The Detoxification Of Trump

He’s now a less controversial cultural icon

The assassination attempt against Donald Trump horrified the nation last weekend. It also inspired a surprising level of support for the presidential candidate. Most came from his fans, but a number of celebrities and pro athletes also expressed their sympathy for the man who escaped death. It’s expected a former president who survived an assassination attempt would receive public sympathy, but nothing is certain when it comes to Trump.

If this had happened a few years ago, we would’ve seen a different reaction. There would have been far fewer public figures showing concern and more wishing the bullet hadn’t missed Trump’s cranium. Of course, there were plenty of liberals who were upset the assassin missed, but they faced consequences. Individuals who posted this vile sentiment on social media lost their jobs, which was a rare occurrence during Trump’s presidency. Left-wing extremism was never punished in the era of peak woke. 

But it’s a new time, and Trump’s reputation is different from when he was president. He’s no longer banned from every social media platform. Celebrities and billionaires are comfortable with embracing him. When he attends UFC fights, they turn into Trump rallies. Cultural figures such as Logan Paul are now eager to do softball interviews with him that normalize the former president to a younger audience. 

The media and Democrats still want to portray Trump as Hitler, but the public no longer buys it. Trump is back in the good graces of mainstream culture again, and this happened after multiple criminal indictments and a conviction in a court of law. The people seem to not care; they like Trump. 

He’s now largely detoxified, and this will help him win in November. His restored access to social media and support from the sports and entertainment world best highlights this point.

After J6, Trump was effectively banned from the internet. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Stripe, and many others barred the then-president from their platforms. YouTube even removed clips of Trump, despite him being a former president. Big Tech tried to erase him. The tech giants fortunately failed in this endeavor. Elon Musk restored Trump’s access to his Twitter account in 2022. While he hasn’t posted much since then, the platform (now known as X) has become a pro-Trump fan site under Elon Musk’s ownership. YouTube reinstated Trump’s channel, and Facebook restored his page in 2023. Meta announced last week it had lifted all restrictions on Trump. 

In years past, the social media censorship against Trump looked to be one of his toughest obstacles for the 2024 campaign. How could a presidential candidate get his message out if every major platform was censoring his posts? TV networks and financial institutions could have adopted the same standard and prevented him from running ads and raising money. This problem is no more. Trump faces far less censorship at any point since 2016. Even as president, he had to worry about Big Tech taking down his posts. No more.

Trump’s suppression was justified on the claims that he was a unique threat to democracy and inspired violence. Only the diehard liberals still believe that. Several Democrats now privately tell reporters they’ve come to terms with Trump returning to the White House and don’t see him as an existential threat. These comments have greatly upset progressives, but they reflect the opinion of the “silent majority.” People are no longer as bothered by Trump.

This is why celebrities are now fine with openly supporting Trump. This wasn’t the case pre-2024. In the years of peak woke, celebrities faced cancellation if they said a nice thing about Trump or showed support for a conservative cause. Shania Twain had to apologize in 2018 for saying she would’ve voted for Trump in 2016. Winston Marshall was forced out of Mumford and Sons for endorsing Andy Ngo’s Antifa book. The sports and entertainment world was universally hostile toward Trump. The entire NFL took a knee during the National Anthem in 2017 simply because then-President Trump criticized player protests. Rappers and other musicians produced dozens of anti-Trump songs. The culture hated Trump.

Now we have a different picture. NFL players no longer have a knee-jerk reaction to Trump. They all rush to shake his hand at UFC fights, including liberal players like Joe Burrow. Several pro athletes showed their support for Trump after he was shot. Rappers now can’t wait to endorse Trump. Big names such as Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and Waka Flocka Flame have officially backed the Don. Trump is far more popular among rappers than Biden is. True Greerheads will not be happy with that (remember “I will NOT listen to rap” is in the pledge), but it does demonstrate Trump’s cultural cachet.

How was it possible for Trump’s stature to change so dramatically in just a few years? It’s certainly not due to his rhetoric, which is as strong as it’s been since 2016. The Atlantic recently noted the oddity of Trump doing better with blacks and Hispanics while he “prescribes mass deportations, trafficks in openly racist rhetoric, and talks about these voters in ways that border on parody.” 

The change has less to do with Trump and more to do with the country itself. We’re no longer hyperpoliticized like we were in the late 2010s. Fewer people watch the news, meaning fewer people get worked up about Trump’s alleged fascism. Younger people prefer more apolitical social media–such as TikTok and Instagram–over Twitter. Many Americans have shifted their passions away from politics and toward sports betting. Zoomers don’t have the strong hostility toward Trump that millennials bore. Millennials would’ve never tolerated their favorite podcasters interviewing Trump. But Zoomers don’t mind. The youth shape the culture. While Gen Z’s politics are even more left-wing than that of their elders, they’re not that politically active, and they aren’t as triggered by Trump. 

The vibe of the country is very different from what it was a few years ago. 

Being burnt out on politics has made a lot of people reassess the Trump years–or at least not hold such a dark memory of them. People remember the strong economy and a president who could form sentences and tell a good joke. There were no concentration camps, no loss of liberty, no death squads, no nuclear war, and no real tyranny. None of the liberal hysteria came true. But we did have a border and no new wars. Americans don’t mind Trump returning if it meant a better life for themselves and the country. 

Trump Derangement Syndrome is at an eight year low. The 45th president is no longer as toxic as he was when he departed the White House. Despite his conviction, his indictments, and his impeachments, he should win in November. It’s a new Don for America.