The Coming Reckoning

"The very same leaders of the Democratic Party, along with a cohort of the Republican Party who labeled themselves Never Trumpers, and a swathe of what was once the mainstream media, crossed the line of political and public decency by framing Donald Trump as a monster and his supporters (roughly half the nation) as monster-worshipping deplorables ready to hand our democratic republic to a dictator.

For years they have proclaimed Trump to be a danger to democracy and demonized his voters as witting or unwitting fascists. The May 16 edition of the once-revered New Republic depicted Trump as Hitler on its front cover. The argument that Trump posed a Hitler-level threat to American democracy can be traced back to the first outbreak of Trump Derangement Syndrome among left-leaning journalists in 2016. What made the argument so malignant was that it justified using all means possible to disrupt Trump’s presidency and to prevent his re-election.

With less than four months to go until the election, the Democrats are in the grip of an internal power struggle of their own making. Now the attempted assassination of Trump almost certainly dooms them to defeat, whether they nominate Biden, Harris or some other candidate. After President Ronald Reagan narrowly avoided assassination in March 1981, his approval rating surged from 60 to 70%. It would be remarkable if Trump did not reap a comparable political reward for his evident courage and defiance in the moments after his brush with death.

A great many people who wished Donald Trump ill over the past eight years also dodged a metaphorical bullet. Had Trump been killed, his death would have been on the consciences of everyone who ever called him Hitler. I shudder to imagine the political aftermath of such a nightmarish event.

The advice I would give them all as they prepare for their party’s likely defeat on November 5 is simple: This time, do the right thing after you lose. Instead of demonizing the guy who beat you, take a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourselves this simple question: Was this result what we deserved for four years of failed policies on immigration, inflation, and national security – and for eight years of smearing Donald Trump as a Nazi?" 

*Excerpted from Ayaan Hirsi Ali @Restoration