Staff Reports
President Trump told 60 Minutes he’s open to working with Democrats — and then added he’ll never forgive his enemies. Predictably, the cable couches filled with hot takes, and Jesse Watters called him a “lame duck” on The Five. That moment says a lot about where the right is at: frustrated, divided, and willing to air the family laundry in public.
What he actually said — and what that might mean
Trump’s line about cooperation is plain politics. If you want anything done — the border, drug enforcement, veterans’ care, or supply-chain fixes — you don’t theatrically refuse every hand that might help. Saying you won’t forgive enemies is raw personality, not a legislative roadmap; it’s also vintage Trump: blunt, theatrical, and unfiltered.
Practical politics, not surrender
Calling him a “lame duck” because he’d signal a willingness to bargain is silly. Presidents willing to peel off a few rivals and cut deals get things across the finish line. Ordinary Americans don’t care about never-forgive vows; they care whether their kid gets a job, whether fentanyl stops pouring across an insecure border, and whether taxes and regulations make Main Street life possible.
The real cost of our internal fights
The louder we chew each other up, the more leverage we give Democrats and the permanent bureaucracy. Infighting delays confirmations, kills revenue reforms, and lets judges and agencies keep doing what they please — and that translates to higher prices, slower permits, and more red tape for small businesses. That’s not theory; it’s what happens in towns where factories can’t expand because the appeals process drags on for years.
So here’s the truth nobody wants to dress up: voters want results, not purity tests. If President Trump wants to be a dealmaker on issues that move people’s lives, he shouldn’t be pilloried for pragmatism — but he also shouldn’t mistake theatrical gallows-forgiveness for governance. Which is the harder job: holding grudges on camera, or bending the arc of government so it actually helps the people who sent us to Washington? The answer ought to matter more than the sound bite.
