Why the Trump Movement Didn’t Save America Like It Had Hoped

Most of Trump’s fans went into 2016 convinced that America’s old ideals were undeniably good.

His voters did not need to be persuaded that capitalism, the Second Amendment, and the individual’s liberty to exercise religion were positive things. When Trump arrived on the scene, his voters believed strong private businesses were more trustworthy than bloated government programs, that patriotism was more important that globalism, and that our Constitution was reliable.

They voted for Trump because their trust in these things was already established. They weren’t looking for someone to convince others that such things were good—they just wanted a leader who would have the power to stand behind and enforce their beliefs.

This was their critical misstep.

What did these voters miss? Sheer power will never lead a nation like America. The flex of a favorite king may feel good to us temporarily, but this energy counters the inner mechanics of our republic.

We are not a monarchy, so a leader of this nation must do more than simply believe “the right things” or “enforce the right things.” Americans (right and left) are born knowing that we do more than follow. We challenge domination and resist oppression. So, a good President must also accept the perpetual responsibility of persuading the whole nation of the goodness of its ideals.

Whatever else the executive branch does, the lion’s share of a President’s job is to fight to cast a beautiful vision, calling the people as a whole to evidence that what is “American” is also trustworthy.

Trump completely ignored this critical responsibility.

We’ve been given photos of a goofy old man hugging a flag and ridiculous, partisan pep rally cheers about loving this nation. But we have had no attempts to educate or unify the masses under a vision that would help ensure liberty and justice for all.

The single most important thing a President does was abandoned entirely.

Trump sucker punched where he should have courted.

Trump tried to lead by flexing his biceps and beating his pecs instead of using the wisdom of a seasoned sage who has taken the time to study and fall deeply in love with America.

His smoke and lights WWF boast-show has been good enough for his fans because these people were already convinced that America’s foundations were safe and helpful.

They were giddy at the chance to cheer for the guy strutting around the ring in the shiny leotard. Meanwhile, millions and millions of Americans who didn’t head into 2016 believing that the guidelines driving our American experiment were reliable have felt bullied and bruised by Trump.

Instead of taking the time and energy to cast a vision all citizens could get behind, he’s proven that the establishment is callous, arrogant, ignorant, and self-protective. By this, he has fueled defiance against America’s core.

For millions of citizens, he has confirmed that “something is deeply wrong” with the old ways. Because the Emperor is wearing no clothes, anyone who acknowledges this ugly reality is tempted to entertain a thoughtful progressivism that seeks new solutions instead of looking to old ones.

What’s done is done.

At this point, I don’t think the damage can be reversed.

So many writers attempted to warn Trump fans that this was happening, but they were simply too drunk on power to exercise humility or wisdom. But as younger Americans try to process the past four years, maybe there’s a benefit to simply saying, “This is what happened,” after the trauma.

Sometimes I daydream about what the past four years might have been like, had we chosen a kind, intelligent statesman who would have used the time he was given to guide and nurture a growing nation.

I daydream about a visionary who would have poured out a constant stream of beautiful words and strong ideas, honest confessions of sins, and connections between universal truths and proposed policies.

I imagine what power there could have been in listening to the pain of America and verbalizing her wounds so that the hurting knew they had been understood.

I think about what kindness could have done.

I think about what restraint could have done.

I think about what maturity could have done.

I think about what a real President could have done from 2016-2020 to save America.

I’m so sorry we didn’t have that. I’m sorry we had someone who damaged our foundations instead of working to promote them.

Citizens who truly love America have a lot of work to do now because of this—in fact, we have so much more work than we had going into the Trump presidency.

Photo credit: DodgertonSkillhause on Morguefile