I just don’t get it.
Hear me out.
I don’t get the continued infatuation with Donald J. Trump.
He appears to be nearing indictment on multiple criminal charges. His namesake company has been convicted of tax fraud. He has dined with anti-Semites and racists. He praised Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine as “genius.” The list of awfulness is boundless.
And yet I voted for him four times. Twice in primaries and twice in general elections.
Will I do it again in 2024? I honestly don’t know.
Last year Mike Pence was asked if he’d vote for Trump in ‘24. He responded “Well, there might be somebody else I’d prefer more,” coyly implying a potential run. I don’t know if that would get me excited either but I agree with the sentiment.
At this point, Pence’s potential candidacy reminds me of a comment about Richard Lugar when he ran for president. Lugar looks and acts presidential but he isn’t electable. My impression is the same for Pence.
Maybe I’m wrong.
Hypothetically, if my resume included multiple grand jury proceedings, if I ran a business convicted of tax fraud under my watch, if I associated with anti-Semites and racists and if I sided with Vladimir Putin, you wouldn’t be reading my words on these pages. You would have stopped subscribing to this newspaper.
And I wouldn’t blame you.
To be clear, I haven’t done any of those things listed above. Rest assured, you are safe to continue reading The News-Banner.
At the time of writing, there have been no indictments of our former President. If any are coming, they likely wouldn’t be adjudicated by the time primary and general election cycles come and go next year.
Would a conviction change popular opinion? Maybe. Probably not. It’s immaterial to my original statement.
I just don’t get it.
Your beliefs are yours. I don’t judge.
That Trump has yet to a) come to terms with his 2020 election loss or b) produce any credible evidence (I’m looking at you Fox News) that it was stolen still amazes me. We’re halfway through our current president’s term and continue to debate that outcome.
I’ve heard Trump talk more about the 2020 election, since he announced his candidacy, than I’ve heard him talk about issues that matter to voters. Taxes, inflation, social security would be good starting points.
Instead we’ve heard about Trump’s $99 NFT trading card collection. “I am your retribution.” “Witch hunt.” “Meatball Ron.” “Horseface.”
Not very presidential yet shockingly electable.
It appears to me that there are plenty of reasons to look for a new person to rally around. And yet we don’t.
It appears that Trump is still the presumptive favorite Republican candidate in 2024. So here I sit, hoping I don’t have to make that same decision again next year, yet knowing that it seems inevitable.
dougb@news-banner.com
