Will the Republicans be able to escape Trumpism?

One of the hallmarks of Democracy is the peaceful transfer of power from one elected administration to the next. This is especially important when the outgoing and the incoming administrations are from opposing parties.

It is, of course, difficult to lose a hard-fought contest, but the mature response is always for the loser to stand tall, smile, and congratulate the winner. In the world of athletics, this is called good sportsmanship. One who pouts or whines or claims the contest was unfair becomes known as a “bad sport.”

The presidential election of 2020 is over. The question now is how the Republicans will behave in the face of their loss. Of particular interest to me is how those Latter-day Saints who (for some reason) voted for Trump will behave going forward.

We peacefully accept the results of elections. We will not participate in the violence threatened by those disappointed with the outcome.

Dallin H. Oaks

Attempting to steal the election

Elected Republican office holders have not set a good example. They remained silent for more than a month while the Trump team lost court battle after court battle (last count over 50!). Then, when indicted Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, filed his seditious case asking the Supreme Court to throw out the votes of four states (!!), 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives and 18 red states signed on to support the case!

Now, some MAGA supporters, including at least two Trump lawyers, are calling for Trump to call out the troops to keep him in office. Their outrageous (and, as usual, completely baseless) claim is that Biden is “stealing” the presidency. They want to use the 1807 Insurrection Act to stop Biden from taking office.

It is as plain as day that Donald Trump is the one trying to steal the election. And it is clearly those MAGA-hatted, gun-carrying, thugs in the streets who are the insurrectionists. How far will this attempt to overthrow the election and destroy our country be allowed to go? Will those spineless elected Republicans ever stand up and bring their dangerous insurgents back in line?

Will Trump fade from view?

Traditionally, an outgoing president fades from public view. This is partly because the spotlight has shifted to the new person and partly because outgoing presidents consciously choose to let the new administration function without interference. The latter will not happen with Donald Trump. As the poster boy for malignant narcissism, he will continue to seek the limelight after he is removed from the White House.

At this point, it is not clear how successful he will be. He probably would like to move to Mar-a-Lago and set up a shadow presidency. His nuttiest supporters, who apparently believe that all Democrats are inherently evil, would love that. Trump keeps their interest alive by flirting with the idea of running for president again in 2024.

But Trump’s neighbors in Palm Beach don’t want him permanently living at his club. Twitter might ban him once he is out of office. The mainstream press will certainly move their focus to the new president. And Trump himself could well end up in prison.

What will the Republican Party do?

The key unknown is what the Republican Party, which has been afraid of Trump and his supporters for five years, will do. Mitch McConnell, who is a master of political self-interest, finally accepted Joe Biden’s election victory. This was most likely because the continued Republican attacks on the presidential election were threatening the January 5th Georgia Senate run-off election. McConnell has a much greater interest in remaining the Majority Leader than he has in supporting Trump’s insurrection.

The party that loses a presidential election typically regroups and waits for new leadership to emerge from its ranks. When an incumbent president loses re-election, that person is usually blamed for the party’s fall from grace and is given no role in rebuilding the party’s future.

Trump has seriously damaged the Republican Party. He has awakened and united the dark forces that have long been present just below the surface of the party — the racists, the resentful, the ignorant, and the bullies. They are now controlling the party and they are blindly devoted to Trump. Moderate Republicans (if any still exist) need to take their party back from these dangerous extremists.

Will Authoritarianism eventually win?

Donald J. Trump, with his refusal to concede the election, with his unending court challenges, with his incitements to violence, with his demands for loyalty, has pushed the Republican Party to the very edge of an authoritarian take over of the United States.

Unless the Republican Party finds a way to disempower and sideline Trump, he and his brainwashed insurgents will continue to dominate and dictate terms to the party. They will continue to use irresponsible social media to further radicalize themselves, and they will continue to agitate until they take over the country.

The Republican Party needs to decide whether, going forward, they will support the Constitution of the United States or whether they will be the foundation for an authoritarian dictatorship led by Donald J. Trump (or someone like him).

Sources: Chauncey DeVega, “Yes, Trump will leave office — but his seditious secession movement isn’t going away,” Salon, December 15, 2020.
Bob Ceska, “Ready for Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago shadow presidency? That’s where all this is heading,” Salon, December 15, 2020.
Nathaniel R. “Nat” Helms, “Say Goodbye, Mr. Trump. Don’t Let The Door Hit You In The Ass Going Out,” The Shinbone Star, December 17, 2020.
Terry Spencer, “Trump’s move to his Florida estate challenged by neighbor,” Associated Press, December 17, 2020.
Tina Nguyen, “MAGA leaders call for the troops to keep Trump in office,” Politico, December 18, 2020.
Kevin Liptak and Pamela Brown, “Heated Oval Office meeting included talk of special counsel, martial law as Trump advisers clash,” CNN, December 20, 2020.
David Frum, “How Long Can This Continue?” The Atlantic, December 20, 2020.
Ben Jacobs, “Is Trump’s Coup a ‘Dress Rehearsal?’“, Intelligencer, New York, December 27, 2020.
Fintan O’Toole, “Trump has unfinished business. A republic he wants to destroy still stands,” The Irish Times, December 26, 2020.
Derek Thompson, “The Deep Story of Trumpism,” The Atlantic, December 29, 2020.
Orson Scott Card, “Dissent and Treason,” Ensign, September 1977.
Dallin H. Oaks, “Love Your Enemies,” Saturday Morning Session, General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, October 3, 2020.