Are You a Never-Trumper?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is the need for all Republicans to support former President Donald Trump for POTUS. The United States simply cannot endure four more years from Joe Biden or any other Democrat.

The Biden administration has damaged the United States in several ways.

·         They opened the southern borders and allowed millions of illegal aliens enter the United States without being vetted.

·         They shut down drilling for oil and threw away the oil independence brought about by the Trump administration.

·         They have divided the nation by their claims that Trump and his supporters are Nazis and traitors to America.

There are other ways that they have damaged America. This is one reason Never Trumpers need to rethink their vow to never vote for Trump. Jacob Hess shared a list of Never-Trumpers who have changed their minds and hearts about Donald Trump. 

In August of 2016, JD Vance told NPR “I might have to hold my nose and vote for Hillary Clinton” before saying he’d probably vote third party “because I can’t stomach Trump” – someone he saw at the time as “noxious” and “leading the white working class to a very dark place.”

Eight years later, this same man cheered alongside Donald Trump Monday night as his vice president pick. But he’s hardly alone in experiencing a profound evolution in feelings toward the former president.

Model and rapper Amber Rose, who gave what Van Jones called the “most dangerous” RNC speech for Democrats Tuesday night, said years ago about Trump, “I really hope he’s not president – even intimating that she would leave the country with her son if he was elected, “I’m out!”

Utah Senator Mike Lee expressed concern in a 2016 interview at prior statements from then-candidate Trump that seemed “religiously intolerant” as one reason for resisting an earlier endorsement and contributing to why Trump was at the time “wildly unpopular” in Utah. Lee voted for Evan McMullin in the 2016 presidential race.

Each of these individuals are now staunch supporters of the former president, along with others who have experienced an equally dramatic sea change in affections, including Senators Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, and Lindsay Graham, Rep. Elise Stefanik, former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Glenn Beck, Candace Owens, Ben Shapiro, Hugh Hewitt, and Elon Musk. The list of Trump converts is long, and includes many thoughtful citizens concerned about inflation, migrants and war spreading abroad.

Changing perspectives can clearly be healthy as added information and experience is gained. And Vance himself has said he “was wrong” about Trump in the past, explaining, “I didn’t think he was going to be a good president. He was a great president.”

However, there are many Never-Trumpers – such as former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, current Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, and former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney – who have not been converted to Trump. Even Republican Gov. Spencer Cox has indicated that he would support the Republican Party but not vote for any presidential candidate.

The Deseret News wanted to know what differentiates the conservatives. Some believe that one reason for supporting Trump comes from political ambition. Another reason for conversion to Trump comes from Trump’s policies. Here are some patterns that the Deseret News discovered.

1. Belief that Trump is good at getting practical results America needs

“They like his policies” is the most common explanation among newfound Trump supporters – underscoring, most frequently, the former president’s work to secure the U.S. border and nominate conservative justices to the Supreme Court….

2. Convinced Trump’s brash style is needed now

While they typically don’t condone everything Trump has said in the past, supporters often say they’ve come to see the former president’s overall style as helpful – justifying the well-known brashness and personal attacks as serving a purpose in America’s hostile political environment.

3. Persuaded of the possibility of election fraud

Some former Trump critics have said the possibility of election fraud is worthy of investigation….

4. Agreement that Trump’s hard-line response to the immigration crisis is justified

Rubio was an early leader in 2012 bipartisan efforts on comprehensive immigration reform that would have created a path to citizenship for millions of people in the country illegally. But like many conservative leaders, his attitude has changed after witnessing rising numbers of migrants entering the country illegally. Now, he and other Republicans join Trump and conservative pundits in declaring this an “invasion of our country.” …

5. A desire to put “America First”

Trump’s stance on foreign policy is now embraced by some conservatives who formerly worried about becoming overly isolationist. Senator Lee said in his endorsement that Trump’s candidacy was a chance for “putting America first over America last.” ….

6. Convinced we must be fighters in a culture war

Many of these leaders and citizens have embraced Trump’s language taking for granted that conservatives are victims (and fighters) in a zero-sum culture war with dire consequences at stake. This includes adopting generalized suspicion toward what Rubio calls the American “ruling class,” who he writes “will stop at nothing to destroy anyone they view as a threat to their power and wealth” – suggesting this same “ruling class” seems to be “actually trying to destroy America.” ….

7. Sure that Trump will do great good for the nation

All this adds up to a calculus where the conservative leaders who embraced Trump and voters see the former president as ushering in unquestionable good were he to retake the White House. Rubio even writes that he may even be “our last chance to save this country.”

The bottom line is how you see life in the United States of America. If you like what you have seen over the past three and a half years, vote for more of the same. If you think that your life and America is better off with Democrat policies, then vote for Biden or whoever replaces him on the ballot.

However, if you do not like what you have seen during the Biden administration, you might recognize that most of the problems are caused by Democrat policies, not by Biden himself. If you are tired of watching prices leap higher and higher, you might try Trump because he had excellent policies for America during his first administration.

My long-time readers know that I believe that secret combinations (Deep State?) – with people from both political parties – have control of the U.S. government. They are desperate to stop Donald Trump and have used every means possible to stop him. Someone even tried to stop him with a bullet last Saturday.

Since I do not believe in coincidences, I am left with the belief that it is a miracle – divine intervention - that Trump is still alive. He could have easily had his head blown apart instead of a nick on his ear. Miracles come from God, so I am convinced that God saved Trump’s life for a reason. It is obvious that God wants Trump alive. Otherwise, He had a good opportunity to take the life of Trump.

Then there is the fact that the bullet in the assassination attempt hit Trump’s right ear, and he got blood on his right hand when he reached up to touch his ear. Did blood also drop onto Trump’s big toe on his right foot? Please consider this information as you read these interesting instructions in Exodus 29:20 given to Moses on how to consecrate Aaron and his sons:

Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right food, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.

Is it possible that God consecrated Trump for an important job? Are you willing to second-guess God? How will you feel when – sometime in the future -- you learn that God is using Trump to save America if you continue to oppose him?

Obviously, none of us know if God did consecrate Trump or if He is making an instrument of Trump in His hands. However, most of us can see that America is in a dangerous situation. If any enemy – foreign or domestic – wanted to take out America, now would be an optimal time to act.

My counsel to all – Trump supporters and Never-Trumpers – is to keep your heart soft. Be careful that you do not let hatred for Trump lead to a hard heart. I am praying to know what is best for America, and I encourage all Americans to do the same.