CINCINNATI — Former Washington Post contributing columnist Gary Abernathy’s new book, “MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal – And Other Shocking Notions,” is now available in hardcover, paperback and eBook on Amazon.

With Donald J. Trump again the likely Republican nominee for president in 2024 and “MAGA Republicans” again under attack from President Biden and others, the book offers timely insight and analysis on how Trump voters are too often disparaged. The book also details why the MAGA movement has become the driving force within the modern Republican Party, and why it will likely remain so for years to come, with or without Trump.

From 2017-23, Abernathy wrote nearly 200 columns for The Washington Post, having been invited to join the opinion roster when the newspaper expanded the voices representing voters who put Donald Trump in the White House. The book is a compilation of many of his columns, with new section introductions.

Abernathy is a veteran of both journalism and politics. In 2015, he was serving as publisher and editor of the (Hillsboro) Times-Gazette, a small newspaper in southern Ohio, when he began writing columns about Trump, recognizing the shift happening in the GOP. He predicted early in the process that the billionaire businessman and reality TV star would win the GOP presidential nomination.

In October 2016, The Times-Gazette became only the sixth newspaper in the country to endorse Trump over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and the endorsement drew national attention. Throughout the campaign and in the months following Trump’s historic upset victory, Abernathy continued writing about Trump. ”MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal” opens with a collection of the columns written for The Times-Gazette that caught the attention of the Post.

In June 2017, Abernathy was invited to join the Post as a contributing columnist. Over the next six years, he wrote on Trump, Covid, guns, abortion, immigration and countless other hot-button issues. He regularly appeared as an analyst on other media platforms, especially on PBS’ “NewsHour.”

“While I wrote on many topics for the Post – and wrote favorably and unfavorably about Trump himself — I returned often to defending the people who supported Trump against frequent allegations of racism, ignorance and even being ‘threats to democracy,’” Abernathy said. “We’re hearing those same accusations today. I wanted to present a more accurate portrayal of these Americans as the honest, hardworking, patriotic and caring citizens they are.”

Abernathy’s goal was to they counter the claim expressed often that “normalizing” Trump supporters through positive media portrayals is somehow dangerous. Among many other topics, “MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal,” presents a collection of essays arguing that Trump supporters are unfairly disparaged – it’s often their critics who are outside the real mainstream of American thought.

Submitted by Gary Abernathy.