By the mercy of God, President Donald Trump was spared the assassin’s bullet that pierced his ear, and America was (for now) spared the horror of hopeless descent into Marxist hell. At this stage of the political world war, there is no other populist hero capable of defeating the deep-state globalist Hydra currently ensconced in Washington, D.C. – the de facto capital of world “democracy.” Hope for populists and conservatives is found only in the person of Trump – apparently backed by the power of God. If Trump falls, the remnants of our constitutional republic will fall with him, and “democracy” will be our painful fate.
A bullet through the ear. I’m hoping he recognizes the symbolic significance of that and begins to listen more clearly to the One who saved him. The first reports I saw had him saying only God could have saved him from assassination. We don’t know if that came from him or his PR team. However, in his first published interview after the incident he is quoted as saying, “By luck or by God, many people are saying it’s by God, I’m still here.” What say you, President Trump? That’s the quadrillion-dollar question.
Was this equivocation mere political calculation intended to reassure atheist voters, or is (God forbid) President Trump himself truly ambiguous on the matter? Politically speaking, ambiguity has become Trump’s secret weapon to keeping his diverse network of constituencies moving in the same direction: on virtually every controversial issue he offers vaguely contradictory comments that resonate independently with separate factions. He’s much more a politician in the traditional sense this time around than he was in his prior campaigns. For example, having Melania host Log Cabin Republican events while he publicly applauds populist efforts against drag queens and groomers is classic Bush Dynasty politics, as was the recent partial de-Christianization of the Republican platform.
The Post article showed a significantly changed Donald Trump:
“The former president shared the ‘very surreal experience’ that nearly ended his life during an interview aboard his private plane en route to Milwaukee for the GOP National Convention. …
“GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina spent much of the flight talking to Trump and found his optimism ‘unbelievable.’ ‘He feels like he has a new lease on life,’ Graham said.
“There’s already some proof of that, as Trump related that his brush with death had changed his mind about the speech he will give Thursday to accept his party’s nomination for the third consecutive time. ‘I had all prepared an extremely tough speech, really good, all about the corrupt, horrible administration,’ he said, then suddenly added: ‘But I threw it away.’
“He said a new speech was in the works because ‘I want to try to unite our country.’ Folding his arms, he added ‘but I don’t know if that’s possible. People are very divided. … Some people want open borders, some don’t. Some want men to be able to play on women’s sport teams, and others don’t.'”
What? Is Donald Trump intending to compromise on his core populist issues? Is he now thinking of presenting himself as a neutral mediator and not an implacable swamp drainer? I hope not and that all this is just a temporary moment of weakness being exploited by Lindsey Graham.
Of all the deep state snakes you’d least want coiled around President Trump in the vulnerable hours after such a trauma, Graham ranks high on the list. I picture the scene on that flight being akin to a semi-hypnotized Mogli (Trump) in the coils of Kah the boa constrictor in Disney’s original animated “Jungle Book” film.
Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis is the Marxist formula for social engineering. What happens if Donald Trump stops being the antithesis of Soviet-esque evil and sees himself as the one who brings synthesis? He’s already done that with so-called “gay marriage” and floated “dreamer” balloons on immigration, but frankly, I don’t think he’ll abandon populist themes. I rather think the people he will throw under the bus to make room for more “centrists” are the Christians – since that’s the trend we’ve seen so far. He knows most will still vote for him in spite of it, so there is little political downside in the short term – but in the long term, what would be the fate of the world under a “pragmatic” fully secularized Donald Trump?
The greatest weakness of the MAGA movement has always been the clash of worldviews of its two largest factions: Christian conservatives and secular conservative populists. Organized Christian conservatism has deep roots in the Reagan Revolution of the ’80s and ’90s and its members understand America’s heritage as a Bible-influenced constitutional republic. Secular conservative populists are largely political newbees raised to see America’s vision as (small d) democratic “freedom.” Its more seasoned members arose in 2009 with the Tea Party in reaction to escalating left-wing radicalism under Obama, and the rest started coming out of the political woodwork in 2016 in response to Trump’s brilliant outreach to the “forgotten man.”
What splits MAGA is populist (and Libertarian) ignorance of the stark distinction between “freedom” and “liberty.” As I pointed out in an email to some friends on this recent Independence Day, freedom is to liberal democracy what liberty is to constitutional republicanism. Liberty emphasizes freedom from authoritarian control or oppression while implying a sense of responsibility and accountability. However, fully realized “freedom” (the absence of restraints) is really anarchy – which is the best short explanation for the behavior and philosophy of today’s Left.
Importantly, the founders termed what they gave to us “ordered liberty,” which in context was firmly rooted in natural law from a biblical perspective – as exemplified in the preamble to the Declaration of Independence.
This John Adams quote may seem over-used to some, but “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” The future of our nation and the world depends on whether Donald John Trump understands this truth in his inner man, or just sees his Christian base as a fungible, expendable constituency in a numbers-based election equation.
One thing is certain: That assassin’s bullet understandably and unavoidably changed Trump’s trajectory. It remains to be seen where the new path leads spiritually – toward greater darkness or greater light. God has tickled your ear to get your attention, President Trump! Please don’t insult Him by ascribing your survival to “luck.”
