Trump Only Cares About Himself: There is an often-told story that at the surrender ceremony following the Battle of Yorktown, the defeated British bandsman played the march “The World Turned Upside Down.”
It is unlikely true, in part because the tune is actually a Christmas song – about how the Puritans after the English Civil War essentially banned most of the more elaborate and at times bawdy celebrations.
However, a case could be made that perhaps such a tune could be fitting for those old-school Republicans who don’t like the direction the party has taken as it continues to be led by former President Donald Trump.
Quite The Different Tune Under Trump
The GOP never had an official song – even as the Democratic Party has embraced the 1929 song “Happy Days Are Here Again” since it became the campaign anthem for Franklin Roosevelt’s 1932 presidential campaign, while “Fanfare for the Common Man” has also been played at numerous DNC events over the decades.
Thus it would be fitting that “The World Turned Upside Down” would work as it explains Trumpism and the GOP!
In their weekly opinion column for The New York Times on Monday, Gail Collins and Bret Stephens discussed the state of world affairs, including the continued support for Trump with the Republican Party.
Stephens was direct to the point in suggesting that Trump would be a nightmare for Ukraine, and a potential blessing for Russia, while also suggesting that China would like to see the former president returned to the White House.
“Trump returning to the White House and pulling the plug on American support for Kyiv is the second-biggest threat to Ukraine, after Vladimir Putin. And did you hear Trump call the Chinese dictator Xi Jinping both ‘smart’ and ‘brilliant’?,” Stephens noted.
What happened to the Evil Empire and the Yellow Peril?
The GOP Turned Upside Down
Stephens noted the shift from the party of Lincoln, Eisenhower, and Reagan has taken with the rise of the MAGA movement.
“If there were truth in advertising, Republicans would have to rename themselves the Opposite Party. They were the party of law and order. Now they want to abolish the F.B.I. They were the party that revered the symbols of the nation. Now they think the Jan. 6 riots were like a ‘normal tourist visit,'” Stephens wrote.
“They were the party of moral character and virtue. Now they couldn’t care less that their standard-bearer consorted with a **** star,” the opinion columnist added. “They were the party of staring down the Evil Empire. Now they’re Putin’s last best hope. They were the party of free trade. Now they’re protectionists. They were the party that cheered the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which argued that corporations had free speech. Now they are being sued by Disney because the company dared express an opinion they dislike. They were the party that once believed that ‘family values don’t stop at the Rio Grande,’ as George W. Bush put it. Now some of them want to invade Mexico.”
The World Turned Upside Down indeed!
The Party of Trumpism
Stephens’ view is hardly alone.
Trump’s promise to put “America First” included reassessing international alliances, and it marked a shift away from the GOP of former presidents like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush who embraced international free trade and alliances.
The greatest shift. however, is still the one away from the hardline regarding Russia. This move towards Trumpism at times almost borders on isolationism – a policy that has failed in the past.
Supporters of the former president will continue to argue that the United States has been overextended to the point it was hurting the country’s domestic interests. But it is hard to see how Trump’s policies aren’t really about Trump and less about actually making America great in any way.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
