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Second acts: President Trump makes historic comeback

President Trump left Washington four years ago devastated.

He lost a fierce election campaign. faced condemnation for the Capitol riot. Not to mention the many criminal charges.

F. Scott Fitzgerald famously declared, “There is no second act in American life.''

But he may not have been writing about sports or politics. In athletics, Rocky Breyer, Tommy John, and even Michael Jordan come to mind.

Country singer Carrie Underwood shakes hands with President Trump after performing “America the Beautiful” in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025. (Shaun Hsu/Pool, via Reuters)

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Politics is full of comebacks, with Richard Nixon, Winston Churchill, and Vladimir Lenin making their mark.

The same goes for President Donald Trump.

He is now the second American president to return to office. President Grover Cleveland served his first term from 1885 to 1889. However, Cleveland lost the presidency in 1888. Cleveland won the popular vote but lost in the Electoral College to President Benjamin Harrison. However, Cleveland rallied to overthrow Harrison in 1892 and returned to the White House.

So this is Trump's second act. At least in the presidency.

For him, the president enjoys unprecedented public support. He received 77 million votes but fell short of 50%. However, the president did receive 312 electors.

Usha Vance, Vice President J.D. Vance, President Donald Trump, and First Lady Melania Trump attend the departure ceremony for outgoing President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

Usha Vance, Vice President J.D. Vance, President Trump, and First Lady Melania Trump bid farewell to former President Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden at the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025. (Chris Kleponis/Pool, via Reuters)

And like Cleveland, Trump is in his second act. What lies ahead?

The expectations are astronomical.

“America delivered its verdict on November 5th. They said it loud and clear,” Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama) said on Fox.

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Republicans promised a makeover.

“When they see peace starting to return around the world, they're going to think, 'This is the stability we've been looking for,'” Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donald said on Fox. “Daddy's back.”

Byron Donald speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention

Congressman Byron Donald speaks at the Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)

Repression is coming.

“When you have wide open borders, there is no security, there is no security, there is no sovereignty,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said on NBC.

The president returned to power with a more united Republican Party than in 2016. Congressional Republicans are far from standing behind the president on all sides. At the time, Republicans in the House had 241 seats. His most ardent supporters on Capitol Hill were those no longer serving. Former Representatives Chris Collins (R-Calif.) and Duncan Hunter Jr. (R-Calif.) are the first House sponsors. Both men were convicted in unrelated criminal cases and left Congress. Trump later pardoned them. His biggest supporter in the Senate was former Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.). Sessions left the Senate to become Trump's first attorney general. His term lasted less than two years, and he resigned at the request of the president.

At the time, Republicans in Congress were skeptical of Trump. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) led the charge to repeal Obamacare. After Republicans had to kill the bill in the House, Republicans finally found the votes to defeat it a month later. The bill stumbled in the Senate as the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) voted against it. But the failure of the House's first attempt told us everything we needed to know about the party's position and how much influence Trump wielded.

But later this year, lawmakers focused on Trump's much-vaunted tax cuts.

This time, the unity of the Republican Party is different. The administration and lawmakers will then start with the agenda of tax cuts and budget deficit reduction.

“Right now, we're debating whether we should have one bill or two bills here. The process doesn't matter to us. What we know is that we need to get this done for the American people. It's just that we have to achieve it.” Round of RS.D., on Fox. “He's much further along than he was eight years ago.”

But one Republican senator has a warning for his colleagues.

“I think the No. 1 priority for Republicans is securing the border,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) said on CBS. “Let's get the tax cuts and spending cuts sorted out later.”

Let's talk about mathematics. Despite ambitious legislative ambitions to approve a tranche of border funding while simultaneously making spending cuts and tax cuts. And Republicans hold a slim majority in the House. With former Rep. Michael Walz (R-Florida) resigning to become the president's national security adviser, House Republicans' vote share will drop to 218. If Rep. Elise Stefanik (RN.Y.) resigns to become ambassador to the United Nations, that majority will be reduced to 217 (assuming Senate confirmation).

So despite the goals, it will be difficult to move anything forward in the House.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and President-elect Donald Trump shake hands

House Speaker Mike Johnson shakes hands with President-elect Trump during the House Republican Conference on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Frankly, we may need Democratic help on some issues, like avoiding a government shutdown and raising the debt ceiling.

“The president has a mandate, and my colleagues have said he fulfilled it in the election, but that mandate does not exist in the House,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Florida, said on Fox. “They're barely in the majority. So if they want to work with us, I think they'll find a willing partner.”

A confirmation vote on Trump's cabinet appointments will be held soon.

“He needs a disruptive team,” Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pennsylvania, said on Fox. “They want disruptors. They want to think outside the box.”

But some choices can be too destructive.

Consider the selection of Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. The Senate committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for either man. Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth is likely to win the approval vote. But the Senate could break the Democratic filibuster and require a procedural vote to force Hegseth's confirmation.

Still, Democrats are recalibrating their approach toward Trump 2.0.

“I think last time Democrats just resisted the president on every front. It was just constant anger. And I think this time we need to move to a different strategy of selective resistance,” Moskowitz said. said.

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In other words, Trump's second act has begun. What issues did Grover Cleveland address? Tariffs and silver policy. Trump doesn't have to address the latter theme (we assume). But you know about the pending battles with China, Canada, Mexico, etc. over tariffs and issues.

The new president has about two years to implement his policies and pass his legislative agenda in Congress. But people expect results.

And that's the thing about the second act. In sports. And in politics too. Only theaters have a third.

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