“Trump Was A Mistake” – But Whose?

The headline on Dan Gelernter’s recent column at American Greatness  – “Trump Was a Mistake” – is a bit misleading.  The mistake was that of the Uniparty.  Mr Gelernter compares the ascendency to the presidency in 1900 of Teddy Roosevelt (TR), who was much despised by the political establishment because it could not control him. The establishment’s mistake back then was nominating TR in the vice-presidency, thinking that they could rid New York of its governor and at the same time condemn TR to political obscurity as Vice President.  Didn’t work out that way.  Mr Gelernter concludes:

So remember: The GOP isn’t really our party. It never was. That is the central truth that the Trump phenomenon has exposed—or exposed anew. It’s a political machine, just like the Democratic Party, and it wants to run itself, not be run by “ordinary” people like you and me. Trump’s nomination the first time around, from the GOP’s perspective, was a huge mistake, just as TR’s had been. And they have no intention of repeating that kind of mistake.

The GOP and the Democrats and the media are all agreed on one, central point: Trump cannot become president again. All these power groups’ motivations are different, but their interests are aligned, and the stakes are practically existential.

Keep the story of the 1900 Republican Convention in mind, too, when you think of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis: He’s a huge success in Florida, and is the only governor standing up to the federal government in any meaningful way. What could be better than to seduce him away from that role with the promise of the presidency? Kill two birds with one stone, and kill America, too, while you’re at it.

Trump was a huge mistake: He was the biggest mistake machine politicians had made in over a century. The success of Trump’s presidency dealt establishment politicians a heavy blow. A second Trump term might kill them, and they know it.

So, be prepared to hear nothing about Trump’s candidacy, nothing about his massive rallies, nothing about the unwavering enthusiasm of his supporters. Be prepared to hear only one thing: That the “people” don’t want him. But don’t believe it. Remember which people are doing the talking.

Read the full column here.

# # #