With the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump, America has closed the door on a disastrous four years that saw historic inflation and a national debt that reached an unthinkable and unsustainable $36 trillion; an unprecedented invasion of illegal migrants through a wide-open border; a calamitous Afghanistan withdrawal; the rise of China as a military superpower and international powerbroker; and a global show of weakness that allowed for the Ukraine invasion. We endured bizarre social experiments like defunding the police that led to a national crime spree; obligatory self-flagellation for our supposed collective racism and privilege, as well as men stealing women’s trophies; and the Democratic establishment and media were caught in a dangerous coverup about the president’s ability to lead.
Suffice it to say Joe Biden’s single term as president was not America’s finest moment.
Now, we look back to the future. President Trump ran a disciplined and bold campaign that was unafraid to do what politicians are so often unwilling to do – state the obvious. Calling it like it is has always been central to Trump’s appeal. Americans also had the starkest choice they have ever faced between the immediate past president and the incumbent vice president. The essential question before us was simple and never more applicable: Are you better off now than you were four years ago? The answer was easy as voters delivered Trump the biggest electoral vote landslide of any Republican since then-Vice President George H.W. Bush followed President Ronald Reagan into the Oval in 1988.
Trump articulated a clear vision, one grounded in American exceptionalism and national self-interest. His message resonated with a broad electorate feeling left behind by an increasingly fractured and globalized world. The promises he made to “Make America Great Again” were not merely slogans; they were concrete pledges to restore prosperity, strengthen borders, and uphold traditional values.
To better ensure the success of Trump’s agenda, voters also entrusted Republicans with control of the House and Senate. Now, the Republican Party must deliver and Democrats would be wise to heed the message voters sent. Their substantial loss was not due to a “communication failure.” Voters rejected their record and their agenda. President Trump won over significant segments of the electorate – working class voters, African Americans, Hispanics – with whom the Democrats had long enjoyed strong support.
The enormity of the challenges before Trump—from global conflicts and threats to the corrosive effects of entrenched political polarization—is undeniable. But even before taking office, Trump has shown he is up to the task. His leadership was vital to brokering the ceasefire agreement in the Middle East. President Trump’s team has been busily readying executive orders to undo Biden’s disastrous border policies and working with Congressional Republicans on a strategy to renew the successful 2017 Trump tax cuts and pass border security.
President Trump is likely to face the same breathless criticisms he endured during his first term. His detractors should take a step back and adjust their lenses so they might better read the man and his intentions. It’s true that he has an unorthodox political style, but at this point one that many Americans find refreshing, myself included. He eschews lofty rhetoric and bureaucrat-speak in favor of plain spoken, everyday English. It may be at times imprecise and even a bit crude, but that’s how most Americans speak, and they understand exactly what he means. It’s time for the liberal media to concede it is they who suffer a language barrier, not Trump. It is time to recognize that the real threat to democracy was the slow erosion of our personal liberties by an out-of-touch Democratic Party.
With Biden’s election four years ago we were promised a “return to normalcy” and a more unified country. That didn’t come to pass, and we are further away from that vision than at any time in my lifetime. President Trump will have his opportunity. If he succeeds, America succeeds. Why would we root against our own prosperity? Trump can’t do it alone. His critics need to appreciate that they have misjudged and underestimated him all along. The American people have told them as much. Lets ALL get to work!
