Republicans Erase Trump To Demonstrate Total Loyalty
Republican candidates demonstrated unprecedented devotion to President Donald Trump this week by removing his name, photograph, slogans, endorsements and nearly every detectable trace of him from their campaign websites. In several battleground races, references to “America First,” Trump’s policy agenda and the candidates’ former enthusiasm for standing beside him have been replaced with phrases such as “independent leadership,” “local priorities” and “this page no longer exists.” Party officials described the deletions as advanced loyalty, a higher form of commitment in which supporters honor Trump by ensuring swing voters cannot prove they have ever heard of him.
Trump praised the strategy as another example of his unmatched political influence. “People are taking my name off because the endorsement is so powerful, frankly too powerful, and when voters see nothing there, they immediately see Trump,” Trump said. “The blank space is me. Everybody knows that.” Campaign strategists agreed that Trump’s endorsement has become too valuable for ordinary display and should instead be stored on an unindexed webpage behind six menus, a password prompt and a warning asking visitors whether they are prepared to lose suburban women. Consultants said candidates could still invoke Trump at private fundraisers, county dinners and any event where attendees have already surrendered their phones.
The Republican National Committee is considering expanding the program to television advertisements, where candidates would demonstrate allegiance by discussing grocery prices, border security and their lifelong independence while carefully avoiding footage from the previous three years. Under one proposal, campaign staff would remove Trump from rally photographs by cropping the image until only the candidate’s elbow remained. Officials stressed that the cleanup should not be mistaken for panic, shame or an urgent attempt to survive the general election. It is merely the traditional Republican transition from “Trump is the greatest president in history” during the primary to “Donald who?” once independent voters begin paying attention. Erasing Trump is now the party’s highest expression of loyalty to Trump.
* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.