A New American Story and Strategy is Crucial Against Trump

Donald Trump arrived on the American political scene ten years ago when he announced his run for President. In that time he has won the Presidency twice, and today the GOP under his cult leadership now holds the White House, the United States Senate, and the United States House of Representatives. And America is closer to an autocracy than it is has ever been since our founding as a constitutional democracy.

So the question remains what is the best strategy to combat Trump’s movement and build a revived American democracy where justice and equality prevail? I would argue that the folks pushing and behind the strategy of the “Never Trump” constituency ought to reevaluate their effectiveness, and maybe understand it hasn’t worked.

If one judges effectiveness by clicks and followers on social media, the name-calling, hyperbole and coarseness has been working if that is used as a metric. But if one looks at motivating a majority of Americans to participate and build a New America based in our founding principles and win elections, the strategy of the Never Trump folks has been an wholly ineffective.

Now, I hear the argument made that more communications platforms and an increased number of people using coarseness as a strategy is what is needed. That not enough people are hearing the Never Trump message, and if more people could hear it then it would be working. The data shows in many ways this is wrong.

Millions of dollars has been spent on talking to voters at election time and thousands of people hours has been devoted to the Never Trump talking points, and Trump has actually increased his margin among Republicans in each election cycle. And Republicans in each election cycle since 2020 have outvoted Democrats. Additionally, Trump and his GOP acolytes have not lost any ground among Independent voters, and in some jurisdictions are doing better among those swing voters than they did prior to Trump’s arrival.

Saying not enough people are hearing the Never Trump messages is akin to the story of the owner of a restaurant which is failing. People aren’t coming anymore because the food is awful and the ambiance is off-putting. The restaurant owner decides his strategy for success isn’t improving the food or fixing the ambiance, but to advertise more. It is time to reflect on the idea maybe that what the Never Trump folks are serving is wrong and the way it is served isn’t what people want to experience.

Yes, of course, lawyers need to contest Trump’s unconstitutional and illegal moves at every turn. And file motions and lawsuits in places and at moments where success in the courtroom is likely. Not just filing everywhere and all the time, but an approach which chooses the best chances of stopping Trump.

But the more important question is what is the best model for communications in this moment where our constitutional democracy is at risk? I would argue that starting from a place of truth is key, and then doing it in a way that voters see something opposite of Trump in demeanor and in opposition to his cruelty. If cruelty and coarseness becomes the battlefield for this fight, then Trump and his allies will always win because they will always be more coarse and more cruel.

With a basis in truth, how about we speak it with kindness and empathy and an understanding of where people are in their lives? Establishing an emotional connection with voters driven by compassion and caring prior to a rational discussion could prove much more successful. For any of you in a relationship you know full well that you can’t break an emotional attachment with a rational argument. Or you can’t get someone to be part of your team by telling someone they are wrong or stupid to begin with. It only hardens them in their existing position.

And another crucial element of success at this time is presenting a positive inclusive platform that a super-majority of Americans can rally behind. Citizens today need a new American story of what a multi-cultural multi-racial democracy in the 21st century can deliver for their lives. Arguing over preserving norms, processes and structures that don’t work for many isn’t a path for recruitment and building what we all desire for our country.

I don’t have all the answers for the fight against Trump and his autocratic impulses, but I know that thus far the Never Trump strategy has at best not worked, and in many ways has contributed to creating a political and communications environment where the Trump way has been emboldened.

How about we follow the path of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, St. Francis, and Jesus and start with truth, practice kindness and empathy, and preach a hopeful path to the promised land. I for one think it is worth a shot, and it will definitely be better for all our relationships in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities.