Norman Proves Defying Trump Is Highest Form of Loyalty
Rep. Ralph Norman moved toward a Republican Senate challenge in South Carolina, establishing that the purest expression of loyalty to President Donald Trump is attempting to defeat Sen. Lindsey Graham, the candidate Trump endorsed. Norman has presented himself as a dependable Trump ally, a status now measured by how confidently a Republican can disregard Trump’s stated preference while claiming to carry out Trump’s unstated, superior preference.
Norman’s approach reflects updated MAGA rules under which an endorsement is no longer an instruction, recommendation or expression of support. It is instead a loyalty obstacle placed before ambitious conservatives to determine whether they possess the courage to explain that Trump accidentally endorsed the wrong person. “Ralph is showing tremendous loyalty by ignoring my complete and total endorsement of Lindsey, because my strongest supporters understand that what I say matters less than what they know I would have said if I had agreed with them,” Trump said in the official version of events recognized by Norman’s campaign.
Graham, meanwhile, faces the politically damaging allegation that he accepted the Republican president’s endorsement while seeking the Republican nomination. The arrangement has alarmed professional Trump interpreters, who noted that directly supporting Trump’s preferred candidate lacks the independence required to prove unquestioning obedience. Norman can therefore continue praising Trump’s judgment while campaigning on the conclusion that Trump exercised it incorrectly.
South Carolina Republicans will eventually choose between the senator Trump endorsed and the challenger asking voters to correct Trump on Trump’s behalf. Graham retains the conventional advantage of possessing the president’s support, while Norman holds the more valuable credential of possessing the endorsement Trump would have issued in an alternate reality where Trump had recognized Norman’s superior loyalty. By opposing Trump’s chosen candidate, Norman has conclusively become Trump’s most obedient supporter.
* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.