Being wrong has never felt so good.
In the wake of Donald Trump's disastrous defeat four years ago and the tragic events of January 6, my view of the 2024 election was simple. Republicans can't win with Trump, and they can't win without Trump.
I didn't even think about whether it was Joe Biden or someone else. As far as I'm concerned, it didn't matter because Trump has proven to be so polarizing that he's nothing more than a spoiler.
If he runs in 2024, he would split the Republican Party and effectively hand the presidency to the Democrats.
Congress will likely turn pale as well, leaving the Republican Party as a sad, shrinking party clinging to some red state legislatures and state legislatures.
Yet here we are, celebrating the King of All comeback. Although some states have not yet been called, victory is assured.
History changed in Pennsylvania.
As politics go, this was a comeback.
Thank God I was wrong.
If there was one turning point, it would be the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump rose from the stage with blood smeared on his head and face, raised his fists and called on his shocked supporters to “fight, fight, fight.”
Any doubts about his heart were dispelled in that critical moment, and millions of Americans followed him across the finish line.
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He fought, fought, fought, and now he's going back to the White House.
In many ways, this victory is even more impressive and important than 2016.
He completely restructured the Republican Party, making it more diverse and centered on the middle and working classes. It has all the characteristics of a durable union.
As I wrote at the Republican convention in Milwaukee, it was clear from the first night that this party now deserved to be called the Workers' Party.
This was a masterful move by Trump and his Ohio running mate, J.D. Vance. And with the Republicans also taking back the Senate and the House still in existence, it's the Democrats who are suddenly in the wilderness.
What is their base? Who will support their far-left social agenda and reckless capitulation on the world stage?
However, it must be said that Mr. Trump's victory is greater than the results indicate. Because not only did he beat Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, and the Democratic Party machine, he also beat the media.
Major media outlets were shamed by their propaganda-level reporting.
They lied about him, demonized everything he said, and ascribed sinister motives to everything he did. They called him a Nazi, a Hitler, a dictator. There were no rules to their dirty play.
Day in and day out, they held him and his opponents to two completely different standards.
They even cheered on an unprecedented attempt to prosecute and jail Trump, echoing the vile leftist argument that he is a threat to democracy.
As if locking up the other party protects democracy!
They also supported Big Tech's attacks on free speech. So they betrayed the First Amendment and desecrated their profession.
Media appearance
They hate it when President Trump calls them fake news, but they often prove him right.
These same media outlets didn't care about Biden's cognitive decline until after the disastrous June debate.
All of a sudden they said the president could not continue, but they gave no thought to the fact that the office of president was in the hands of someone too shaken up to run.
They wanted nothing more than to defeat Trump, so they switched protection money to Harris and were handed the nomination with virtually nothing to do.
What about democracy?
The media didn't even care that she was snubbed, they didn't care that she refused to offer policy.
They thought that the less well-known she was to the public, the more likely she would win. That was all they cared about.
If they had any decency, they would examine their actions and vow to go back to the days when they made honest efforts to be fair.
On the other hand, the nature and details of Trump's victory are so sensational that they will become legends and stories for posterity.
Future candidates for every office and in both parties will study his campaign to learn how he was able to pull off the most stunning reversal in American political history.
Structures, plans, assemblies, policies, and coalitions all played a role. But no analysis of this remarkable moment is complete without recognizing two other superpowerful elements.
First, no one will be able to surpass Trump. He is persistent, sleeps little, and would rather do something than just talk. Nothing is impossible for him.
Secondly, he has the heart of a tiger and the will of a champion. I remember meeting him at a small gathering after one of my toughest days in a corrupt criminal trial in Manhattan.
His commitment to Teflon
Even though he was being treated very unfairly and outrageously, he still felt upbeat.
To hear him talk about the campaign, tell jokes and stories, answer tough questions, and take criticism, you'd think he didn't have a care in the world.
And now the real work begins.
He inherits a country in great need of leadership and policies that respond to the urgent needs of its people, including national security.
The whole world will be watching and waiting to see what he does. There will be rough waters and he will make mistakes.
But he dispelled any doubts about his fierce dedication to America and its people. So much so that even his opponents consider it their job to help him succeed.
he earned it.
