Can the GOP become conservative again after Trump?

Now, more than ever, is the time to continue the hard work of pointing out the dangers Donald Trump poses to America. At least that could be one takeaway from a recent NBC News poll showing that the number of Republicans who are more loyal to Trump than the Republican party is at an all-time low. According to the survey, just 33% of registered Republicans say they are more loyal to Trump than party, with 58% more faithful to the Republican party than Trump. NBC’s findings also show that this new low comes after a sharp jump in loyalty to Trump in August after the FBI took back classified documents from Mar-A-Lago.

What is most striking about NBC’s report is how consistent Trump’s decline has been with registered Republicans. The fall has been slow but steady since January 2021. Given the consistency, there does not appear to be one thing that contributed to the decline in Trump’s loyalty. Given Trump’s mounting criminal issues, there may not need to be a single issue. 

Overall, there does seem to be a reason for conservatives to be optimistic. With Trump losing control of the party, there remains a chance for a future of conservatism that is not swept up in the petty grievance politics Trump has been known to play. Of course, this does not mean that the work is over. 

Those of us who, since the moment he descended that escalator, have been steadfast that what Trump represents is not conservatism and is not beneficial to America still have work before us. 33% of registered Republicans is still one-third of the Republican party. A not insignificant amount of the party still does not see how Trump has harmed our nation and the conservative movement. But what the NBC polling does show is that people can come to this realization. 

Since we do not know precisely what is causing this steady decline in loyalty to Trump, there is not one thing we can we must keep doing. But there is also some freedom in that realization. It may be that the small things of simply loving your neighbor, holding firm to convictions, and providing a space for people to express their doubts without fear of judgment are aiding the decline. But we can never go wrong by being ready to welcome people back to the convictions they once held when they begin to realize that Trump does not care about providing a way forward for anyone but himself. And, of course, just because Trump is gone does not mean that conservatism is no longer tainted by his personality. But any work of reclaiming a conservative movement beneficial to all Americans has to begin somewhere. NBC’s polling shows that Trump’s fall may be the beginning many have hoped for.

3 More Things

1) An example of the legacy Trump is leaving for conservatism can be seen in a recent Washington Post article that reports on the rise of social media influencers who promote Trump’s “big lie.” Despite claims by Tech companies that they would stamp out disinformation, several social media accounts rose to prominence in 2020, spreading election lies. And those accounts continue to spread disinformation and sow division today. These influencers are not all related to Trump, literally and metaphorically, which shows that the rot of Trumpism is still spreading.

2) Business Insider reports that Gen Z has a new preferred method for searching for information. Instead of going to Google, they pull up TikTok. While it may seem that an app mostly known for viral dances and the odd life hack has become a hub of information, TikTok is still a social media site. There is information to be found there; the problem is that 1 in 5 TikTok videos contain misinformation. Perhaps more alarming than the misinformation is Business Insider’s reporting that TikTok’s algorithm is pushing hyperpartisan videos to viewers searching for things like “Covid vaccine.”

3) This past weekend, AP News had a story reporting on how Trump is now openly embracing his QAnon supporters. Trump has always been loathe to discount Q and its followers completely. Still, he has moved from dog whistles to a full-throated embrace of QAnon. From the AP: “Trump’s recent postings have included images referring to himself as a martyr fighting criminals, psychopaths and the so-called deep state. In one now-deleted post from late August, he reposted a “q drop,” one of the cryptic message board postings that QAnon supporters claim come from an anonymous government worker with top secret clearance.”

Ian McLoud