OPINION:
Once again, prominent members of President Donald Trump’s own political party have come out in full force to warn him to quiet down on the tweeting front.
But here’s a thought: If Republicans are so bent on getting Trump off Twitter, why don’t they do some of the fighting for him?
Put it this way. Trump’s facing an unprecedented level of opposition. The media’s got him under the gun. Democrats are suing. Leftists are crying for impeachment. He’s fielding fire both within and without — domestically and internationally. And here come Republicans, supposedly the party of his own support system, and they’re proving just as vocally opposed to his policies, his plans, his vision for America as Democrats half the time.
So who’s got Trump’s back when it comes time to fighting all the attacks?
Right.
So therein lies a solution. If Republicans want Trump to get off Twitter, maybe these same Republicans who are so busy criticizing the president could actually get out and start supporting him on the public front — so that he doesn’t feel the need to hunker into the defensive mode of Twitter.
Trump may tweet messages that are uncomfortable for the Republican Party. He may tweet messages that irk and anger the mainstream media. He may even tweet remarks and responses to issues that reverberate overseas, and cause angst and outrage among other heads of nations.
But let’s be clear on one point: If Trump didn’t tweet what he thought, what he was doing, or what he was planning on doing, the mainstream media — the far left in the mainstream media that serves as the mouthpiece for the Democratic Party and for the progressives who are making a desperate attempt to overthrow America’s government — would have free rein to spin as they see fit.
They already try. But with Trump on Twitter, there’s at least a place to turn to get the other side — the other un-spun, unfiltered, unadulterated other side.
Establishment Republicans don’t like it. They get all squishy inside.
When Trump tweeted, in the aftermath of James Comey’s testimony before the Senate, that “despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication … and WOW, Comey is a leaker!” — the Republican elitists shook in their shoes.
“Advice 4 POTUS: You have not been vindicated,” tweeted Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for George W. Bush, in response to Trump’s message. “U won’t be unless Bob Mueller says so. Stop talking. You’re heading into a giant perjury trap.”
That’s hardly the only time Trump’s tweets have put him in the crosshairs of members of his own party.
Sen. Bob Corker recently criticized Trump for tweets about London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s leadership that came in the aftermath of that city’s terror attacks.
Corker said: “We live in a world today where unfortunately a lot of communication is taking place with 140 characters. Probably it’s best to refrain from communicating with 140 characters on topics that are so important.”
And in January, Politico came out with a whole story about Trump’s penchant for tweeting and the Republicans it irked, aptly titled: “Trump rattles GOP lawmakers with Twitter power.”
But here’s the thing: Criticizing is easy. Monday morning quarterbacking is easy. And politicking where the wind flies — never bucking the system — is easier still. Simply criticizing this president, though, is not going to bring about change.
If Republicans truly want to help, and truly want Trump to stop tweeting because they see it as damaging to his White House career, then they need to pay more than lip service to that hope.
They need to get out from their bully pits and leave the shelter of their elitist caves and start doing some of the heavy lifting this president has been shouldering. They need to ramp up the public support and take on some of his political enemies for him.
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