Published December 20, 2024
President Joe Biden is still in charge of the executive branch for another month, but in many of the ways that count, it feels like we’re already back in the Trump era. And this time, the political winds are at the president-elect’s back. For Republicans – and the country at large – that’s reason to be grateful.
Think back to late 2016 when the country experienced the shock result of Donald Trump’s upset win. There was the chaos of his under-prepared transition; the birth of the #resistance with memes, signs and marches; anti-Trump lectures from Broadway stars; the angry newspaper columnists and late-night TV hosts intoning that “this is not normal.”
This time around couldn’t be more different. MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, vociferous Trump critics, made a reconciliation pilgrimage of sorts to Mar-a-Lago. Tech CEOs are tweeting congratulations and donating to the inaugural fund. Pro athletes are adopting Trump’s signature dance as a touchdown celebration. Filmmaker and former child actress Justine Bateman has drolly mocked overwrought TikTok videos reacting to Trump’s win.
Despite outraged calls from some for a full-court anti-Trump press, resistance has been marginal, even futile. The president-elect pointed to this dynamic in his own, inimitable way, telling reporters on Monday, “The first term, everybody was fighting me. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.”
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Patrick T. Brown is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where his work with the Life and Family Initiative focuses on developing a robust pro-family economic agenda and supporting families as the cornerstone of a healthy and flourishing society.
