Donald Trump's speech yesterday was very different from the one he gave eight years ago. At the time, Trump's words were dark, bitter, and in many ways angry. But now, Trump appealed to Americans' best instincts even as he expressed his view of America in decline.
Similarly, the newly sworn-in president focused on unity, American strength and prosperity, and the common values that define our nation.
As a citizen and a Democrat, even if I'm not extremely partisan, it's difficult to be anything other than satisfied with the tone of President Trump's speech. But while his calls for unity struck me as sincere, they were also marked by repeated attacks on the Biden administration. Additionally, it was clear that Trump's own personal circumstances, including an assassination attempt and multiple prosecutions, deeply influenced his views.
Rhetoric aside, the agenda President Trump laid out today is relatively popular, and Democrats would be wise to work with him to find a way to pass much of it.
Polls released this weekend showed that many of Trump's priorities, including immigration, inflation and national security, were met with enthusiasm.
Indeed, according to New York Times pollnearly nine in 10 (87 percent) support deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records. A majority (55%) supports illegal deportation of everyone here.
The same poll found that Americans mostly agree (72%) with President Trump's repeated assertion that the government and economy primarily benefit a few elites at the expense of average Americans. It was suggested that there is.
Even President Trump's more isolationist policies are well supported. 60% of respondents believe the United States should pay less attention to global issues and focus more on domestic issues.
To that end, President Trump's repeated pledges to end foreign wars without directly mentioning Ukraine will be welcome. His pledge to continue efforts to bring home the Israeli hostages drew bipartisan applause, including from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
But this was not a call for Democrats to work with Republicans to find common ground or seek a new spirit of cooperation and accommodation. In fact, this was perhaps the clearest explanation of President Trump's “Make America Great Again” policy I've ever heard.
As the polls above highlight, President Trump's policies, as outlined in his inaugural address, will almost certainly be well received. It is hard to imagine Americans opposing President Trump's calls to reclaim the southern border, lower inflation, protect the economy from predatory nations like China, and fight crime.
And his evocation of America's “manifest destiny” while referencing Americans' pioneering and ambitious roots, speaks clearly to the common themes that have animated us historically.
At the same time, I hope that the Democratic Party will try to get some people to work together to work with President Trump. include Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), have end.
This may not be as strong an invitation to cooperation as I had hoped. But by recognizing areas of common ground, we have the potential to achieve what President Trump so eloquently spoke of today: to make these four years the best four years in our nation's history.
We remain skeptical that we will be able to achieve high levels of cooperation and mediation. But I also expect Congressional leaders to work toward that goal, especially given the slim Republican majorities in the House and Senate.
For now, it is difficult for people of goodwill in both parties to recognize that President Trump is making a genuine attempt to appeal to a clear majority of the American people with his election-approved policies and agenda. I think it's important. .
The hope is that both the incoming Trump administration and Congressional Democrats can move past the grudges that were evident until the end, including some of Mr. Biden's final pardons.
Let me be clear: While both sides are responsible for the polarized environment we currently find ourselves in, both sides have a responsibility to move the country forward.
Mr. Biden's pardons for family members and former officials, like Mr. Trump's sweeping pardons and commutations of defendants on January 6, undermine the notion of a politically neutral application of justice.
But that each political party can work together and move forward collectively and constructively to implement Trump's policies in a way that a wide range of Americans, beyond the 50 percent who voted for Trump, can embrace them as well. Let's hope for it.
We hope and pray that it will happen, but there is undoubtedly reason for cautious optimism regarding today.
Douglas E. Schon is a political consultant and founder and partner of Shane Cooperman Research. The latest book is “The End of Democracy? Russia and China are rising, and America is retreating. ”
