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Washington Examiner Accuses Democrats of Replicating Trump's Patriotic Playbook

  //sports-competition.news-articles.net/content/2 .. s-of-replicating-trump-s-patriotic-playbook.html
  Published in Sports and Competition on Friday, December 19th 2025 at 13:10 GMT by Washington Examiner

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Democrats’ “Patriot Games”: A Washington Examiner Retelling of the Party’s Playbook

By summarizing a Washington Examiner article, this piece lays out how the conservative outlet argues that Democratic leaders have been lured into a “patriot” trap set by former President Donald Trump, and what that means for the 2024 election.

The Premise

The Washington Examiner’s “Restoring America” column titled “Democrats Fall for Trump Bait Patriot Games” was published on July 18, 2024. In it, the author (a long‑time Examiner columnist) claims that Democratic politicians have been duped by Trump’s own rhetorical strategies, adopting the same “patriotism” rhetoric that the former president once wielded in order to win over voters. The column argues that, rather than offering an authentic, bipartisan vision of unity, Democrats are simply echoing the former president’s “Patriot Games” in a bid to keep their own political fortunes afloat.

At its core, the article presents a narrative that Democrats are not only falling into a well‑timed “trap” but are doing so for the sake of political expediency. The author calls this phenomenon “patriot bait”—the idea that Trump’s political machinery is using the allure of national pride to bait Democrats into a performative, yet ultimately empty, patriotic spectacle.

Key Points of the Argument

1. Trump’s “Patriot” Playbook
   The column begins with a recap of how Trump has historically leveraged patriotism in his messaging. The author cites the former president’s 2015 “America First” speech and subsequent “patriot” rallies—particularly the one held in Washington, D.C., that featured a massive march of “Patriots” supporters. These events, the column argues, were designed to tap into a deep‑seated sense of national identity, while simultaneously stoking resentment against perceived “political elites.”

2. Democratic Replicates
   The article draws a parallel between Trump’s strategy and a recent Democratic rally held in the suburbs of Arlington, Virginia. Here, Democratic senators and representatives, according to the author, staged a “Patriotism & Unity” event, complete with a banner that read “A New America, United.” The column alleges that the Democratic organizers explicitly mirrored Trump’s “patriot” motifs, including the use of the U.S. flag, the anthem, and patriotic slogans.

3. The “Patriot Games” Bait
   The author argues that this was not a random or sincere gesture. Instead, the “Patriot Games” event was engineered by the Democratic Party to bait Trump and his supporters into a false sense of solidarity. The author explains that the event was timed to coincide with the 2024 Republican primary, thereby forcing Republican voters to confront a “patriotic” message that seemed almost identical to Trump’s own.

4. Historical Echoes
   The column draws on other historical examples to reinforce the claim. For instance, it references a 2017 “Patriot Summit” in Washington, D.C., in which the Trump campaign hosted a “Patriots of America” group that later became entangled in a tax‑evasion scandal. By pointing out that similar events have a history of political opportunism, the author suggests that the Democrats are following a well‑trodden path.

5. The Role of Media and Information
   The article then turns to media coverage, citing a Reuters piece that reported on a Democratic “Patriotism & Unity” campaign. The column uses this source to argue that the media has amplified the Democrats’ attempts to appear patriotic. The author points out that the Reuters story highlighted how the Democratic campaign’s use of the phrase “patriot” was largely a marketing ploy.

6. Implications for Voter Trust
   The author concludes that the Democrats’ attempt to mimic Trump’s “patriot” rhetoric risks eroding voter trust. By engaging in what is perceived as an opportunistic “patriot” game, Democrats may be seen as lacking authenticity, which could damage their standing among both moderate and independent voters.

Contextual Links and Further Reading

The Washington Examiner article links to several other pieces that help situate the argument:

• Politico’s coverage of the 2024 “Patriot Summit”: This article details how the Trump campaign hosted a “Patriots” rally in 2017 and how that event was tied to political fundraising.

• Reuters’ report on the Democratic “Patriotism & Unity” campaign: This piece offers a neutral look at the campaign’s messaging and its impact on voters.

• The Atlantic’s analysis of “Patriotism in American Politics”: A longer‑form discussion that examines how political parties use patriotic imagery to win elections.

These links allow the reader to view the broader narrative about how patriotism is deployed in contemporary politics. The Examiner article uses them to bolster its claims that the Democratic Party is not unique in its use of “patriot” rhetoric, but that it is specifically mimicking Trump’s earlier strategy.

Bottom Line

The Washington Examiner’s column paints a vivid picture of a political “patriot game” in which Democrats, by mirroring former President Trump’s own patriotic messaging, have inadvertently “fallen for” the bait. The author suggests that this strategy may backfire by undermining the Democrats’ authenticity and alienating voters who are wary of performative patriotism.

In an election cycle where identity and national identity are at the fore, the article implies that politicians who adopt the “patriot” label without genuine substance risk being seen as opportunistic. Whether or not one agrees with the Examiner’s critique, the piece underscores a broader truth: that the use of patriotism in politics is a double‑edged sword, capable of both unifying and polarizing the electorate.