It’s been 41 years since Ronald Reagan gave his famous “Evil Empire” speech. It was 1983, the height of the Cold War, and Reagan spoke passionately about the “focus of evil in the modern world” that was the Soviet Union. He rejected arguments of false equivalence between the U.S. and the Soviets, and asserted instead that the conflict was nothing less than a battle between good and evil.
This framing of Russia and America would become foundational to the Republican Party and conservatism in this country. And it solidified Reagan as a transformational president and a favorite of the right.
Just a few decades later, however, Donald Trump has convinced a not-insignificant chunk of the party to abandon its disdain for dictators and autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, and instead either excuse their undemocratic actions or shower praise on them.
As a child of the ’80s, longtime conservative, and former Republican, this remaking of the party as one that is no longer opposed to Russia or dictatorships like it has been is disorienting, to say the least.
But, like so many other long-held principles that Republicans have willingly jettisoned over the past eight years, it’s a reminder that the conservative movement today isn’t tethered to anything — nothing at all — but Trump himself. And because of that, he can convince them of practically anything.
Or can he? The limits of this thought experiment are about to be tested.
That’s because a stunning report out of The Atlantic revealed that while president, Trump had expressed frustration that his generals weren’t loyal enough, and allegedly made a shocking comparison: “I need the kind of generals that Hitler had.”
A couple hours after The Atlantic piece posted, The New York Times released audio of Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, claiming Trump “commented more than once that Hitler did some good things.”
Now, for anyone else, these revelations would be disqualifying. And there are plenty of people who still think it should be. Trump’s magic hasn’t, thankfully, worked on everyone.
But the problem is that his own party continually gives him cover for the most objectionable and blatant offenses, allowing him to survive round after round of previously heretical behavior.
But if there were ever a line that was too awful to cross, certainly it’s defending Hitler, right?
GOP Sen. Bill Hagerty was questioned about the comments on CNN and had a promising start: “Well, I wouldn’t say Hitler did any good things.” But he quickly evaded disavowing the praise by suggesting Trump didn’t say it or believe it, and blamed the media for bringing it up “to divert and deflect.”
Over on Fox & Friends, things got dicier.
Host Brian Kilmeade attempted to offer “context” — in other words, cover — for Trump’s comments, saying, inexplicably:
“I could absolutely see him go ‘Now, you know what? It’ll be great to have German generals that actually do what we asked them to do,’ knowing that’s a thi– maybe not fully under — fully being cognizant of the third rail of German generals who were Nazis or whatever.”
Yeah, maybe Trump just doesn’t know the “Nazis or whatever” were bad guys.
So, what’s the next iteration? It’s not hard to imagine Trump supporters — just as Republicans over time have whitewashed Jan. 6 and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine — gradually getting to a place where they’re actually agreeing that “Hitler did some good things.”
After all, to appease Trump, Republicans have over and over again excused his immorality, his lies, his ignorance, his bullying, his bigotry and his incompetence. They’ve ignored his many broken promises and his failed policies.
Republicans, once the party of law and order, have nominated a convicted felon for president.
Republicans, once the party of patriotism, have nominated a guy who incited a violent insurrection at the Capitol.
Republicans, once a pro-military party, have nominated a draft-dodger who disparages our service members as weak and woke, suckers and losers.
Republicans, once a party of Christian values, have nominated a guy who admits to grabbing women by the genitalia, was found liable for rape, paid off a porn star he allegedly slept with four months after his wife gave birth, who mocks the disabled, denigrates immigrants, migrants and minorities, and takes money from his own supporters to pay his legal bills.
All of these things should have been a bridge too far for people with principles, but Republicans crossed the Rubicon a long time ago.
I hope my former party doesn’t follow him off this cliff, too. But nothing shocks me anymore.
S.E. Cupp is the host of “S.E. Cupp Unfiltered” on CNN.
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