By Gary Bennett
With former President Trump grudgingly departing the White House and decamping for the friendlier confines of Mar-a-Lago, I think I speak for most Frederick County citizens and certainly all Frederick County democrats by calling on all major media outlets, including this newspaper, to refrain from covering his future attempts at making news just to remain relevant. It’s time we got on to the serious business of this country, and we now have a serious president who will do just that.
Just like a train wreck happening in real time, we had to watch. But no more. The deafening silence you’ve heard since Insurrection Day on January 6 was a president with nothing relevant to say and no social media accounts to say it with. It’s been great. It’s how life used to be in the U.S. For you youngish readers, this may be hard to believe but in the old days – back to at least 2016 – we could go weeks without hearing from the president. I submit that’s how it should be. We should be able to trust the fact that the president is hard at work for the American people, and there is no need to rile us up at every turn.
Can there be any doubt that Mr. Trump will ignore the tradition that calls for former presidents to keep their mouths shut for a while so a new president can get his footing and a fair chance at governing without constant second-guessing and backbiting? It would be a major upset if Mr. Trump found this religion, but I wouldn’t bet on it. So, if he won’t do it willingly, we must do it for him. All media have a starring role to play. Social media has started the job; traditional media must now finish it. The AP and UPI will continue to submit stories about his latest outrage no doubt, but there is no reason this newspaper should pick them up. I hope that’s what happens.
You have to go all the way back to Herbert Hoover in 1933 before you can find an ex-president who just couldn’t let go. Just like Mr. Trump, Mr. Hoover didn’t know just how out of touch and out of his depth he was. He soon realized how foolish he was as the New Deal kicked in and the economy began to recover. Unfortunately, Mr. Trump does not suffer from any pesky self-awareness.
The last two one-term presidents who lost their reelection bids showed us the true meaning of grace and patriotism by putting country before their own bruised egos. Mr. Carter in 1981 and Mr. GHW Bush in 1993 went on to serve their countries with distinction in their post-presidencies, and in at least the former’s case, went on to greater acclaim as a past-president than president.
I know it won’t be easy to wean ourselves off of Mr. Trump. He has been like catnip to us and to the nightly talking heads, social media giants, and print publishers. Ratings are up. Clicks are up. Readership is up. He couldn’t stand not to be in the spotlight, and good or bad, that’s where he put himself. Constantly.
But, I’m asking, no pleading, to give him no air now. We are exhausted. Oh, he’ll threaten, but I doubt Mr. Trump will run again in 2024 even if he is eligible. There is a reason only one president has served nonconsecutive terms. Grover Cleveland was an anomaly. Former presidents enjoy the post-presidential life of many perks but no responsibilities. Even if Trump doesn’t like retired life, Americans are almost never ready to look again to a vanquished president or nominee. For that reason, democrats will welcome Mr. Trump as the 2024 republican nominee if it comes to that. Only the most weak-minded, politically naïve, easily swayed die-hards with short memories and stars in their eyes will want four more years of constant chaos and mean-spirited politics.
I’ll make one exception to reading about Mr. Trump in the future. I hope newspapers like this one will cover his upcoming civil and criminal legal proceedings completely and fully, including all his outlandish claims that he did nothing wrong and that it was all a hoax despite hours and hours of damning video and his own reprehensible and never ending lies that the election was stolen from him. After his conviction or acquittal, it’s time to move on.