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Jim Geraghty: My Kind of Never Trumper
I listened yesterday to a Special Edition of The Three Martini Lunch. Since Jim Geraghty was in Ukraine, he and Greg Corombos recorded a filler episode; their take on the second Trump administration so far.
Listening to the episode, I was reminded why I still enjoy Geraghty as a commentator while a number of others who go under the “Never Trump” label bore or infuriate me.
Corombos and Geraghty divided the show into three sections: The Economy, Foreign Policy, and Culture.
Geraghty spoke of the welcome easing of governmental restrictions. He acknowledged he wished Trump would just seek a more simplified tax policy, but foresaw a more bullish market with tax burdens eased. He was quite critical of Trump’s tariffs.
As for foreign policy, he was happy with Trump’s more hawkish stance in the Middle East. He noted the benefit of Trump as a wild card, which already reaped benefits with groups like the Houthis. One of Geraghty’s current political passions is the war in Ukraine, so he was predictably quite critical of Trump’s policy on that war.
As for culture, Geraghty was critical of Trump’s focus on what he saw as nothing burger issues, such as “The Gulf of America,” but was pleased with the change in direction in such issues as abortion and gender.
Geraghty would, I believe, still call himself a Never Trumper, and if, as MSNBC foretells, Trump changes the Constitution in order to run a third time, Geraghty wouldn’t vote for him. But he is more than willing to acknowledge the good that has come with Trump’s second term. To me, this seems like a very reasonable stance.
Geraghty doesn’t hold some of the positions of Never Trumpers that drive me mad. What are those positions that drive me mad, you ask? Oh, you didn’t ask? Here they are anyway:
- Trump is a unique threat to democracy – How is it that we lived through the first Trump presidency without minorities being rounded up into concentration camps, the New York Times being shuttered, or women forced to wear Handmaid’s Tale costumes (though plenty of liberal women wore them of their own free will), and yet these people are still convinced the Orange Man will bring about the Fourth Reich?
- We would be better off with the Democrats than Trump – Even our own poster child for Ricochet Never Trumpism, Yarob, went with the write-in option rather than vote for Harris. Yet there are some in the Never Trump clan that claim to be conservative and yet claim that the Democrats were a better option than Trump with a Republican House and Senate.
- A Trump Loss Would Usher in Utopia in the Next Election – There are a number of Never Trumpers who made the argument that a Trump defeat would lead to the American people becoming disgusted with the Democrats and a true conservative utopia would follow. Hey, it already played out. That’s why Trump won in 2024.
- Failure to Acknowledge Democratic Corruption – This is why I’m truly dismayed by those who didn’t, for example, report on Hunter’s laptop or Biden’s dementia. Those stories were fairly self-evident, but there are Never Trumpers who were more concerned about keeping Trump out of office than telling the truth.
- Seeing Oneself as a Political Martyr – I’m tired of Never Trumpers who bemoan their status as being without a party because they couldn’t support Harris or Trump. No one knows their pain as solitary prophets of political purity. Well, welcome to the party, pal! (Trademark co-owned by 20th Century Fox and The Three Martini Lunch.) There are plenty of conservative folks who didn’t feel like they could vote for Bush, McCain, and/or Romney or the Democrat option. That’s pretty much the standard in politics, two bad options. Sometimes you can talk yourself into voting for the lesser evil and sometimes you can’t. But don’t expect us to admire your virtue for feeling politically isolated. It’s a pretty common malady.
- Being a Token Conservative on Liberal Media – This is a rather subjective thing, but I have no problem with conservatives taking a position in a liberal media organization. Scott Jennings on CNN, and, yes, Jim Geraghty at the Washington Post, serve as voices of reason in the wilderness. But some conservatives seem to take positions at liberal organizations and become overly cautious. They’ll press the envelope, just a bit, but won’t risk ever saying anything positive about Trump without a steady stream of caveats.
- Changing Past Conservative Positions to Own MAGA – This is the worst. If one formerly supported governmental cuts, but finds DOGE icky… If one formerly supported women but now is cool with guys in girls’ showers… If one was formerly opposed to abortion but thinks getting rid of Trump is more important than life in the womb… Then get off the air and out of print.
If you are a conservative and didn’t vote for Trump, I understand that and would really like to work alongside you in our struggle to make America and the world a better place. But perhaps you could get a WWGD (What Would Geraghty Do) Bracelet.
Published in General
Nicely done.
I like Jim (I have to use his first name because I can never remember how to spell his surname). My wife and I have met him a couple of times on National Review cruises. He was very gracious, and signed our copy of The Weed Agency (a must read).
Yes, I disagree with him on Trump and tariffs, and I wish he’d refer to illegal aliens instead of migrants. Still, his humor is infectious (no, Dr. Fauci, I’m not going to quarantine myself or wear a mask), and his insights on many subjects are interesting . . .
I wish some friend of Geraghty would tell him that he is really not very funny, especially when he is being sarcastic. I like a lot of his perspective, but he can be annoying to listen to.
Never republicans can never be trusted . Just my policy . They get discounted right off the bat . It is irrational or they a kept men and women . Kept , meaning someone is paying them for that position .
Has Jim Geraghty declared himself to be Never Trump? I never got that impression from reading him. I can’t imagine that he would vote for Trump in a primary, but I really don’t know who he voted for in the general election in 16,20, &24.
I voted for Trump in three general elections. I have a low opinion of Trump , just a lower opinion of Kamala, Joe, or Hillary. I support the deregulation and. cost cutting push. The fight against DEI and the politically correct LBGQTXYZ nonsense is admirable. The tariffs and other foreign policy nonsense appear to be malevolent idiocy. I think republicans and conservatives ( two different groups ) will be destroyed in 26 & 28 , primarily because the tariffs etc. are going to boost inflation and hurt employment. Right now the most fertile field for the struggle to make America a better place is in the Churches and our own communities. Political fields appear to be heavily salted.
You didn’t provide a link to the place to buy the bracelets
I understand Geraghty is crawling around the trenches in Ukraine just now, with a knife in his teeth and a growing necklace of Russian, not human, ears. I wish he could accept that the Soviet Union fell a while ago.
Otherwise, he seems like a nice enough guy
I have some rights issues to deal with first…
It’s always risky to label oneself politically.
But if I have to I’m a Golding Republican.
That is a good list, btw, and well articulated.
I’ve heard the name Jim Geraghty many times before, and maybe even read him at one time. But he hardly seems old enough to have been writing for National Review back when I was still reading it. Do you have any idea when he started there? Wikipedia doesn’t tell me.
Jim Geraghty is currently a writer for National Review.
I’d like to read about his travels to Ukraine. Did he write any of it up in National Review or anywhere?
I understand that. But I’m curious about how long he has been there.
The three martini lunch podcast mentioned he would do some reporting from his Ukraine trip, but I haven’t seen any yet.
He’s written plenty of columns from Ukraine and has for years. NR has them.
He first got attention at NRO when during John Kerry’s presidential run, Geraghty wrote “The Kerry Spot”.
Search “Morning Jolt” , his column on National Review Online. I think non-subscribers may access it.
He had a daily newsletter, The Morning Jolt.
In the ‘World’s Largest Minefield,’ Demand for Prosthetics Is High | National Review
Kerry Spot became Morning Jolt. I would have kept the Kerry Spot name forever. Lurch is a classic.
You can read his Morning Jolt on NR and get it delivered to your email.
I don’t see why you are labeling Geraghty a “Never Trumper.” I’ve never heard him describe himself as such.
This isn’t his first visit, and he’s written about previous trips presumably for National Review, and talked about it on the Three Martini Lunch podcast afterward.
Should be next week. And he did so for his previous visit(s) as well. Sometime last year, I think.
Hugh Hewitt was having him on the radio show quite a bit too. But then Hewitt was also something of a cheerleader for Jake Tapper, so….
I’m surprised @taras hasn’t yet weighed in.
I had a subscription on and off for a few decades. Maybe it’s time to try it again.
I read Geraghty a lot, and yes, he has said explicitly that he is a “never-Trumper.” He voted third party but I don’t remember if he said who, but he lives in a Blue State where his conservative vote never counts in the Presidential election.
That being said, I like Geraghty’s writing because he is one of the rare pundits (and ordinary citizens) who take every action by Trump on a case by case basis without much bias. Too many people have become blinded by being either a Walking-Zombie Trump Cultist, or a Fire-Breathing Trump Hater. I appreciate the people who have not let politics hijack their emotional state so that they can no longer see anything rationally. We need more like that.
Except for the popular vote, which Trump almost won. Geraghty and many others could have helped with that.
Geraghty worked at National Review at least as far back as 2006 (I think) because that was when I met him along with his girlfriend (now wife?) at a National Review Party in Washington D.C.