Last winter, no one was voting for Donald Trump. With varying levels of anger, disdain or sadness, all our friends made it clear they were “moving on.” “He’s a slob,” said one friend aggressively—with no explanation even when pressed. “I want to go back to ‘normal,’” said another, adding, “before all the division.”
I remember lots of division since I started voting, but I figured she meant “before Trump fought back.” There’s no division if we don’t complain when we’re called a “murderer and tax cheat” (Romney) or a “mentally unfit Nazi” (McCain)—not much winning either.
Most simply repeated the establishment “Trump can’t win,” forgetting we’d heard that in 2016. And some just said they wanted to “explore other options,” like changing a vacation destination. Only one friend said he was supporting Trump, though he said it quietly.
About a month ago, however, with no apparent reason and certainly no explanation, the very same people started to shift back to Donald Trump. “He’s the only one who can win,” said one; “he’s my guy,” said another. In less than two weeks, four separate people casually said they’d be voting for Trump as though they had never said otherwise. I say “voting” rather than “supporting,” as a couple of them were not overly enthusiastic, at least for now.
I’m not exactly sure what happened. Maybe the “other options” weren’t as promising as expected. Maybe the endless indictments brought back the need for a fighter. Maybe the very real possibility of war with Russia (and China) changed some minds. Maybe the media’s coordinated, vicious attacks on DeSantis reminded voters it wasn’t ever about Trump—they hate all of us, and they no longer care if we know it.
Whatever caused the shift, it has been stark and quick. Unless something entirely unexpected happens, it looks like Donald Trump is heading for a big primary victory in New Hampshire. Much bigger than I would have anticipated just a few months ago. Doubt I’ll even watch Ronna’s debates.
