Against all odds, literally, Donald Trump was lawfully sworn in last week as president of the United States. Depending on one’s political perspective, the opening chapter of the second Trump presidency has been the stuff of your wildest dreams or your worst nightmares.
Either way, the shock and awe of Trump 2.0 has been breathtaking to watch, with nearly five dozen executive orders signed and no signs of slowing down.
Republicans again find themselves between a rock and hard place attempting to justify several of Trump’s latest moves, much like their synthetic positioning around the 2020 election being rigged. Trump’s return has forced GOP lawmakers back into the business of making “word salads” when asked to explain Trump’s bombastic moves.
Credit: Geoff Duncan
Credit: Geoff Duncan
When pressed by the media to explain Trump’s pardon of nearly all 1,600 people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, newly minted Senate Majority Leader John Thune initially declined to respond because he “hadn’t seen all the stuff.” He later responded with, “As I’ve said before, we’re looking forward to the next four years, not the last four.” Would you like ranch or blue cheese with that salad?
Trump is an addict, and his drug of choice is the spotlight. Like other addicts, Trump gives no consideration to the risks involved while pursuing his next high. Even if those risks involve following through on an unpatriotic campaign promise to a rogue group of extremists like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
Setting free violent criminals who have been convicted of maliciously beating police officers with makeshift weapons is just another painful reminder of his addiction to the spotlight.
Whether you support Trump or not, something’s got to give. The unsustainable trajectory of chaos in our country will not end well if left unchecked. Left to his own devices, Trump will chase the spotlight every time instead of solving problems.
If Republicans don’t immediately start raising the bar and requiring him to be more than the daily host of a reality TV show, this will be a long four years instead of a productive four years.
Droves of noteworthy Republicans need to stop making excuses for Trump and start holding him publicly accountable for his menacing actions. It’s long past time for Trump to be conservative, not crazy.
It should never be considered conservative to mistreat women or be convicted of multiple felonies. It should never be considered conservative to launch a TRUMP cryptocurrency hours before an inauguration from which members of the Trump organization stand to profit.
It should never be considered conservative to abruptly remove the security detail of former U.S. officials with known threats on their lives from the hostile Iranian regime. It should never be considered conservative to condone hitting a police officer over the head with a metal baseball bat.
The generic phrase “Well, that’s who America voted for” feels like it carried more intellectual weight before the inauguration than after. One week in, Trump is already validating his skeptics’ warnings that his two-dimensional campaign rhetoric is better than his three-dimensional job skills.
But the good news is we are only one pitch into a nine-inning game, so there is still time for Republicans to refocus Trump on the conservative part of his agenda.
If tariffs are the fix for our national debt crisis, let’s go. If using our military at the border will help to stem our illegal immigration problems, I’m in. If putting up with Elon Musk and all his weirdness gets our government spending under control, count me in.
But if it’s all for show, count me out.
Republicans can no longer stealthily lean into the Democrats to serve as an effective check on an overaggressive right-swinging pendulum. Their stunning defeat in November has all but ensured the muting of their left-of-center opinion throughout the legislative process for at least the next two years.
Republicans must show self-imposed restraint and avoid the low-hanging fruit of jamming square pegs through round holes just because they have the votes.
Between a skittish economy, complicated wars, a growing debt crisis and sticky inflation, the next four years are already shaping up to be as turbulent on their own without the injection of presidential shiny objects.
Trump will have more than enough work to keep him busy. Republicans need to step up and remind him that shiny objects win elections, but they don’t solve problems.
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