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   Opinion|How to Make Trump Go Away   
      
      
   By Frank Luntz   
      
   Mr. Luntz is a focus group moderator, pollster, professor and   
   communications strategist who worked for Republican candidates in previous   
   elections.   
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   After more than three decades in and around politics, I now spend most of   
   my time grappling with political questions in the classroom and in focus   
   groups. There is one conundrum that fascinates me above others: Why does   
   Donald Trump still generate such loyalty and devotion? And unlike 2016, can   
   a different Republican win the nomination in 2024 who largely shares Mr.   
   Trump’s agenda but not his personality?   
      
   To answer these questions, I have hosted more than two dozen focus groups   
   with Trump voters across the country, the most recent for Straight Arrow   
   News on Wednesday night to understand their mind-sets in the aftermath of   
   his historic indictment in Manhattan. Many felt ignored and forgotten by   
   the professional political class before Mr. Trump and victimized and   
   ridiculed for liking him now. Like Republican primary voters nationwide,   
   the focus group participants still respect him, most still believe in him,   
   a majority think the 2020 election was stolen, and half still want him to   
   run again in 2024.   
      
   But there is a way forward for other Republican presidential contenders as   
   well.   
      
   It begins by reflecting more closely on Mr. Trump’s rule-breaking,   
   paradigm-shattering campaign in 2016 and all of his unforced errors since   
   then. It accurately reflects the significant attitudinal and economic   
   changes in America over the past eight years. And it requires an acceptance   
   that pummeling him and attempting to decimate his base will not work. Trump   
   voters are paying laserlike attention to all the candidates. If they think   
   a candidate’s mission is to defeat their hero, the candidate will fail. But   
   if a 2024 contender convinces them that he or she wants to listen to and   
   learn from them, they’ll give that person a chance. Marco Rubio and Ted   
   Cruz did not understand this dynamic when they attacked Mr. Trump in 2016,   
   and that’s why they failed.   
      
   So consider this a playbook for potential Republican candidates and for   
   G.O.P. voters and conservative independents wanting someone other than Mr.   
   Trump in 2024, a strategic road map based on informed experiences with   
   Trump supporters for the past eight years. This is what I’ve learned from   
   these focus groups and research.   
      
      
   First, beating Mr. Trump requires humility. It starts by recognizing that   
   you can’t win every voter. You can’t win even half of them: Mr. Trump’s   
   support within the Republican Party isn’t just a mile wide; it’s also a   
   mile deep. But I’ve found, based on my focus groups since 2015, that   
   roughly a third of Trump voters prioritize the character of the country and   
   the people who run it — and that’s enough to change the 2024 outcome. It’s   
   not about beating Mr. Trump with a competing ideology. It’s about offering   
   Republicans the contrast they seek: a candidate who champions his agenda   
   but with decency, civility and a commitment to personal responsibility and   
   accountability.   
      
   Second, Mr. Trump has become his own version of the much-hated political   
   establishment. Mar-a-Lago has become Grand Central Terminal for   
   politicians, political hacks, lobbyists and out-of-touch elites who have   
   ignored, forgotten and betrayed the people they represent. Worse yet, with   
   incessant fund-raising, often targeting people who can least afford to   
   give, Mr. Trump has become a professional politician reflecting the   
   political system he was elected to destroy. For more than seven years, he   
   has used the same lines, the same rallies, the same jokes and the same   
   chants. That’s perfectly fine for some Trump voters. But there’s a clear   
   way to appeal to other Republican voters firmly focused on the future   
   rather than on relitigating the past. It starts with a simple campaign   
   pitch along these lines: “We can do better. We must do better.”   
      
   Third, recognize that the average farmer, small business owner or veteran   
   will hold greater sway with the Trump voter than the famous and the   
   powerful. Having endorsements or campaign ads from members of Congress will   
   generate less support than the emotional stories of people who, just like   
   so many Trump supporters, were knocked down, got back up and are now   
   helping others to do the same. They just need to be authentic — and be able   
   to say that they have voted for Mr. Trump in 2016 and 2020 — so the Never   
   Trump label won’t stick. Their best message: The Trump of today is not the   
   Trump of 2015. In other words, “Donald Trump had my back in 2016. Now, it’s   
   all about him. I didn’t leave Donald Trump. He left me.”   
      
   Fourth, compliment Mr. Trump’s presidency while you criticize the person.   
   Trump focus groups are incredibly instructive in helping differentiate   
   between the passionate support most Trump voters feel for his efforts and   
   his accomplishments and the embarrassment and frustration they have with   
   his comments and his behavior. For example, most Republicans like his tough   
   talk on China, but they dislike his bullying behavior here at home. So   
   applaud the administration before you criticize the man. “Donald Trump was   
   a great president, but he wasn’t always a great role model. Today, more   
   than ever, we need character — not just courage. We don’t need to insult   
   people to make a point or make a difference.”   
      
   Fifth, make it more about the grandchildren. Millions of Trump voters are   
   old — really old. They love their grandchildren, so speak specifically   
   about the grandkids, and their grandparents will listen as well. “We   
   mistake loud for leadership, condemnation for commitment. The values we   
   teach our children should be the values we see in our president.”   
      
      
   The looming debt ceiling vote is the perfect hook. The increase in the   
   annual deficit under Mr. Trump is the third-largest increase, relative to   
   the size of the economy, of any U.S. presidential administration. Long   
   before Covid, Republicans in Congress were told by the Trump White House to   
   spend more, and that spending contributed to the current debt crisis. Mr.   
   Trump will say he was fiscally responsible, but the numbers don’t lie. “We   
   can’t afford these deficits. We can’t afford this debt. We can’t afford   
   Donald Trump.”   
      
   Sixth, there’s one character trait that unites just about everyone: an   
   aversion to public piety while displaying private dishonesty. In a word,   
   hypocrisy. Until now, that hasn’t worked for Mr. Trump’s opponents, but   
   that’s because the examples weren’t personally relevant to Mr. Trump’s   
      
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