Is Ann Coulter about to dump Trump? Is the outspoken author of In Trump We Trust about to take a giant step in the opposite direction?
Coulter was certainly ahead of most pundits in putting her money on the winning horse (she was way ahead of me in that respect), and she identified many of Trump’s strongest qualities. She also understood why his message resonated with many Americans. But she made a big mistake when she put so much trust in him, as if he could singlehandedly fix the nation. No human being can do that, not even the man who wrote Art of the Deal.
As the Daily Caller noted, “She wrote ‘In Trump We Trust’ and proclaimed that she worships him like the ‘people of North Korea worship their Dear Leader – blind loyalty.’”
Putting Coulter’s evident hyperbole aside, and understanding her penchant for the provocative, it seems that she did, in fact, put way too much trust in a frail human leader. Now she’s feeling let down and even betrayed, and Coulter’s worship could soon become Coulter’s wrath.
What did she get wrong along the way? Here are some suggestions.
First, it appears that she got caught up in the Trump hype, as if he alone of all the candidates could deliver on all his promises, as if he alone of all the candidates was not a consummate salesman as well.
To be sure, there are some values on which the president stands, and he is certainly a true patriot. But as to his guiding, non-negotiable, principles, the political and moral hills on which he is prepared to die, some of that remains to be seen. In that regard, he is still a work in progress.
Second, it appears that Coulter failed to realize that Trump’s bombastic style would create a never-ending cycle of media distractions, taking the president’s eyes off the prize.
It’s one thing to have the mainstream media against you, which Trump seems to thrive on. It’s another to create an unnecessary cycle of firestorms that obscures your message and mission.
Third, it appears that she underestimated the influence of Ivanka and Jared.
In oversimplified terms, they are pulling Trump to the left while he was elected by voters leaning to the right. But this is hardly a new revelation. The dueling viewpoints in the Trump camp were evident long before he was elected, along with his deep family loyalty. Perhaps Coulter underestimated just how impactful Ivanka and Jared would be?
She said, “I have from the beginning been opposed to Trump hiring any of his relatives. Americans don’t like that, I don’t like that. That’s the one fascist thing he’s done. Hiring his kids.”
Did she not see this coming?
Fourth, it appears she underestimated the degree of compromise in Washington – in other words, the depth and density of the swamp.
On the one hand, she is indicting Congress directly, saying, “I do, of course, blame Congress most of all. They are swine. They only care about their own careers. Who knows how much of it is corruption and how much of it is pure stupidity? . . . They are the opposition party to Donald Trump. This is really something we’ve never seen before. The president stands alone, it’s his own political party, he’s Gary Cooper. All we have is millions of Americans behind him, but he doesn’t have anybody in Washington behind him.”
But is this such a new revelation (even if somewhat overstated)? Was she unaware of this too when she effused about what Trump would do? And could it be that the president’s divisive style has hindered his ability to get more of Washington behind him?
I too fault Congress for many of the bumps in the road so far, and I also hoped (and still hope) that Trump would be able to take on the Washington establishment. But it’s possible that a more experienced, less controversial, deeply conservative president could have been more successful to this point.
Fifth, and most importantly, it appears that Coulter made Trump bigger than life. (Let’s give him credit for selling himself as well as any person in our time. The Trump name now adorns the White House.)
She said to the Daily Caller, “I got to tell you when I wrote ‘Adios America’ I thought there was a 10 percent chance of saving the country. On the evening of November 8, I thought, ‘Wow we have a 90 percent chance now, this is a chance that comes a long once every thousand years, we can save America now.’”
Really? Someone like Trump comes along once in a thousand years? With him at the helm, America’s chances for survival from 10 percent to 90 percent? This is completely unrealistic, almost guaranteeing disappointment and, worse still, bitterness and anger.
Only God can turn around a nation like that, and that’s why America’s greatest need is a great revival in the Church that will become a great awakening in the society. As I argue in Saving a Sick America, due out later this year, the darkening state of the nation affords an incredible backdrop against which God’s people can rise and shine. We are certainly very sick, but with the Lord’s help, radical change can come.
That’s also why President Trump needs our prayers and support and encouragement. He is a flawed human being, like the rest of us, with the weight of the world on his shoulders, surrounded by sharks and serpents (metaphorically speaking), with genuine intentions to do good.
We do him a disservice by putting disproportionate trust in him.