NYT’s Columnist Discusses Trump Win
In a striking moment of self-reflection and intellectual humility, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens has effectively declared an end to his long-held Never Trump identity.
His latest column, “Done With Never Trump,” serves as both a personal reckoning and a broader critique of a movement that, in his view, became so consumed by moral indignation and worst-case scenarios that it failed to understand the political reality unfolding before it.
Stephens opens with a blunt acknowledgment: despite his staunch opposition to Donald Trump—calling him a “loudmouth vulgarian appealing to quieter vulgarians”—he and his fellow Never Trumpers miscalculated. Their predictions, fears, and moral grandstanding did not resonate with the voters they hoped to influence. More importantly, they failed to understand the appeal Trump held for millions of Americans.
He concedes that Trump’s brash contempt for political elites, his rejection of traditional norms, and his willingness to call out hypocrisy made him a hero to his supporters. For Stephens and others in his camp, this never made sense. They believed Trump’s style and rhetoric degraded conservative values, undermined democratic institutions, and set the Republican Party on a perilous path. Yet, as Stephens now admits, they overstated their case and, in doing so, weakened their own arguments.
Among the most candid admissions in Stephens’ column is his acknowledgment of flawed predictions. Trump did not stumble into World War III. The Russia collusion narrative was a smear, and, in reality, Trump was tougher on Moscow than both Obama and Biden pre-Ukraine invasion. The economy, despite protectionist policies and heavy spending, performed well under Trump until the pandemic disrupted everything. These realities, Stephens argues, were ignored or downplayed by critics who were too busy moralizing to notice.
Stephens also highlights a critical political oversight: while the Never Trump crowd fixated on abstract ideals like “democracy” and “the soul of the nation,” everyday Americans were worried about inflation, rising costs of living, and the immigration crisis. These are kitchen-table issues, and Trump—despite his bombast—spoke to them directly. Stephens goes further, admitting that Trump’s appeal to working-class voters, including minorities, defied the elite predictions of GOP collapse.
But perhaps the sharpest observation from Stephens is his critique of institutional decay. He points out that many institutions Americans were told to trust—whether it’s the FBI, higher education, or public health agencies—are already broken. Trump’s critiques of these systems, while crude and unsophisticated, resonated with people who felt let down or betrayed by them.
Furthermore, Stephens suggests that the left’s own excesses—ranging from covering up Biden’s visible physical and mental decline to tolerating antisemitism in certain activist circles—undermined their credibility.
In the end, Stephens doesn’t issue a full-throated endorsement of Trump. He remains clear-eyed about the risks and flaws of a second Trump presidency. But he also calls for a shift in tone and strategy among former Never Trumpers. Drop the apocalyptic comparisons to dictators. Stop the incessant doomsaying. Give the incoming administration a chance to govern and evaluate its actions on their merits.