Anti-Wokeness Isn’t Enough to Beat Trump

Just wait for the debates. If you’re a Republican-primary voter concerned about the trajectory of the GOP’s nominating contest in the race’s early days, you’ve probably heard that a lot. It’s not bad advice — the debates will help voters better evaluate the candidates, and the media narratives that congeal around each candidate’s performance will matter. But it is also an argument for complacency, and Donald Trump’s critics on the right cannot be satisfied with the status quo.

Trump’s advantage in national Republican-primary polling remains “historically large” — his support is well in excess of the support all his opponents generate combined, which should concern Republicans who hope for the consolidation of the anti-Trump vote behind one alternative candidate. It is all fine and well to dismiss this phenomenon as a by-product of the former president’s legal troubles and the rallying effect they have on voters, but there are more indictments coming down the pike, and those that are already on the docket will produce enough twists and turns to keep Trump’s name above the fold for much of 2023.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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Just wait for the debates. If you’re a Republican-primary voter concerned about the trajectory of the GOP’s nominating contest in the race’s early days, you’ve probably heard that a lot. It’s not bad advice — the debates will help voters better evaluate the candidates, and the media narratives that congeal around each candidate’s performance will matter. But it is also an argument for complacency, and Donald Trump’s critics on the right cannot be satisfied with the status quo.

Trump’s advantage in national Republican-primary polling remains “historically large” — his support is well in excess of the support all his opponents generate combined, which should concern Republicans who hope for the consolidation of the anti-Trump vote behind one alternative candidate. It is all fine and well to dismiss this phenomenon as a by-product of the former president’s legal troubles and the rallying effect they have on voters, but there are more indictments coming down the pike, and those that are already on the docket will produce enough twists and turns to keep Trump’s name above the fold for much of 2023.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.