In the immortal words of the character Obi-Wan Kenobi from the original Star Wars movie: “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” Former President Donald Trump may not be a Jedi Knight but, had he said these words as he left office, he probably would not have been too far from the mark.
Democrats, their allies in the establishment media, and some Republicans are so blinded by their obsession with pursuing Mr. Trump – even after his election defeat – that it may not have occurred to them that they could be playing with fire. Whether he is convicted in the Senate or hounded later through the courts, the 45th president will remain relevant. More than that, he will be on course to become a conservative martyr – a symbol of the left’s penchant for political persecution. His enemies could be creating a monster they will never be able to control.
If the establishment wanted rid of Trump, once and for all, it could make it so. If they wanted his name and his legacy to never again be mentioned in polite society, they could move on and not speak of him. Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Adam Schiff, their media sock puppets, and their pet RINOs could simply choose now to behave as if the 2016 presidential election never happened.
If one of them hears the phrase “make America great again,” they could smile and say: “What a good idea! Let’s do that.” Instead of framing Trump supporters as domestic terrorists, Trump’s detractors could claim that it is now simply irrelevant to describe oneself as a Trump supporter.
The Lesson of Barack Obama
In 2008, Barack Obama was celebrated as the savior of America. Whether one agreed with his politics or not, there is no denying that he ran a dynamic and exciting campaign. The enthusiasm for the man was enormous. He was going to fix everything that was wrong with the United States and usher in a new era of tolerance, equality, and prosperity.
By the time he left office eight years later, there was a laundry list of things for which he could have, and maybe should have, been impeached. Despite the laughable claim that his administration was scandal-free, the truth was something else entirely. From the deadly debacle of Benghazi to the sweetheart deal for the soon-to-be bankrupt Solyndra to the weaponization of federal agencies against his political opponents, Obama may have been, it is not unfair to say, one of the most divisive presidents in American history.
Republicans, however, merely shrugged Obama off once he left office – and today, his name is barely mentioned.
That should be a lesson for those who still suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome. Ironically, those who hate Trump are immortalizing him more effectively than any of his most fervent supporters. He may no longer command the powers of the leader of the free world, but his hysterical enemies have endowed him with a far more enduring influence. He is no longer just a real estate developer and former president; he is now John Galt. He is V from the movie V for Vendetta. He is Guy Fawkes. He is Maximus Decimus Meridius from the movie Gladiator.
If those who hated him weren’t so afraid of him and his supporters, Donald Trump, today, would merely be that one-term president who lost to Joe Biden. Instead, he will continue to be a household name. Not only that, but the most improbable election result in America’s history will continue to be remembered and discussed and analyzed, despite the best efforts of Democrats and their Big Tech cohorts to erase it from the public consciousness.
Most of all, though – and most damaging for the political establishment – the MAGA movement will live on for as long as anyone continues to insist that Donald Trump is Public Enemy Number One. If that sounds unlikely, consider this: there are now so many Star Wars movies and TV spin-offs that nobody can keep track of them all – which just goes to show that Obi-Wan was right all along.
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Read more from Graham J. Noble.
