Gingrich: Nothing Like Trump’s Rise Since Ike

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Wednesday reached back to the 1950s to find a historical parallel for Donald Trump’s rocket launch to the center of the American political debate.

On “The Laura Ingraham Show,” Gingrich said no political newcomer has done what Trump is accomplishing since Dwight D. Eisenhower parlayed his military career into the GOP nomination for president in 1952 despite never having held elected office.

“He’s the largest figure, probably, since Dwight Eisenhower in entering politics at the presidential level and immediately becoming a dominant figure,” Gingrich said.

Given Trump’s position in the current South Carolina polls, a victory in Saturday’s primary is all but assured, said Gingrich.

“Trump is so far ahead it would be truly astonishing if he does not win,” he said. “He may win a very big victory. In a way, the most interesting fight is for second place, where I think (Sen. Marco) Rubio suddenly in the last four days has the momentum.”

Gingrich said he thought Trump’s vicious attack on former President George W. Bush at the last Republican presidential debate might backfire. But it did not backfire because voters understand that Trump is not a movement conservative, he said. Trump understands intuitively that liberalism is “stupid” and political correctness is killing the country, Gingrich added.

“Trump is an anti-liberal, anti-political correctness, American nationalist,” he said.

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Gingrich said Trump’s appearance on the national stage has had a profound effect on Sen. Ted Cruz, and the impact has cut both ways. “One of the amazing things about the Trump candidacy is that he has made Cruz more acceptable to people who are terrified of Trump’s anti-Establishment bias,” he said.

On the other hand, Gingrich said, the changed environment has not made Cruz immune from criticism by his rivals. He said Cruz, who is the most conservative candidate, has not broken out beyond that base like Trump has.

“Everybody has piled on Ted Cruz,” he said. “Ironically, they piled on Ted Cruz more than they piled on Trump. It’s one thing if Trump says he’s a liar. It’s one thing if Rubio says he’s a liar. But if they both say he’s a liar, you begin to get this echo chamber effect that I think is harmful to Ted. Probably, he’s very mystified by how off balance he is compared to where he thought he’d be.”

Gingrich lobbed a couple of rhetorical grenades at National Review, a conservative publication that has made it a mission to take down Trump.

“Maybe what we need is a traditional conservative decompression kit, on how to come to grips with the new reality,” he said. “I don’t take it seriously. First of all, you have this self-selected group of intellectuals who decide how they define conservatism.”

He added, “In a sad way, National Review has become the Establishment organ of conservatism rather than the conservative organ.”

Gingrich also took a shot at President Obama, who will not attend the funeral of fallen Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia this weekend.

“Obama doesn’t have time for Scalia’s funeral but will have time to go visit the Castros,” he said.