Reviews | Say the name of Donald Trump

“The whole nation knows who is responsible for this day. Beyond that, I have no immediate observations,” Mitch McConnell said in a statement after the Jan. 6 criminal dismissals on Tuesday.

So who exactly is responsible? Do we know anything about this person? Is there a description? Has he been seen since January 6, 2021? In which direction did he then flee?

The Republican Jewish Coalition spoke after the infamous dinner with Ye (better known as Kanye West): “We strongly condemn the virulent anti-Semitism of Kanye West and Nick Fuentes and call on all political leaders to reject their messages. of hatred and to refuse to meet them. »

Truly? The “political leaders” – note the plural – have Nick Fuentes meetings marked on their calendars? This statement would have been more accurate, even more blatant in its evasion, if it had called on “a certain political leader” not to meet notorious anti-Semites.

South Dakota GOP Senator Mike Rounds responded after Trump suggested suspending the Constitution: “As elected officials, we are sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. We should never dishonor that oath. No one is above the Constitution.

He added: “Anyone who wants to lead our country must pledge to protect the Constitution. They shouldn’t threaten to end it.

This sermonette was certainly welcome and faultless, except that you would have no idea who or what occasioned it. The senator could have made remarks to mark Constitution Day.

It’s as if, after the announcement of Trump peddling his trading card NFTs, some Republican entity or public official called on us « all to do better not to trade our names in flashy and ridiculous ways, including promoting trading cards describing us as superheroes ».

If Republicans followed these rules during Watergate, they would have walked away from ‘anyone’ authorizing a burglary of the opposition party’s political headquarters and would have strongly urged all ‘elected leaders’ to keep full audio recordings of their conversations. .

How much does it matter? On the one hand, everyone knows who he is talking about, especially Donald Trump. On the other hand, avoiding his name signals a continuing rise in fear, a reflexive grimace at the political leader who for years could make wandering Republican lives miserable with a tweet or a swipe at a conference. Press. When that reflex finally gives way, it will be a sign that Trump’s grip on the party has truly loosened.

It’s not like avoiding Trump’s name offers any sort of immunity. Trump obviously criticized McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao, in the harshest, silliest, and most personal way possible.

It is certainly true that at some point, had Republican officials been more candid about what they really thought of Trump, it would have led to instant and, in many cases, successful primary challenges. A holdout on Trump could be justified as a means of self-preservation and a way to prevent the party from becoming even more MAGAfied.

Now that no longer makes sense. Confidence isn’t everything in life or politics, but it is self-reinforcing. If anyone has demonstrated this throughout his business and political career, it’s Donald Trump. He cannot be satisfied with his current state, but must consider it a welcome sign of weakness on the part of his detractors that some of them, after all, still won’t dare to speak his name.