Donald Trump has thus far escaped the full wrath of the liberal media for various reasons, namely that liberals were still salivating over the Georgia runoff, which ended with a Democratic win. In Senate races, Democrats lost none, gained one in Pennsylvania, and kept control of the upper chamber, capping off a monumentally disappointing midterm cycle for Republicans, a party poised to reward its incompetent leadership who oversaw this calamity.
No doubt the print divisions of CNN, NBC, and others have harped on it, but CNN and MSNBC haven’t devoted the full-throated coverage as we saw during the Russia collusion hoax. The Trump organization was found guilty of tax fraud this week, but it was only related to the failure of some of its executives to declare some perk items. It got the “walls are closing in” trope going again.
Still, this slew of competing news stories shielded this post from the former president: he floated suspending the Constitution to find out who won the 2020 election. Sure, you could argue that he was pitching this to ensure our election system is safe—an ironic move—but it rehashes the undisciplined and outrageous antics from Trump that a growing number of voters are becoming impatient with every passing day.
After years in the thick of the political world, Trump must know better. There could have been a polished way to detail his points about election integrity, but he feels that the “bull in the China closet” routine he used to clinch the 2016 election will work again. Not so fast—if there’s one thing we might be seeing, it’s that those who might have backed him in ’16 have seen enough and are not keen on seeing this man or his endorsed candidate list in power.
The Trump coalition is politically diverse, with some 40 percent being self-identified economic progressives—they back the GOP over cultural issues, namely immigration. They’re also efficiently dispersed geographically, which our system rewards electorally, making this man competitive in national elections. Still, there seem to be enough consternated voters about Trump’s persona that has built a wall regarding his brand of politics. That doesn’t mean it can’t be shattered, but calling for the suspension of the Constitution because you’re still not over the 2020 election won’t earn you the political dividends needed to cash in when Election Day arrives.
Also, Hillary Clinton couldn’t get over 2016. Trump is falling into the same trap in 2020. There was funny business, but the courts aren’t going to remove Biden from office. What you can campaign on regarding this issue is election integrity laws, like the one Georgia has, and maybe a federal ban on ballot harvesting, which is highly sketchy and often regarded as quasi-voter fraud. Even the staunchest pro-Trump voter acknowledges that Joe Biden isn’t going anywhere, so move on, sir. We have high inflation, an economic recession, and a foreign policy that’s heinously adrift—we traded a notorious arms dealer for some WNBA player. When it comes to The Art of the Deal, Biden doesn’t have it.
The 2024 climate will be ripe for change, and while he might come off as sounding more like a politician—that’s what Trump is now. He’s a former president, so the “outsider” theme is neutralized. The “I was right about everything” as the 2024 motif is much more appropriate, but Trump might have killed his shot at rebooting his image with voters outside his base. Being competitive is one thing—winning is another, and right now, the Trump world candidate pool is appalling shallow when it comes to significant wins. A strong showing in the West in the Nevada and Arizona races might have created a different narrative, but it didn’t.
I will concede there are times the Constitution should be suspended in national emergencies. Parts of it arguably were during the American Civil War when the country was at stake, and Washington, D.C., was all but surrounded by territory deemed in rebellion against the United States. During World War II, we forced hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans into concentration camps. These internment measures in times of war have yet to be ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. In wartime, the president’s war powers are nearly absolute, as they play a role in our executive carrying out the duties of the office, along with honoring their oath.
Such a call because you’re still sore over an election is irresponsible and reckless and a self-inflicted wound that will be reopened at some point, whether in the primaries or the general election, if Trump gets that far. You didn’t have to say that, Mr. Trump. And I think you know that.
