“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right.”
— President Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865 .
On Jan. 20, 2025, Republican President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States. This will be his second term. Counting Trump, there have been 19 Republican presidents.
Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president. The Republican Party, founded to prevent the spread of slavery, eventually promoted the abolition of slavery entirely. Over time, the party became conservative, presenting itself as the guardian of certain principles they considered essential to American life.
How has Trump upheld these principles? Millions of Americans voted for Trump, hoping for an economic “Golden Age.” With their votes, they accepted the destruction of many of the principles Republicans claim they believe in.
Number one: Personal morality and family values. Republicans elected a sexual predator who boasted repeatedly about his affairs, including how he seduced married women. Trump cheats people who work for him and brags about how greedy he is.
He has torn families apart, separating children from their parents, in order to frighten immigrants from entering the country. Hundreds of these children still haven’t been reunited with their parents. Now he is threatening to deport undocumented members of families, leaving their spouses and children behind, or else deport the whole family, including American citizens. Tearing families apart is one of Trump’s basic strategies.
Number two: Law and order. Trump, a convicted felon, and his followers support law and order only when it pursues people they think have wronged them. For example, Trump wants to pardon the Jan. 6 rioters who beat 140 police officers so badly, many couldn’t return to work. The rioters caused over $30 million in damages to the Capitol, a bill we taxpayers are paying. They chanted “Hang Mike Pence;” Pence escaped from danger by just a few seconds. And Trump wants to pardon them.
In contrast, Trump wants to prosecute those who held hearings and trials to find the truth about his various crimes. These hearings and trials were conducted totally within the law, but because they found evidence against Trump, he wants the participants punished. This is to intimidate any prosecutors and witnesses who might be willing to step forward in the future. These are the actions of a tin-pot dictator.
Trump wants vengeance and retribution against anyone not absolutely loyal to him. He shows his contempt for the law by nominating convicted criminals and sexual predators to his cabinet. Competence and personal integrity are irrelevant.
Number three: Constitutional rights. Trump embraces censorship, in violation of the First Amendment. He wants to pull TV and radio stations off the air if they broadcast programming he doesn’t like. He wants reporters punished if they publish stories contradicting things he says.
He wants to cut funding to colleges whose curriculum he objects to. Trump wants to suppress free speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the right to protest, and any other constitutional freedoms he thinks restrict him in any way.
Number four: Personal dignity. Bathroom laws are being passed in several states, forcing people to use the bathroom matching the gender they were assigned at birth. Who will be the bathroom police forcing someone to lift their skirts or drop their pants to examine their genitals to make sure they are using the “proper” bathroom? If this sounds gross and disgusting, it is, but this is what Republicans want.
When Lincoln was in office, he was mocked, belittled, and relentlessly attacked by his opponents. He governed a country that was literally torn in two, with family members killing each other on the battlefield.
Through all this, Lincoln maintained his faith in mankind and in God. In his second inaugural address, he showed no bitterness or calls for vengeance. “With malice toward none; with charity for all.” Contrast this with Trump.
Trump whines about his victimhood non-stop, even though he’s gotten away with everything. He ran his campaign based on hate, fear, and revenge, telling his followers, “I am your retribution.” Will Trump extend “charity for all” in his second inaugural address? I doubt it.
This shows how far the modern Republican Party has fallen. Republicans apparently believe that rejecting moral standards, family values, law and order, constitutional rights, and personal dignity will “Make America Great Again.”
After 160 years, Republicans have discarded the principles expressed by Lincoln, and that is a true tragedy.
Jeanette Strong, whose column appears every other week, is a Nevada Press Foundation award-winning columnist. She may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.