Let's consider the following hypothetical scenario.

It's a sunny morning at Mar-a-Lago and Donald Trump is going through the morning papers as he sips a cup of coffee when Melania arrives with a ‘we need to talk' look across her face.  Trump places the papers down and offers her his undivided attention. 

Melania tells Trump that she after some serious contemplation over the past few days, she is sick of the hate and persecution from the media, government agencies, and depraved FBI agents rifling through her personal wardrobe.

She beseeches Trump not to run for president in 2024 for the sake of his young son and grandchildren. She also reminds him they deserve peace at this stage of their lives. She adds that she will support him if he strongly wants to run.

Later during the day, an emissary from the Biden administration arrives at Mar-a-Lago with a deal. The gist of the deal is, that if Trump stops telling the truth about them, they will stop telling lies about Trump and the thousand spurious probes will disappear.

Trump begins to seriously ponder the idea. He wonders if the vicious personal attacks and phony investigations are really worth it.

Trump knows he has a strong chance of winning in 2024. He knows he can drain the swamp. Unlike 2017, where he was compelled to rely on ‘experts’ for advice for key appointments, he has a clear idea of whom to appoint to implement the MAGA agenda.

But Trump also cares deeply for his family. He realizes the unfair attacks and ostracization they have undergone since 2016. He feels particularly for the very young in his family who could be attacked for no fault of theirs.

After days of deep contemplation and consultation with the people he trusts, he finally decides to not run.

We know there are some conservatives who complain that Trump's temperament and 'baggage' makes him unsuitable for the top job. They often dream of a mythical candidate who can carry Trump’s agenda but will not be such a target of the media. They even think Trump’s bombast causes him to become a target of attacks.

What happens if Trump doesn’t run?

Since it is impossible to predict the future, we have to look at the past and see how the Democrats have treated former GOP presidents and presidential candidates.

Since the days of Nixon, the Democrats and their media allies have been spiteful in their attacks on Republican presidents. The only difference is now they no longer pretend.

The Democrats attacked Reagan rather savagely when he was president. The Democrats weren't particularly kind to George H. W. Bush during his tenure. The media cheered for Bill Clinton when he ran against Bush.

But the fangs were out for George W. Bush.

They claimed that Al Gore had won the 2000 Presidential elections. They suggested that Bush used the influence of his brother Jeb, who was Governor of Florida, to manipulate the Florida vote count in his favor.

When Bush was sworn in, these talks about Bush being illegitimate were only among the fringes. Far-left propagandist Michael Moore began his 'Fahrenheit 9 11 documentary with this bogus claim. The best way to predict how the Democrats will react in the future is to listen to what the fringes are doing today.

In 2016, the mainstream called Trump illegitimate.

Bush received unanimous support from the media after the 9-11 attacks. The New York Times cheered Bush’s invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. They also supported or looked the other way when Bush oversaw the passage of draconian laws that violated fundamental rights to fight the ’war on terror’. 

Funnily enough, Michael Moore was among those who were critical of Bush for passing the Patriot Act and was even critical of lawmakers who willing jumped on the bandwagon without reading it. He sings a very different tune these days.

When Iraq began to look more unstable than an overturned beehive and 9-11 began to fade away from public memory, the media turned on Bush. They had always tried to portray him as a vacuous village idiot during his campaign. Now they called him bigoted, sexist, a mass murderer, and a warmonger. They gleefully highlighted his myriad verbal gaffes. The attacks were relentless. Bush chose not to react and when he left office his approval ratings were at a dismal low 30s.

Today the same media worships Bush and faithfully carries his every word when he is critical of Trump.

John McCain was an absolute media darling during the Trump Presidency.  However, during his presidential campaign, McCain was branded, you guessed right, a bigot. They frequently highlighted his age and the fact that he was a cancer survivor. McCain’s adopted daughter from Bangladesh was the target of a sinister whisper campaign that he had fathered a black child out of wedlock. McCain's running mate Sarah Palin was also attacked. McCain lost and once again became a media darling.

The same happened with Mitt Romney. The Democrats made baseless allegations of bullying and homophobia during his school days. They called him a sexist by twisting an innocuous remark. The attempted to claim he was a heartless money-minded capitalist. Romney, like McCain, lost to Obama.

For allowing his funeral ceremony to become an anti-Trump forum, McCain is now regarded as a legend. George H W Bush was also treated like a hero following his death. Tributes to McCain and Bush were always concluded with a vicious attack on Trump.

There are only two kinds of Republicans the Democrats love, those who are defeated or dead… or preferably both.

So, what happens if DeSantis or Pompeo or Cruz or Paul or (most unlikely) their favorite useful idiot Liz Cheney gets the nomination?

Will the unfair attacks stop?

Emphatically not. The Democrats have with every passing presential race breached all standards of decorum. Bush, McCain, and Romney were destroyed. 

The difference between Trump and his GOP predecessor is that he punched back often much harder than he received. This was the first time Republicans saw their candidate fight back, which caused the already strong bond to become unbreakable.

The war that the Democrats are waging is not against Trump, it is actually against the idea that someone dares to challenge them.

Irrespective of whom the GOP nominee is, there will always be nasty, personal, and vicious attacks. The GOP will always be called bigoted, insensitive, anachronistic, and anti-science. They also accuse the GOP nominees of treason. All challenges to their groupthink will be called Russian propaganda. The phony investigations will continue. If they can’t find dirt they’ll just invent dirt.

The Democrats are against freedom, choice, and democracy. The only way to stop their attacks is to never ever contest elections, accept defeat and always follow orders from the Democrats. Nod in agreement when they order lockdowns and vaccine mandates and submit to their Disinformation Governance Board and other draconian measures.

The other option is to support with the toughest fighter on your side who also has a sterling record as president and that happens to be Donald J. Trump.

The choice is yours.

Photo credit: White House Archive public domian