I recently heard a Trump supporter say something important.
“I wish he would stop talking about that.”
After nearly twelve years of Donald Trump dominating American politics, that sentence matters.
It means some of his supporters are getting tired.
Tired of 2020.
Tired of every speech becoming another grievance.
Tired of hearing that the most powerful man in the country is somehow still the helpless victim of everyone from Nancy Pelosi to the FBI to whichever NBC anchor hurt his feelings this week.
They may still like his policies. They may still hate Democrats. They may vote Republican until the sun burns out.
But for one moment, they separated what Trump wanted from what they wanted.
That is an opening.
Democrats should try very hard not to screw it up.
Unfortunately, Democrats have recently developed the political instincts of a golden retriever carrying a lit Roman candle.
Things start looking slightly better, and immediately somebody starts talking about sweeping the House, launching investigations, raiding offices and impeaching Trump again.
Everyone calm the hell down.
You have not won anything yet.
The votes have not been counted. The champagne remains in the refrigerator. Nobody needs to measure the drapes in the Capitol while loudly describing who will be frog marched out of Mar-a-Lago.
Because the fastest way to cure Trump fatigue is to make Trump supporters believe Democrats are coming to punish them.
Not only Trump.
Them.
That is the part Democrats keep missing.
His Supporters Hear Themselves in the Threat
When Democrats say, “We’re going to get Trump,” many Trump voters hear:
We’re going to punish everyone who supported him.
They hear their families being mocked.
They hear their churches, guns, towns, jobs and entire way of life being placed on trial.
The accusation does not have to be fair to work.
Trump has spent years convincing his supporters that every investigation of him is really an attack on them. He understands identity politics better than almost anyone alive. He wraps himself around his voters until criticism of him feels like criticism of their intelligence, patriotism and worth.
The question Democrats should be asking is:
Are you better off after giving Donald Trump another chance?
That is it.
Prices.
Healthcare.
Housing.
Insurance.
Wages.
Wars.
Promises.
Results.
Make Republicans defend what they have actually done with power.
Trump desperately wants a different election:
Will you let Democrats destroy me?
That is his favorite role.
Trump is never happier than when he is persecuted, surrounded and fundraising.
He can turn a subpoena into a religious artifact.
He can turn an indictment into a campaign commercial.
He can turn being held accountable into proof that he alone stands between his followers and the Democratic death squads coming to confiscate their lawn tractors.
Why would Democrats voluntarily give him that election?
Accountability and Revenge Are Different Things
Investigate credible misconduct.
Follow the evidence.
Impeach if the established facts genuinely demand it.
But promising the punishment first tells voters the investigation is theater and allows Trump to say the verdict was predetermined.
Do not hand him the script, the stage lighting and the campaign footage.
He already has enough makeup.
Leave People Somewhere to Stand
People rarely change their minds while being humiliated.
A Republican voter may be thinking:
I wanted the border secured.
I wanted lower prices.
I wanted America respected.
I believed Trump could deliver.
I gave him another chance.
I am tired of this.
That person needs somewhere honorable to go next.
They should not have to crawl across broken glass, apologize to every Democrat on Facebook and publicly confess that they were an idiot before anyone allows them into the coalition.
Let them change their vote without surrendering their dignity.
This Is Not Complicated
I am basically asking Democrats not to be assholes.
Do not gloat because it looks like things might go your way.
You have not won yet.
Absolutely do not promise to punish Trump, his family, his allies and everyone who supported him.
Because that includes the people you need to persuade.
Trump fatigue appears to be real.
Some supporters are tired of the same performance.
Some independents are exhausted.
Some Republicans are beginning to ask whether twelve years of outrage has improved their lives.
That is a fragile opening.
Do not slam it shut because revenge feels better than persuasion.
Trump has spent years telling his supporters that everyone is coming for them.
Some are finally getting tired of listening.
Democrats should think very carefully before proving him right.
Follow EDW for politics without the team jersey. Share this with someone who needs to hear it. Support the work if you believe America needs more truth, more curiosity and considerably fewer assholes.
EDW•
