This Thanksgiving, I made myself a French 75 and toasted the end of a very bad, horrible, no-good year. I was the only one in our family following Dr Anthony Fauci’s advice to “bite the bullet” and skipped our large holiday gathering. No doubt, my Trump-loving family poured one out for the president. In that spirit, my brother, Kevin, offered the following threnody for Donald Trump.
The mercurial presidency of Donald Trump apparently is over. Historians, 20 or 30 years hence, will be the impartial arbiters of his accomplishments, but for the nearly 74 million people who voted for him, he already has fulfilled their hopes and justified their trust.
The Democrats call now for unity, but four years ago, they screamed for resistance and upheaval. They encouraged confrontation of Trump officials at their homes and restaurants. They opposed the administration every step of the way. Their hypocrisy is laughable.
Trump gave us a strong economy, achieved the lowest unemployment in 50 years, fortified the border and guaranteed the integrity of the judicial system by appointing over 200 judges, including three supreme court justices.
The Democrats remain mystified by the loyalty of Trump's base. It is rock solid because half the country was tired of being patronised and lied to
He was labelled a racist but funded historically black colleges and created opportunity zones with senator Tim Scott. He was able to sign meaningful prison reform legislation. He had foreign policy successes as well, renegotiating Nafta and abandoning the disastrous Iranian nuclear deal (which took a $400 million cash bribe to close).
He aggressively confronted China for its egregious behaviour, brokered Middle East peace deals and was the greatest friend in the White House that Israel ever had.
Donald Trump was not without his flaws, but he stood like a brick wall against an unfair and openly hostile press and, alarmingly, a deep state aligned against him. Trump made the Republican Party tougher, teaching it to counterpunch harder than its opponent.
Default option
The Republicans did well on election night, gaining House seats when Nancy Pelosi predicted they would lose them. They're favoured to retain control of the Senate, pending two run-offs in Georgia. This is very important as the Senate now will stand as the last line of defence against the radicals who steer the Democratic agenda.
Joe Biden was the best default option the Republicans could hope for. He is a creature of the Senate and hopefully will resist any attempts at major changes, like eliminating the filibuster and packing the supreme court. The problem, of course, is that he seems diminished and may not be up to the tidal wave coming from the left.
Mark down the levels of the Dow Jones and your 401(k)s. If Biden reimposes president Barack Obama’s regulations, the economy will shortly be back to where it was under Obama.
Maybe now is the time for Trump to move on. There should not be a run in 2024
The Democrats remain mystified by the loyalty of Trump’s base. It is rock solid because half the country was tired of being patronised and lied to and worse, taken for granted. Trump was unique because he was only interested in results.
Democrats have been quick to dismiss any Trump supporter as a racist, homophobe or redneck, but they all shared a common trait with him, an unapologetic love of America. The Republican success down-ballot and in state legislatures shows the folly of this condescension and sends a clear message that a majority of Americans are not ready for the socialist agenda favoured by the radical left.
Not only were there more Trump voters in 2020, there were more Hispanic and African-American voters backing Trump. The supreme irony here is that gradually the Republicans are becoming the party of the working class.
Trump reawakened the base with a populist message disdained by his critics as "Trumpism" but more closely resembling the rise of Huey Long. Trump was adored by his followers, who will remember him kindly. Now it is time for Republicans to refocus and concentrate on winning the two races in Georgia.
I am sure president Trump will do the right thing when the time comes.
Word of caution
A final word to the media: The open bar at the wedding is closed. Your ratings and circulation are about to tank. You may think you ran down the stag, but you will quickly realise that Joe Biden on a daily basis, speaking through his mask, will not generate the same ratings.
A word of caution to Fox News: Your not-so-subtle shift leftward is a mistake. You are one of a kind. Watching the quick abdication of Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum following the election (joining an already hostile Chris Wallace) was like finding out my wife was cheating. No one is tuning in to listen to the musings of Chris Hahn and Marie Harf.
Maybe now is the time for Trump to move on. There should not be a run in 2024. He can start a media empire to replace an increasingly disappointing Fox News. Rush will be leaving, and we will need someone to hold the left accountable.
I would not want to see Donald Trump, four years older, looking like Joe Biden did this year. A star knows when to leave the stage.
And finally, a special congratulations to senator Susan Collins, who cruised to re-election despite gloomy forecasts and a tonne of dark money spent against her. The people of Maine place high value on integrity. Happy Thanksgiving. – New York Times