OPINION:
On Tuesday evening, Donald Trump announced he was running for president in 2024, and all the usual suspects immediately dismissed his candidacy.
The National Review wrote in response, “A firm, unmistakable no.”
There are reports that media mogul Rupert Murdoch has turned on Mr. Trump, with the editorial boards of his papers The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, blaming the former president for the lackluster midterm results. Fox News has been tepid about his candidacy, and most segments are focused on championing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
MSNBC refused to air Mr. Trump’s announcement, and both Fox and CNN cut away from it, preferring to air their talking heads instead.
It all seemed oddly familiar — very 2015.
So did Mr. Trump’s message.
Much like in his 2015 announcement, Mr. Trump made his reelection bid not about himself, but in support of American workers, families and businesses.
“It’s not my campaign, it’s our campaign all together,” he said, giving reverence to the men and women who propelled him to his 2016 victory.
Mr. Trump promised his renewed bid would focus on “issues, vision and success,” and he laid out a clear agenda that both champions the working class and makes Washington insiders tremble.
His first priority would be to end the war on American energy. Under Mr. Trump’s leadership, gas was $1.87 a gallon and the U.S. was on the path to becoming energy independent. He spoke of bringing our supply chains back home and taking on the growing threat of China.
Immigration and securing our borders were also top of mind — he was actually building the wall and stopping the flow of fentanyl from Mexico. There was support for law and order and for punishing criminals. Eliminating critical race theory in our schools and championing parental rights.
Peace through strength and rebuilding the military was also discussed — there were no foreign wars on Mr. Trump’s watch, and he was fostering Middle East peace by unveiling the Abraham Accords.
Mr. Trump promised to abolish every COVID-19 mandate put in place by President Biden and to re-hire all military members who were fired for refusing the COVID-19 shot, providing them with full back pay. He will apologize for their firing.
Then came his shot at the swamp — Mr. Trump vowed to dismantle the deep state by term-limiting members of Congress, banning taxpayer funding of campaigns, prohibiting lawmakers from getting rich by trading stocks with insider information and becoming lobbyists after their term expires.
Lawmakers who enter the profession to serve the American people and not themselves — how novel. How terrifying to the ruling class.
Mr. Trump’s proposals, which he dubbed the “National Greatness Agenda,” will need to be flushed out and further explained before this Editorial Board endorses all of them. What we can say is that they’re on the right track. Most are commonsense ideals that can unite the Republican Party – if it wants to be united. Many policies are just building off of what Mr. Trump did in his first term. The difference now is that Mr. Trump can provide a contrast between his presidency and Mr. Biden’s tenure.
Are you better off now than you were two years ago? More than two-thirds of the American public don’t believe they are.
Mr. Trump’s challenge will be maintaining this pitch and tenor for the next two years. If he can be the joyful warrior, fighting on behalf of the American public left behind by Washington, and focus on the issues and policies — ideas that were never considered doable before he entered the arena — he’s got a real shot.
If he falls back into relitigating the 2020 election and his own grievances, then it’s over.
The American public wants to look forward, they want to believe in and achieve the American dream, and they want to vote for someone who will advance their interests and improve their households.
On Tuesday night, Mr. Trump made his case. Now it’s up to him to live up to it.
Don’t ever count out the man who authored “The Art of the Comeback.”
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