As Donald Trump prepares to again occupy the office of the president, and as Americans variously celebrate or lament a remarkable political comeback, we are reminded of something from eight years ago.
Then, when Trump first won the presidency, The Columbian wrote editorially: “This nation will survive and endure in the wake of a campaign that was simultaneously memorable and eminently forgettable. And if the public can come together and somehow find a shared purpose, this nation will thrive. Our citizens are too strong, our system too secure for the outcome of one election to serve as a death-knell — despite the rhetoric on both sides of the campaign.”
Admittedly, finding a shared purpose is more difficult these days. Trump’s combative style has exacerbated our divisions over the past eight years; the politicization of a pandemic has done the same. Most important, we have seen an unprecedented attack on our electoral system along the way.
Yet we have endured. Weakened, fragmented, diminished perhaps, we have endured, as has our nation.
The lessons of such resiliency must not be lost or ignored. And despite Trump’s demagoguery, the hope is that Americans of all political persuasions will remember that this nation, founded nearly 250 years ago, was designed to be more significant and more powerful than a single individual.
With Republicans gaining control of the White House, the U.S. Senate and perhaps the House of Representatives, and with a compromised Supreme Court already having expanded the powers of the office, it is difficult to foresee any guardrails on a second Trump presidency. But we retain faith that our nation’s system of checks and balances will prevail despite Trump’s demonstrated penchant for subverting the Constitution.
Regardless of what the coming years reveal, Trump’s comeback is remarkable and historic. Since initially taking office, he has incompetently responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, presided over a recession, fostered an attack on the U.S. Capitol, attempted to overthrow a free and fair election, been adjudicated for sexual assault and been convicted of 34 felonies.
Despite that, in addition to clinching the electoral vote, he is on track to win the popular vote for the first time in his three presidential campaigns. Critics must acknowledge that his rhetoric and his aggressive personality resonates with a broad swath of Americans.
Even more concerning than his personality traits is Trump’s increasingly discombobulated speaking style. His recent appearances have demonstrated an incoherence that is troublesome, but did not outweigh his ability to touch on issues that are meaningful to the public.
“Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future,” he said Tuesday during a victory speech. “Every single day, I will be fighting for you. And with every breath in my body, I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America. That’s what we have to have. This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again.”
Making our nation great is the goal of all Americans, even as we disagree upon what constitutes greatness. The hope now is that our citizens remain strong enough and our system secure enough to endure the coming challenges.
