Not all NeverTrump voices are entirely in the throes of late-stage Trump Derangement Syndrome; some certainly make worthy contributions. The Dispatch’s David French, also a columnist for Time, may be resolutely against Trump but he’s still an important and reliable advocate for conservative issues such as religious liberty in ways that are agreeable to Trump voters. Despite employing Boot and Rubin, the Post offers a few columnists, including Henry Olsen and Marc Thiessen, who are often pro-Trump in thoughtful ways. Brooks and Douthat, despite their opposition to Trump, also frequently elucidate positions agreeable to the few remaining Trump voters who read the New York Times.
Further, a few prominent NeverTrumpers such as Nichols and, to his credit, Boot, have been honorable enough to announce that they are voting for Democrats or have left the Republican Party altogether. (Although Boot keeps writing the same column about why he won’t vote for Republicans, this declaration lost its resonance after he wrote a book about no longer being conservative.)
In the end, it’s hard to deny there’s a disproportionate emphasis on NeverTrump opinion in the media. Far from discrediting Trump, this is likely emboldening a president who thrives on using the media as a foil. Readers aren’t stupid, and the embrace of NeverTrump at the expense of voices that actually represent Republican voters continues to send the message that the media are acting in bad faith to the half of the country that already distrusts the media, and did so long before Trump capitalized on their anger.
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