Please don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say. I am not for one moment conceding that President Trump lost the election. He has legal remedies for what appear to be multiple wrongs committed by Democrats and Democrat operatives. I hope he avails himself of every lawful opportunity to rectify these wrongs and remain in office.
Let us assume, for the sake of argument, that he loses. What should he do? More importantly, what should those of us who support(ed) him do?
The first thing President Trump should do, on Inauguration Day, is leave Twitter. As I write this, he has 88.4 million followers. Twitter has been stifling the president’s speech for months, and is now flagging (or hiding) every post in which Trump complains about the unfairness of the election. This is an outrageous attempt not merely to silence a duly elected president, but to humiliate him.
Twitter may be able to survive the departure of the president, but it will suffer staggering financial losses as Trump’s followers leave with him. Is this not a fitting punishment for the arrogant geek who owns (and runs) the company?
If Trump leaves Twitter, where should he go? You may not know this, but there are alternative social-media platforms, such as Parler, that would be more than happy to host the president’s account.
Parler bills itself as “the world’s town square.” Visitors to its website are told that they may “Speak freely and express [themselves] openly, without fear of being ‘deplatformed’ for [their] views.” If and when Parler goes the way of Twitter, Trump can find another platform for himself and his millions of followers.
Come to think of it, perhaps one day Trump will form a social-media corporation of his own, to compete with the likes of Twitter. He is, after all, a builder. What greater legacy could he leave to the American people than a forum for unfettered political expression? I suggest calling it “TrumpWorld.”
But I digress. I don’t know whether Parler can handle the increased traffic that Trump’s signing up would bring, but it has a strong financial interest to do whatever is necessary to handle it. If I were the CEO of Parler, I would already be preparing for Trump’s move.
Among those who will follow Trump to a new platform are those who hate him, including members of the media. They can’t get enough of Trump, as you know if you watch CNN or MSNBC or read any of a number of metropolitan newspapers (such as the New York Times). Haters gotta hate. They will follow Trump to the ends of the earth to hate him.
Many journalists are probably depressed already because all they will be able to do for the next four years is heap praise on Joe Biden, whether he deserves it or not. Forgive me for saying so, but Joe Biden is one of the least interesting (not to mention least competent) human beings on the planet. This was true even before his mind began to disintegrate. Imagine having to cover him for four years and not being able to say anything negative—for fear of repercussions from the Left.
Parler—or some other social-media company—will give President Trump a way to speak directly to millions of Americans on a daily basis. His posts will be amplified by his followers and by the attendant (largely hostile) media.
How should he use this platform?
I suggest he use it to criticize everything Joe Biden does, for the next four years. I don’t mean criticize as in run down or find fault with; I mean criticize as in offer a constructive critique of. In effect, President Trump would be a shadow president, explaining to the American people exactly what is wrong (when it is wrong) with what Biden says, does, or proposes.
I believe the comparison between what Biden does and what Trump says he would do will be instructive. As the days, weeks, and months go by, and as the economy falters (as surely it will), Americans will soon regret voting for Biden. They will think fondly of the days when Trump made peace and prosperity seem effortless.
The effect of this daily onslaught of social-media posts will be to keep Trump’s millions of followers engaged, inspired, and, yes, entertained. Four years is not a long time in electoral politics. It won’t be long before 2023 rolls around and the presidential campaign begins anew. Trump should let it be known early on that he intends to run for president again and to retake the office from which he was wrongly removed. The message will be that cheating must not be allowed to pay.
In case you think Trump will be too old in 2024, he will be 78 years, seven months old on Inauguration Day 2025. That is only five months older than Joe Biden will be on Inauguration Day 2021. Trump’s mind is sharp as a tack, whereas Biden’s is all but gone. Trump’s doctors should put him on a strict diet and a low-impact exercise regimen. By election day 2024, he will be lean, mean, and hungry for redemption.
If Trump is re-elected in 2024, it will not be unprecedented. Grover Cleveland was elected president twice: in 1884 and again in 1892. He was both the 22nd president and the 24th president. Trump’s campaign slogan will be something like “If Grover can do it, so can I” or “Two great numbers: 45 and 47” or “Let’s make a Biden sandwich.”
So much for what President Trump should do. What should the rest of us do? The simple answer is “Resist.” The Biden presidency, born of cheating, is illegitimate. Let your elected representatives know that you expect them to oppose Biden at every turn. Warn them that if they do not, their own jobs will be in jeopardy.
The more courageous among us will take it a step further and engage in good old-fashioned civil disobedience of the sort espoused by Martin Luther King Jr. This disobedience must be non-violent, of course, and those who engage in it must be prepared to suffer the legal consequences of their actions, as King insisted. Rising up against injustice is as American as apple pie. And when you think about it, what could be more unjust than stealing an election?
Note: I have no interest, financial or otherwise, in Parler (or any other social-media company).