Op-ed by Summer Lane | Photo: Alamy
In 2021, when Joe Biden took office, 2024 seemed very far away. Many Americans realized that the nation would embark upon a difficult and tumultuous journey over the next four years.
For supporters of the president, many sleepless nights were likely spent worrying over the future of the country, and many a tear was shed when President Trump departed the White House with the First Lady beside him. They wore dark clothes and somber expressions, and in that moment, the nation was suddenly thrust into mourning: mourning the loss of American greatness, mourning the loss of a brighter tomorrow, and mourning the loss of what could have been.
What frustrated so many Americans was knowing that Biden’s America would be markedly different from Trump’s America. For four years under Trump’s leadership, the people had felt safe in their country, and they had watched with satisfaction when the Trump Tax Cuts triumphantly made life easier for middle-class Americans.
For perhaps the first time ever, Americans trusted the president to do what was right in the White House. They had faith in his leadership, and that faith was well-founded. He kept the U.S. out of war, he dealt with the threat of North Korea swiftly and succinctly, he kept Russian President Vladimir Putin under control, and he completely wiped ISIS off the map.
President Trump earned the people’s trust by the way he honored his commitment to protect the nation and put America first.
A downward spiral
By contrast, in 2021, when the downward spiral began and the Biden administration jumped from one catastrophic failure to another, many Americans flinched at the accelerated rate of destruction.
Biden kicked off his term with the termination of the Keystone XL Pipeline. He doubled down on his weakness with the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal – a weakness that signaled to the world that the U.S. was as feckless as its new supposed leader.
Indeed, it has been this same weakness that has facilitated the tyrannical rumblings of world powers like Iran, China, and Russia. Where Trump held the leash on tyranny tightly, Biden has bent the knee before it, and our enemies have acted accordingly.
It seems unthinkable that in just three short years, the world has erupted into such high levels of violence and that the threat of nuclear war is as real as it is. Even more devastating is the continued invasion at the southern border, where millions of unvetted illegal migrants pour into the country every year.
Trump has even postulated that as many as 16 million people will likely have resettled here by the end of Biden’s term – a chilling prospect to consider, especially when we have no idea who has entered the country or where their loyalties may lie.
Truly, America’s most basic structural supports have been blown to bits. The border is gone. Our respect on the global stage is gone. Our energy independence is gone. Our military has been weakened. Our debt load has increased exponentially. Joe Biden himself has seemed to deteriorate before our eyes, stumbling off stages, slurring his words, and shuffling robotically across the White House lawn.
What has happened to our country? Trump has said it best many times: “We are a nation in decline.” Indeed, we are declining, but there is hope.
The hope of tomorrow
2024 was once a distant, far-off dream. Now, it looms imminently before us. Despite non-stop legal attacks and even attempts to strip Trump off state ballots (the ruling in the recent Colorado case has proven that there is nothing the left won’t do to halt Trump’s upward ascent in the polls), his support among the American people continues to strengthen.
His favorability among the GOP electorate is historic. Nationwide, he is the most powerful Republican frontrunner, as voters unilaterally continue to reject establishment politicians and warmongering talking heads. Quinnipiac, for example, shows Trump with a jaw-dropping 56-point lead over Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., who was once dubbed the supposed “heir apparent” to Trump.
Now, DeSantis’s presidential dreams have fallen flat – and rightly so. Trump represents the will of the people, and the people have spoken loudly. They want Trump. They don’t want more of the same broken system. They want a return to the days of his America first policies. They want a chance to live better lives. They want to avoid World War III. They want lower taxes, a secure border, and affordable gasoline.
The wants and needs of Americans are not complex. Their needs are rooted in a love for life, liberty, and individualism. Nobody has managed to capture this swell of populism better than Donald Trump, and that is why he is so beloved by the everyday American.
President Trump taps into the lifeblood of Americans’ hopes and dreams like no other president in modern history. His policies are a bright, colorful light when contrasted against the failing and despotic policies of Biden’s administration, which has driven nothing but inflation, pain, and worldwide violence.
In 2024, the United States will ponder the contrast between Biden and Trump like never before. They will reflect on how life was before and what it has become. The choice is clear, but the path ahead will not be easy.
President Trump’s power comes from a united people who love their country and, therefore, cannot help but love the 45th president. “I put America first, every single time,” he told New Hampshire voters recently at a campaign event.
America first is a simple phrase, but it is packed with so much meaning and so much power. As the nation moves toward the general election of 2024, President Trump’s message will clear the obstacles in his path, cut through the white noise of a malicious mainstream media, and warmly embrace the American people once again as they journey toward the White House. It may be the greatest American comeback story ever told.
