If the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump has taught us anything, it is that our nation is extremely divided, and our major party leaders need to turn down the temperature and unify this nation around true American values.
As Vice President Kamala Harris begins her campaign, she should offer an olive branch by promising to cease the federal prosecution of Trump if she were to be elected. If candidate Harris continues down the dangerous campaign path of prosecuting Trump instead of trying to beat him on the issues in a fair democratic election, she will show the American people that she cares more about political power than uniting our country.
Ironically, this type of toxic politics ends up hurting Democrats by giving their opponents a message they can win on — Republicans have turned their campaign into a rally against political persecution. But what we desperately need is to turn the page in today’s politics from personal attacks to focusing on what is important: an agenda that benefits the American people.
Focusing on personalities rather than policies distracts voters from the issues. The presidential election should not be based solely on the person behind the podium, but that is what this election has turned into. Of course, who our nation’s leaders are matters, but it is their agenda that should ultimately persuade voters to pull the lever for them.
For Trump’s campaign, focusing on political persecution makes it harder for him and his campaign to lay out his vision for America. Policy-wise, I believe that former Trump is much better than current President Joe Biden and a would-be President Harris. Life was better and more affordable under Trump. He lowered taxes. Groceries were significantly cheaper. Gas was cheaper. Yet, Trump cannot make a unifying case to every American if he is constantly defending himself from an unfair and needlessly divisive lawfare campaign.
The path Democrats would need to take if they want to win would be similar to what President Gerald Ford did in dealing with President Richard Nixon. The pardon he granted him was not popular at the time; but, ultimately, it was the right choice for America.
Not only would such a gesture take political hostility down a notch in this time of intense polarization, it could also help Democrats politically. Pardoning Trump would turn the focus of their campaign away from their disastrous record to one that unifies the nation, potentially persuading moderate voters who want to move on but know in their gut that Trump has gotten a raw deal.
Our nation is at a crossroads. We are divided. Of course, this happens every election year, but not this intensely. We are the United States of America, but right now we don’t seem so united. The news is inundated with personal, hateful attacks on candidates. But this hatred does not stay in the upper echelons of politics, it trickles down to Americans who begin to mistrust or outright hate their neighbors. What we need is a leader who will put toxic politics in the rearview mirror and offer America an image of hope and unity that prioritizes the American dream.
To Harris or whomever is the Democrat nominee, I invite you to move past toxic politics. I invite you to unite this nation around American values, where anyone can succeed if they are willing to fight for their dreams. America is an incredible melting pot of those who fought for the American dream, and uniting the nation around hope is the best path forward for Democrats.
I hope Harris will be the candidate to turn the political temperature down. I hope she will do this — but based on her radical record and Democrats’ insistence on characterizing their opponent as an existential threat to the country, I am not holding my breath.
Gabriel Nadales is the national director of Our America.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
(Featured image credit: Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)
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