believed he would win in November of that year.
Zito nailed it, though, and as we would find out in the ensuing months and years, the Democrat propagandist press began to take him literally and seriously, as did Democrats in Congress, the entrenched and un-elected executive branch bureaucracy, and every left-leaning to full-blown commie activist group in the nation.
As I noted in December, 2016, “The problem with taking Trump literally and seriously is the same as it is when you take anything figurative, illustrative, or hyperbolic seriously . . . you beclown yourself . . . .”
Meanwhile, Trump’s voters continued to “get” him, taking him seriously, but not literally. This is why his “mean tweets” didn’t break through, why all the ‘he’s a RAAACIST/fascist/blah blah blah’ clothes-rending and countless fainting couch plunges failed, and why, ultimately, President Trump won (at least) seven million more actual votes in 2020 than any sitting president in history.
This disconnect between Dems/#NeverTrumpers and Trump voters manifested again this week, much—I suspect—to Trump’s delight.
Oh noes! Screeched the headlines, that dastardly Democracy-subverting Trump is at it again! He’s threatening to personally withhold his voters’ votes in 2022 and 2024 if his concerns about the 2020 election aren’t addressed by elected Republicans.
On Thursday, Trump published a statement to his political action committee website, Save America, conveying the threat.”If we don’t solve the Presidential Election Fraud of 2020 (which we have thoroughly and conclusively documented), Republicans will not be voting in ’22 or ’24. It is the single most important thing for Republicans to do,” the statement said.
Personally, I wish that Trump would stop with the stolen 2020 election drill. However wrong and unfair (and I believe it was both), it’s over, it’s done. Republicans were out-played by “a cabal of powerful people” who secretly conspired to defeat Trump. You don’t learn how to combat that cabal by re-litigating a lost election that will never be over-turned; you combat it by understanding what happened and how so that you are better placed to stop the next onslaught. Picking scabs until your blood is gushing all over the place is not a good way to do that. In fact, it’s counter-productive.
There is absolutely nothing that will change the 2020 presidential election outcome now, though I do agree that if there were election result-changing shenanigans, they need to be brought into the light of day, not to unseat Biden (who, at this point in his already-failed presidency, might be relieved to be ousted) but to ensure that this uncertainty and distrust never happens again.
So what is Trump up to with his “voter suppression” threat about 2022 and 2024? Well, on a personal level, he is picking scabs. He’s upset that, as he and many tens of millions of Americans understand it, the presidency was stolen from him. It may well have been, but there is no remedy.
I believe Trump gets this on some level. I also believe that he understands his domination of the GOP means that he can’t be simultaneously endorsing Republican candidates and threatening to withhold his voters’ engagement in elections. But he’s doing just that, right?
This is where taking Trump seriously but not literally comes into play. Trump is sending one message to voters with his endorsements (he wants #NeverTrumper Liz ‘let’s find a country to bomb’ Cheney gone) and another to Republican leadership (do something about the injustice I suffered).
My guess is that leadership will ignore him and that he hopes his base will support the ousting of those who voted for his impeachment and for the reelection of those he’s endorsed. Clearly, Trump voters can’t do that if they don’t vote, and Trump knows that he loses political capital with every loss of his endorsed candidates.
No Trump voter, in other words, should be staying home in either 2022 or 2024. Trump voters should continue to take Trump seriously, not literally.
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