Trump II: This time it’s personnel

I saw on X that an NBC news reporter described the “general vibe” around Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks as “WTF,” with the appointment of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as attorney general earning gasps of “Oh my God.”

Can’t say I don’t share that last sentiment in at least some measure. Gaetz running the Justice Department is perhaps the biggest middle finger in the history of American presidential appointments and one far from certain to be approved by a GOP-controlled Senate.

I prefer Trump’s way of doing something over our old way of doing nothing. Let the past die. On to the future.

But when it comes to Gaetz, or any of Trump’s other appointments for that matter, here’s where I stand: Trump won one of the most remarkable political victories in the history of this country. Thus, to the victor go the spoils.

I got into this business believing that there was a conservative movement for which I would help tip the scales against the system. But all I found instead was a grift that sold books and tickets to conferences without really intending to accomplish a damn thing. Case in point: Most notable conservative influencers came out earlier this week for Rick Scott as Senate majority leader, and he was cast aside on the very first vote.

See? We’re terrible. We didn’t just lose the culture over the last 30 years by accident. For decades, we offered no systemic opposition to the American left. It’s frankly a miracle — and only by God’s grace — that we aren’t already like Western Europe, especially given the current state of our church, which is deep in its metrosexual phase. And the fact that Rick Scott is our best option only underscores the absence of a real conservative movement.

We left a giant void, and Trump filled it. He’s the king now.

To confront this reality, some of you might benefit from watching “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” It’s a story about a lifeless church where the women are catty and the men watch the clock, waiting for the game to start. Then God sends in a group of wayward kids, the Herdmans, to shake things up and bring purpose and passion back to the spiritual void.

What I see now — and it took me a very long time to realize — is that Trump is the political version of the Herdmans. Ironically, among all the people you now know as Trump’s closest associates and promoters, I was actually offered the keys to that kingdom before most of them even became relevant.

But I turned it down. I missed it. I also believed that nothing good could come from Nazareth. I thought I was guarding my integrity and a movement I wasn’t yet convinced didn’t exist. But it doesn’t exist. That’s why Trump is back — and, it seems, stronger than ever before.

When COVID and endless lawfare sent Trump packing in 2020, his exile and the Democrats’ subsequent insanity were, in hindsight, the final chance for red states to establish the bona fides of a conservative movement to lead the way. Yet there was no red wave in 2022. Not even close.

Because once and for all, hear me now: There is no conservative movement.

We have just two and a half governors who stand out: Ron DeSantis, Kim Reynolds, and maybe Brian Kemp half the time. They led a base so uninspired that their children were being transitioned before their eyes and they faced job losses unless they took a mandated poisonous jab. Yet even with these issues, they couldn’t convince the country to oust the Democrats from Congress two years ago.

The conservative movement is like a red-shirted crew member beaming down to a planet in the first five minutes of a “Star Trek” episode — it’s definitely not coming back. It’s dead, Jim. That’s what we are.

We have one resistance movement, and that’s Trump. If he fails, I honestly don’t know where we go from here. So let’s see what the Herdmans can do. I have to say, I’m as optimistic now as I’ve been in a long time. That doesn’t mean I agree with everything immediately, but for the first time in years, I see an aggressive plan from the right.

Yes, an actual plan being executed efficiently, in clear contrast to the country’s current direction. It won’t be what you’re used to, it will sometimes make you uncomfortable, and there will almost certainly be some cleanups in aisle 12 along the way. But doesn’t everything feel more alive than it did just a couple of weeks ago?

I’ll take it. I prefer Trump’s way of doing something over our old way of doing nothing. Let the past die. On to the future.