It’s January 2024. We wake to a world on fire. The unthinkable suddenly thinkable, as Texas rebels to defend its border, the Middle East lurches towards a regional war, China grows ever more aggressive in the Far East, sanctuary cities groan under the relentless burden of unchecked immigration, virulent and violent antisemitic protests support calls for genocide, fentanyl kills thousands, homelessness soars, crime goes unchecked and the bastions of American justice are weaponized to persecute and silence the enemies of the current regime and their corporatist allies.
Wait. I thought the adults were back in charge.
FLASHBACK
Four years ago this week, on January 28th, 2020, President Trump came to Wildwood, NJ. To most outside observers, this seemed an odd venue for the President. A tiny, beachside resort, tightly shuttered in winter’s hibernation, boasting a small convention center, in a state where Trump had no realistic expectations of electoral success. But, thanks to the efforts of freshly minted Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew, Trump came anyway. And so did his people. I was one of them.
On a cold, but clear, January morning, Trump supporters, many having spent a chilly night in the beach-side parking lot, cheerfully lounged in repurposed beach chairs. Bundled against the cold, they nevertheless radiated warmth and excitement. The President of the United States was coming! Their President. The guy that actually cared about making their lives better. The straight shooter who made their dreams seem possible again. Trump gave them hope for a better future for their kids, in a country returning to the traditional values they cherished, and many had served to protect and defend. This was a day they would tell their grandchildren about. Pull out the pictures. Preserve a wrinkled program. Treasure a souvenir.
Trump, despite the four-year, 24/7 effort by the establishment media to destroy him by any and all means, jetted into the Cape May County Airport at the peak of his presidency. For the folks that lined the streets, packed the convention center, and overflowed the boardwalk, Trump surfed in on a wave of popularity, seemly cruising towards reelection on a real record of achievement.
Four years later, with Donald Trump once again improbably cruising towards the GOP nomination for President, it is easy to get sucked into the vortex of the demonization of all things Trump and anyone who would dare support him. This is all we will hear for the next ten months as Trump is paraded from courtroom to courtroom. This is the Democrat platform. Because the one thing that Biden and Co. do not want you to do is remember Trump’s record of accomplishments and compare it to the current trainwreck in America.
Trump’s policies facilitated some of the strongest economic growth in American history. Median household incomes rose to their highest level ever in 2019. The poverty rate hit an all-time low. More Americans had jobs than ever before. The unemployment rate was the lowest in half a century. Real wages grew faster for hourly workers than for upper management. Unemployment for people of color hit record lows. Inflation was under two percent and very low interest rates encouraged business expansion and homeownership. Real accomplishments that actually improved the quality of life for American families.
On the border, Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy had brought order to the Democrat-created chaos. In January of 2020, there were less than 30,000 migrant encounters at the southwest border, per US Customs and Border Protection statistics. Under Joe Biden, border encounters in December 2023 totaled over 302,000. A tenfold increase and the highest monthly total in American history.
As Trump was being introduced to deafening applause by Congressman Van Drew that night, peace was breaking out in the Middle East. The momentum building behind the Abraham Accords promised a new era of stability and cooperation. Iran was strategically in check. ISIS had been destroyed. Respect for American power and a willingness to use that power had been restored.
It was late into the night as the crowd of Trump supporters slowly dispersed into a world on the precipice of mind-blowing developments. Little did they know what awaited them. Just a few days earlier the first cases of COVID-19 in America had been reported in Washington State. Six days later, Trump would follow the lead of the World Health Organization and declare a Public Health Emergency. Then the lockdowns. Then George Floyd. Then the election. Then January 6th.
The world would never be the same.
But on that night, Trump’s supporters joyfully lingered or drifted to the few, open bars on the island, reluctant to relinquish the feel-good vibes from an historic night. Like loyal fans of a winning football team, they dreamed of greater glory, of long winning streaks and back-to-back championships.
Four years later, after all we’ve been through, it is somehow still game on. Buckle up.
