I am beginning to think that Donald Trump may have supernatural powers.
It was one thing when he won the Republican nomination against a brutally weak field in 2016 and only slightly less believable when he won the general election against a fatally flawed Democrat later that same year. Yes, he was 5 points down in the polls on Election Day and lost the popular vote by 3 million.
Yes, he won the three crucial states — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — by just over the 1 percent that would have triggered an automatic recount.
Whatever the circumstances, Trump was certified as president and took office in January 2017. As best as I could tell, there were two kinds of people who supported him. First were hardcore Republicans, including those who were horrified by the thought of Hillary Clinton being president.
Second were idiots.
I had one friend who didn’t particularly like Trump, but who considered Clinton almost a female antichrist. He hadn’t voted for Trump. In fact, I think the last time he voted for a nominee of the two major parties was Ronald Reagan in 1984, but given the two choices, he considered Trump a better president than Clinton would have been.
My friend is a moral person and a reasonably intelligent one. If he has a flaw, it’s probably one I share — thinking we are more intelligent than we really are. He’s a little more vehement about it than I am.
Imagine my shock to learn that my otherwise intelligent friend has gone full Trumpanzee, even to the point of referring to the Biden “crime family,” AntIfa, socialism and putting Dr. Fauci in prison.
He says that Trump’s ideas for the country (What? He has ideas?) are much better than anything those far left Democrats want to do.
Sadly, it won’t matter. Just as Democrats living in Idaho can’t cast meaningful votes, my friend lives in a state where Joe Biden would carry the day even if he died before the election.
In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit 11 months out from the election if neither Biden nor Trump ends up being their party’s nominee. I don’t want the president to be older than I am. It was one thing when I cast my first vote in 1972, but when I vote next November I will be one month from my 75th birthday.
We have had three presidents who served most of their terms past age 70. President Biden said last week that if Trump weren’t running, he might not even run for re-election. So who would replace him? I don’t think it would automatically be Kamala Harris, although it must be done diplomatically.
I’d love to see Amy Klobuchar or Pete Buttigieg, and there are certainly some outstanding governors who would fill the role well.
Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis might be the leading Republicans.
Of course, that would mean Trump’s magic would wear off.
That’s a lot to hope for.