Dan Pfeiffer: “Donald Trump is never running for President again. Trump has dominated American politics for nearly a decade. He ran for President three consecutive times and was the central figure in every intervening midterm election. Most discourse revolved around him, and he single-handedly drove discussion. Republicans emulated him and Democrats were disgusted by him. I have been writing, podcasting, and posting about him for so long that I hardly remember what it’s like to focus on Republicans who aren’t Trump.”
“But how do we really know he’s not running for President again? Never say never to anything involving Trump. If he could actually force his way onto the ballot again, we have bigger problems than my messaging advice. And in general, it’s a bad idea to orient your strategy around the least likely, worst-case outcomes.”
“Opposing Trump is crucial. Still, we have to stand for something bigger than opposition. Our messaging cannot be so Trump-centric. We must discuss the Republican Party writ large. Trump spent the last eight years attacking Democrats for being out-of-touch elitists who are soft on crime and immigration. We were talking about Trump. He was talking about Democrats. We paid the price.”
