It’s Okay to Criticize Trump

Doing so will not somehow damage the ‘movement.’

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President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., December 17, 2025.

Doug Mills/Pool via Reuters

Here’s a friendly tip for the confused and apprehensive among us: Whatever the loudest and most intrusive voices within the firmament might like to insist, you don’t actually have to defend Donald Trump when he’s being a complete idiot.

Suppose, to pluck a trio of wild examples from the ether, that Donald Trump were to respond to the news that a Hollywood director had been killed by blaming his murder on “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” or to add rude and self-serving plaques beneath the portraits of former presidents that are on display at the White House, or to cast the public’s fears about the economy as a Democratic plot. In cases such as those, it is perfectly possible to criticize the man without losing one’s sense of self. Let me demonstrate, for those who remain unsure:

Charles C. W. Cooke

About the Author

Charles C. W. Cooke

Charles C. W. Cooke is a senior editor at National Review and the host of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast.

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