The election of President Donald Trump brought a rebirth of the nation-state and government by consent along with some decisive legislative victories—and his supporters expect much more to come. But one of the biggest accomplishments under Trump has not been in politics but in culture: the delegitimization of today’s elites.
When the news of Harvey Weinstein broke, it came as a shock to many Americans. But Hollywood wasn’t surprised — everyone already knew. They were just surprised that the story broke. After all, Vulture reported that the New York Times killed the story back in 2004 at the urging of Matt Damon and Russel Crowe.
But should anyone be surprised that an industry saturating American television with sexual immodesty turns out to be a cesspool of gross immorality and perversion? And how many of these Hollywood elites were close personal friends of Weinstein while lecturing America on Trump’s past behavior? Our Hollywood starlets never pass up a chance for hypocritical moral posturing.
They decry income inequality while living the most luxurious lifestyles in world history. They lecture us on global warming while zipping around the world in private jets. They criticize our hesitance to accept refugees from volatile nations while staying tucked away in their gated communities. They push gun control while shooting films with gun violence.
Trump has taken on two of the biggest sports industries — the NBA and the NFL — with strength. When the Golden State Warriors and NBA player Stephen Curry hesitated at the opportunity to visit the White House, Trump immediately revoked their invitation. He doesn’t need them.
Lebron James criticized Trump voters, saying “At the end of the day, I don’t think a lot of people was educated.” James’ struggles with simple subject-verb agreement aside, the great irony is that James completed only a high school education. The irony is stunning.
Jeffrey Goldberg, The Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, tweeted “The President of the United States is now in a war with Stephen Curry and LeBron James. This is not a war Trump will win.”
Perhaps Goldberg forgets that Lebron James campaigned extensively for Hillary in Ohio, a state which Trump went on to win by about 9 points (after Ohio went blue in both 2008 and 2012). It appears to be a battle Trump can actually win.
When Mike Pence walked out of an Indianapolis Colts game after players knelt for the National Anthem, his actions were criticized as a political stunt. But the entire concept of kneeling was a political stunt from the start. The difference is that now the other side is fighting back. After all, anthem protests are wildly unpopular with flyover-state Americans — by far the biggest source of NFL revenue. Why shouldn’t Pence leave on behalf of the silent majority?
After consecutive weeks of massive ratings drops and financial losses in advertising, not to mention the humiliation of Pence’s walkout, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote a letter asking all players to stand for the anthem.
This is how you fight a culture war. Can anyone imagine Jeb Bush or John Kasich taking on the NFL? Any quick glance at nflarrest.com is enough to show that these paid athletes are not paradigms of virtue. They are not role models
It turns out our elites are some of our worst. Enough of their sanctimony. Enough of their repeated show of disgust for everyday Americans, believing themselves to be our moral and intellectual superiors. They are neither. They ought not be respected because they are not respectable. They ought not be honored because they are not honorable.
Donald Trump is showing us how to fight back in a culture war, and how to win. He has undermined their unholy priesthood and rebuked their condescension. He has toppled the sacred cow of a group whose hubris knows no bounds. Their ostentatious displays are quickly becoming impotent.
If they want to act and play sports, that’s fine. But they need to stick to that.