How Trump Killed Conservatism

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Peter Wehner: The president has cultivated and encouraged the ugliest passions within the GOP, dousing the embers of hate with kerosene.

Posted by lee_the_agent at 12:30 PM | 30 COMMENTS | permalink

"As a result of the disfigurement of the Republican Party, conservatism is politically homeless. That is a terrible loss for the GOP, and a greater loss for America," Peter Wehner argues:

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-- The Atlantic (@theatlantic.com) Mar 23, 2026 at 9:00 AM

Comments

MAGA might have driven the final nail in the coffin but the ground work for this was laid decades ago by Limbaugh and his ilk. Trump doesn't deserve credit for the work of his predecessors, he just did the one thing he's good at and co-opted someone else's movement and ran it into the ground.

#1 | Posted by qcp at 2026-03-23 03:01 PM

Great article.

Thanks for sharing.

I doubt any of our deplorable trumping maga contributors will read it.

#2 | Posted by ClownShack at 2026-03-23 03:31 PM

Where's that gutless little ----- Jeff? YOU ------- COWARD

#3 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-03-23 09:09 PM

How Trump Killed Conservatism

He said the quiet parts out loud.

#4 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-03-23 09:14 PM

The president has cultivated and encouraged the ugliest passions within the GOP, dousing the embers of hate with kerosene.

From the Atlantic. Sure.

#5 | Posted by fishpaw at 2026-03-24 01:00 PM

I doubt any of our deplorable trumping maga contributors will read it.

#2 | Posted by ClownShack at 2026-03-23 03:31 PM | Reply | Flag:
(Choose)

Who did you get to read it to you?

#6 | Posted by fishpaw at 2026-03-24 01:02 PM

The MAGA ethic celebrates dehumanization. It is lawless, crude, and combative. Its entire ecosystem"social media, podcasts, and talk radio"is committed to spreading lies and conspiracy theories, to stoking rage and resentment. The disciples of the MAGA movement define themselves by what they hate much more than by what they love. They pursue culture wars with revolutionary zeal even as they vandalize our civic culture.

Yup. That's our maga maroons.

See Fishpoo for further details.

#7 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-03-24 01:12 PM

The rancid orange pedo was thrilled to kill 175 Iranian schoolgirls.

#8 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2026-03-24 01:13 PM

Fishbreath:

a "simple "no I didn't read it" would suffice.

#9 | Posted by e1g1 at 2026-03-24 01:16 PM

"The MAGA ethic celebrates dehumanization. It is lawless, crude, and combative. Its entire ecosystem"social media, podcasts, and talk radio"is committed to spreading lies and conspiracy theories, to stoking rage and resentment."

Let me see, Russiagate? No inflation under Biden. Biden was sharp as a tack. Puberty blockers are good for Minors. Hunter's laptop was Russian. Biden didn't know about Hunter's business. Trump is cutting social security....................I can go on. Except ------- like E1GI and Clownshart still believe that ----.

#10 | Posted by fishpaw at 2026-03-24 01:32 PM

Fishpud is the --------- who said Putin is afraid of the brain dead orange chomo.

#11 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2026-03-24 01:38 PM

Let me see, Russiagate?
#10 | Posted by fishpaw

Time for the disappearing fishpaw trick, ready?

Hey fishpaw - why did trump choose russian asset Paul Manafort as his campaign manager, out of everyone in the world he could have picked?

#12 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2026-03-24 01:53 PM

"MAGA might have driven the final nail in the coffin but the ground work for this was laid decades ago by Limbaugh and his ilk."

#13 | Posted by eberly at 2026-03-24 02:00 PM

The article doesn't really indicate anything that's unique or peculiar to Trump, other than he's simply more mean than previous republicans.

The examples are the racist posts from young republicans. Racism is considered, by the left, to be a pillar of conservatism. Revealing that racism isn't special.

It's merely letting the crime fit the punishment.

#14 | Posted by eberly at 2026-03-24 02:07 PM

Racism is considered, by the left, to be a pillar of conservatism. Revealing that racism isn't special.

#14 | Posted by eberly

Those damn leftists always taking note of the number of confederate flags and nazi tattoos at republican gatherings.

#15 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2026-03-24 02:26 PM

The article doesn't really indicate anything that's unique or peculiar to Trump, other than he's simply more mean than previous republicans.

#14 | Posted by eberly

I have always thought that.

It is not that Trump took over the conservative movement with his charisma or strength of personality.

"Conservativism" was just looking for someone like Trump, a sociopath and a bully who was not afraid to say the quiet part out loud.

And, it makes sense. The world has changed drastically in my lifetime (the past 40 years). Not just with the internet. I look back at so many of the things from my childhood, or even my 20s, where it just has not aged well. Black lives matter. Women's rights. #MeToo. Gay rights. Gay MARRIAGE. When Bill Clinton implemented Don't Ask Don't Tell that was seen as major progress and a major win for the gay community, as the maximum that society would accept at the time. But it was used against Hillary when she ran for President just 20 years later, seen as a conservative and discriminatory act.

And I can definitely understand why whites having to compete against everyone else equally, having their privilage taken away, is seen by many as an attack. Especially by those who aren't actually very competitive, who do not have much to offer, whose pretty much only point in their favor 20 years ago would have been the fact they were white. Now they have nothing. Incels sitting in their parents' basement feeling like the victim.

This has been building for a quite a while. There are always winners and losers. Even when you make things more fair or more equal, there was someone who had an unfair advantage, one they surely felt entitled to, that they are losing. If Trump had not been there, conservatives would have found some other sociopathic bully to represent them and their ideals.

#16 | Posted by gtbritishskull at 2026-03-24 02:33 PM

From the Atlantic. Sure.

#5 | Posted by fishpaw

The irony being you're a prime example of what you shrug off.

Just too stupid to know it...

#17 | Posted by jpw at 2026-03-24 02:36 PM

-Those damn leftists always taking note of the number of confederate flags and nazi tattoos at republican gatherings.

it's fair game, IMO.

#18 | Posted by eberly at 2026-03-24 02:40 PM

BTW Trump didn't kill conservatism. It was already dead.

It's been dead for years, if not a decade, and it started when the Tea Party started elevating garbage conspiracy theory thinking and hypocrisy as a matter of policy to the national norm.

#19 | Posted by jpw at 2026-03-24 02:59 PM

MAGA could easily rename themselves "White Nights of the GOP).

Same racism as the MS branch in the 60's.

#20 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2026-03-24 04:48 PM

The article doesn't really indicate anything that's unique or peculiar to Trump, other than he's simply more mean than previous republicans.
#14 | Posted by eberly

Conservatism was being drowned in the bathtub since Raygun adopted the "Two Santa Clause" theory.

#21 | Posted by Nixon at 2026-03-25 07:54 AM

"And I can definitely understand why whites having to compete against everyone else equally, having their privilage taken away, is seen by many as an attack. Especially by those who aren't actually very competitive, who do not have much to offer, whose pretty much only point in their favor 20 years ago would have been the fact they were white. Now they have nothing. Incels sitting in their parents' basement feeling like the victim."

Very interesting challenge to tackle there. How does a politician rally up that block of voters? The white incels sitting in their parents' basement.

That's actually a fairly big group. As you stated, that group of average or below average white kids would still survive in the past, even thrive in the job market. Not so anymore.

Who are they mad at? Who do they blame? certainly not themselves.....so it's going to be the folks who have outworked them. This group of lazy white losers are ripe for someone to come along, victimize them, and tell them what they want to hear.

it's obvious that's what happened and where Trump saw that opportunity.

No republican is going to let a group of voters like that stay stagnant if it's possible to mobilize them.

#22 | Posted by eberly at 2026-03-25 09:28 AM

Those damn leftists always taking note of the number of confederate flags and nazi tattoos at republican gatherings.
#15 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2026-03-24 02:26 PM | Reply | Flag:
(Choose)

I know, Graham Platner, the Dem running for senate in Maine has a nice one.

#23 | Posted by fishpaw at 2026-03-25 09:42 AM

"Very interesting challenge to tackle there. How does a politician rally up that block of voters? The white incels sitting in their parents' basement."

The way Trump did.
Racism, xenophobia, and in extreme cases, promise thrn 72 virgins.

#24 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-03-25 09:47 AM

I know, Graham Platner, the Dem running for senate in Maine has a nice one.

#23 | Posted by fishpaw

Do you base your entire value set on whether or not you can be s*&^ty because one dem does something?

You're a f*&^ing idiot.

#25 | Posted by jpw at 2026-03-25 10:18 AM

And yet again, modern conservatism is turning a blind eye to humanitarian crises in order to justify craven, selfish greed

#26 | Posted by hamburglar at 2026-03-25 08:30 PM

The GOP turned into little but a cult of personality revolving around one person.

They've have lost young men, Hispanics, independent voters, suburban women, etc etc. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, we're at the beginning of the end.

When Trump dies, their entire thing dies. Won't be long before MAGA's sounds the death knells.

#27 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2026-03-25 11:47 PM

When Trump dies, their entire thing dies.

He gave the absolute worst members of America a powerful voice in American politics. I doubt it dies when he does.

#28 | Posted by Nixon at 2026-03-26 11:14 AM

The way it's going, especially with a teeming horde of delusional, needy MAGAts already identified ... Simone for President - www.moviepostershop.com

#29 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-03-26 11:22 AM

-When Trump dies, their entire thing dies. Won't be long before MAGA's sounds the death knells.

A lot of people wanted to believe that would be the case when Rush Limbaugh died.

#30 | Posted by eberly at 2026-03-26 11:36 AM

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