On June 16, 2015, Donald Trump and his wife Melania rode down the escalator at Trump Tower as he declared himself to be a Republican candidate for President in the upcoming 2016 presidential elections. On that day, which seems so long ago, this election was far off into the future and his chances of winning were considered extremely remote. Those in the mainstream media were dismissive and establishment Republicans were repulsed by the idea. Almost every talking head said his run was nothing more than a stunt. Month after month those same pundits had to rework their opinions to explain the reality of Trump's success. So what was missed?
You have to look back to 2011 to find the answer. It was in the Spring of that year when Donald Trump first made a serious jab towards running. He did this by hanging on to a divisive issue, the birthplace of the first African American President, and pushing it all the way until the President had to release his birth certificate. Pundits and establishment politicians were outraged. They called him a racist and worse. Trump decided not to run, but the seeds of his current success were sewn into the fertile soil of disheartened conservatives and throwback bible holding, gun clinging folks everywhere. He showed himself to be a tenacious fighter and one who would not back down to an inevitable Hillary Clinton campaign.
After watching Mitt Romney play the nice guy and get crushed, many of those on the conservative side had had enough. They were primed to get behind a down and dirty fighter like Trump and when he announced his run, they couldn't wait to join the cause. And join they did. It was immediately clear from the early rallies he held, there was a draw. At first it was blamed on his star power as the host of the Apprentice. Then it was his being a loud mouth and circus ring master. As the months went by those excuse fell by the wayside. I went to a rally at the DCU center in Worcester, MA, in early November 2015. As a VIP invite I was able to sit close enough to hear Donald Trump talk without the microphone. I had not made my mind up until halfway through that rally. Here was the Reagan like voice we have been clamoring for since 1988. His connection with the overflow crowd was clear and palpable. The crowd was mixed between young, old, white, black and Hispanic. His message of building a wall, of bringing back jobs and of defeating ISIS was resonating. Most importantly, it was resonating in Worcester, MA, right in the heart of a true blue state. I knew right then something special was afoot. I was made even more sure of that when I saw the fervor with which my 25 year old daughter was behind his message.
A year later and Trump rallies have become even bigger events. While the immigration issue still brings out the "Build That Wall!"chants, it has been joined by free trade agreements, and jobs. The loudest chants though come from the Clinton scandals. "Lock her up!" and "Drain the swamp!" have been chanted by hundreds of thousands of Americans at Trump rallies across dozens of states in the past month. If there is one issue that may be blamed if Trump wins big, that could be it.
Win or lose, conservatives everywhere have a lot to be thankful for in the run by Donald Trump. He has brought issues important to those of us on the right to the forefront of political discussions. Liberals have had to defend positions that have not been talked about in serious conversations for decades. This season has also exposed the ugly underbelly of presidential politics in a way that can never be undone. Some news organizations, like CNN, may have damaged their credibility beyond repair. Corruption at the highest levels of our government has been exposed which is sure to tie up many politicians and their cronies for years in legal battles. Let's hope this election leads to changes for the better for all of us.
Thank you Mr. trump for running and giving hope to so many of us disheartened Americans.
