Recent denunciations of Donald’s Trump’s behavior during the Jan. 6 insurrection suggest that the noose is tightening on the former president.
The Wall Street Journal, the bible for many thoughtful Republicans, minced no words. “Mr. Trump took an oath to defend the Constitution, and he had a duty as Commander in Chief to protect the Capitol from a mob attacking it in his name.
“He refused. He didn’t call the military to send help. He didn’t call Mr. Pence to check on the safety of his loyal VP. Instead, he fed the mob’s anger and let the riot play out.
“Character is revealed in a crisis, and Mr. Pence passed his trial. Mr. Trump utterly failed his.
The Trump-friendly editorial board at the New York Post noted that, “Trump’s conduct during the riot shows he is unworthy of being president again should he run in 2024.”
Well, better late than never. Millions of Americans, including this writer, have never been duped by Trump’s schtick. Trump is who he is, and he always has been. No amount of “But the Democrats…” or “America is on the verge of socialism” or “Trump has flaws, but I like his policies.” will alter the clear conclusion: Donald Trump must never hold public office again.
Where do we go from here? For starters, let’s not be bamboozled by media celebrities who believe that their fame and their endorsement by Trump qualify them for positions of political power. Happily, three of Trump’s senatorial picks are having trouble gaining traction: Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, J. D. Vance in Ohio and Herschel Walker in Georgia.
Walker is perhaps the most egregious of these candidates. A former running back for the University of Georgia, Walker possesses zero qualifications for the Senate. He’s a pathological liar, prompting one
anonymous campaign staffer to joke that “Walker lies like he breathes.” Walker says that “the jury is still out on evolution.” When discoursing on climate change, Walker said that we send our good air to China and they send their bad air back to us. He’s an admitted domestic abuser; moreover, he fathered a child out of wedlock, which he lied about. Then he lied about telling the original lie. It’s no surprise that Trump strongly endorsed his fellow con man.
Fox News, of course, hasn’t totally given up on their man Trump, although the network has been shunning him lately, a nice development. The “news” network’s leading commentators refer to the Insurrection Committee hearings as a “show trial.” Never mind that the vast majority of witnesses testifying at the hearings are Republicans, many of them appointed by Trump. They beat the “Biden is stupid” drum or rant on and on about gasoline prices. They’ve been quieter on the gas price front since gas prices have steadily dropped over the last month. Economists note, incidentally, that gas prices are determined on the global market, not by the actions of any one U.S. President.
I did see a guy walking out of Gelato Fiasco the other day with a red hat adorned with the words, “Make gas cheaper again.” Ah well; MAGA retains its magnetism for about 30 percent of the country. And Trump maintains delusions of being reelected. Sage Republican leaders believe that it will be disastrous for the Republican Party if Trump officially declares that he will run for President in 2024. True to his narcissistic nature, Trump will do what he wants to do, the consequences for the GOP or for America be damned. Meanwhile, let’s hope that moderate Republicans and independents agree with the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post that America has had enough of Donald Trump. We can only hope.
David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com.
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