
<p>If you follow any of the leftwing media, you will come to believe that President Trump has some sort of hypnotic charismatic grip on the entire Republican Party – excluding those who jumped ship at the onset of his presidency. ;</p>



<p>They say the entire GOP is not even a political party, but rather a “cult of personality” – devoted to the whims of one man. ; According to media personalities like Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s “morning Joe, we Republicans are evil … evil. ; Her word. ; Folks like the <em>Washington Post’s</em> Eugene Robinson says the GOP must be “whipped out …. crushed” in the next elections. His words.</p>



<p>They create the narrative that we Republicans are evil people &#8211;mindless knuckle-dragging cultists who want to bring down the American Republic to ensconce Trump as our leader-for-life.</p>



<p>Central to the left’s outrageous and totally untrue assertion is the core claim. It is that Trump controls the Republican Party with a steel grip. ; If that is not true, then the entire Democrat campaign strategy for 2022 collapses completely.</p>



<p>I voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 because I thought the philosophic choice was clear in the General Elections. I have to admit that in the 2016 primaries – of the 16 Republicans running, Trump was my 17th choice. It was easier to vote for him in 2020 because I was pleasantly surprised by his mostly conservative policies and appointments. And Biden and the Democrats were an even a worse choice for any conservative who votes on issues. </p>



<p>It was not just about Clinton and Biden themselves, but the people they would bring into office and empower. I have remained a critic of Trump’s pugnacious personality. But I am also a constant critic of the dishonesty of the Democrats and corruption of the so-called news media.</p>



<p>What drives my writings and votes is how a candidate stands up to my own conservative litmus test. ; I am not devoted to any politician, but only the issues they represent. ; There for I am not a mindless cultist – nor are my many conservative friends.</p>



<p>So, what about the narrative that Trump is a cult leader with a tight grip on the Republican Party and millions of Republican voters? ; Frankly, I do not believe that any of that is true.</p>



<p>For sure Trump has a dedicated base of loyal supporters who wish he was still in office – and want him to run again. ; Some presidents have exceptional loyalty. ; The one that comes to mind is President Obama. ; His personal base is as loving and loyal to him as any Republican is to Trump. ; But in neither case does it represent the entire party.</p>



<p>Trump has a loyal base of approximately 30 percent of Republican voters. That means that 70 percent of us are not obedient to his every whim and wish. In 2016, Trump never showed power in the primaries until he defeated his opponents in the early primaries and gained momentum. He did that because his 20 to 30 percent of the vote was a winning plurality against those 16 Republicans who divided the vote. In primaries where there are lots of candidates, the person with the largest base – even just 20 to 30 percent –often wins – even though 70 to 80 percent preferred a different candidate.</p>



<p>I am not sure if Trump will run again. ; And I am also not sure if I will vote for him in the Florida primary if he did. And virtually all of my Republican friends who voted twice for Trump are not committed to him in a future election. ; We have to see how things unfold.</p>



<p>It will be interesting to see who enters the primaries to oppose Trump if he runs. If the field is not too large, I believe that Trump would lose the nomination in 2024. I am betting that he will not run for a number of reasons. I think it is more likely that he would step aside for one of his children – son or daughter – or endorse another candidate.</p>



<p>The left is attempting a two-punch strategy to head off a disaster in the 2022 midterm election. ; More than anyone, the left is selling Trump as a charismatic figure who is in absolute control of the GOP – and that he is dangerous and evil as are all his supporters – which in their narrative includes the entire Republican Party.</p>



<p>I believe the strategy will fail because the Democrats and the media have gone too far in demonizing Trump and the Republican Party. ; It is a brush too broad.</p>



<p>People know better and there will be a push back. ; Even Republicans who do not like Trump will be voting for GOP candidates up and down the ballot. ; Whether you believe Trump won the 2020 election or not, it is still true that the down ticket candidates performed better than the top of the ticket.</p>



<p>As a former President, Trump has influence in his Party – but he does not own it. ; Most Republican voters will weigh the options when the time comes. ; There is no cult-of-personality.</p>



<p>What I believe Democrats and the media will learn is that Republican voters are intelligent good people. ; We are not cultists or evil people. ; And we are not so easily fooled by preposterous statements and mendacious narratives. ;</p>



<p>Trump will have very little impact on our vote in the 2022 midterm election. ; We know that the mission is to take control of the House and maybe the Senate in order to stop the insane big-government, big-spending agenda of Biden administration.</p>



<p>It is very possible that the Democrats’ demonization strategy will blow up in the face. ; We do not like to be called cultists and evil.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Exactly How Powerful Is Trump?
