Opinion

Former President Donald Trump Finally Embraces Traditional Republicanism

Adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.

Criticized, on both sides of the aisle, for seeming to draw the GOP away from its ideological roots, former President Trump finally came home when he fell back on the party’s tried and true method for returning to power: i.e. kowtowing to America’s enemies for short-term gain.

Or, in a word, treason.

Nixon’s campaign used the tactic to undercut Humphrey in ’68, promising the Thieu government massive concessions to walk away from peace negotiations while US troops were under fire in SE Asia.

Little more than a decade later, Reagan’s campaign staff met with leaders of the Islamic Revolution in Iran to undermine President Carter’s attempts to negotiate the release of the American hostages by promising them arms funneled through Israel and the release of Iranian assets held in the US.

The phrase “October surprise” derives from the fear that a last-minute breakthrough in negotiations might reverse the public’s dissatisfaction with the Democratic administration in question, leaving no joy for Republican candidates come November. GOP tacticians sought to circumvent the possibility, however remote, even if doing so kept US troops or diplomatic staff under the gun longer than necessary.

Whatever it takes, right?

Now former President Trump declares the fall of Afghanistan to have been the “worst humiliation in US history”. While he might not be far wrong, that he said so while US troops, personnel, and allies are still under fire in Kabul, can only be construed as giving aid and comfort to the Taliban.

Tradition, not to mention common sense and common decency, demand someone as prominent as Trump withhold such unequivocal condemnation at least until after US personnel and allies are out of harm’s way.

But that would not be in keeping with the GOP’s lust for power at any cost.

Never mind that the moment Trump negotiated directly with Taliban leaders (going as far as inviting them to Camp David) without any participation from the Afghan government, that government was doomed.

And everyone knew it.

The claim is made that Afghan troops chose Taliban fundamentalism over “freedom and liberty”. Nonsense. They chose not to throw their lives away senselessly for a government everyone, everyone, knew had no chance of continuing to exist past 2022.

Trump hopes his followers will forget that. Just as he hopes they’ll forget the statement, now deleted, on his website: “Getting out of Afghanistan is a wonderful and positive thing to do. I planned to withdraw on May 1st [2021], & we should keep as close to that schedule as possible”.

Of course, he needn’t worry. To be a Trump supporter is to be constantly at war with reality itself. Trump loyalists comfort themselves with the notion that having assassinated a single Iranian general, Soleimani, almost two years prior, Trump would somehow intimidate the Taliban into … actually not sure what. If he believed the Afghan government had any chance at longevity they would have been included in US withdrawal negotiations. That they did not speak even louder than the reckless comments the former, one-term POTUS and reality TV cast-member is making now.