Most Americans aren’t paying attention yet to the 2024 Presidential race; only political junkies need to get their “fix” every day. Donald Trump wants to be President again, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that desire. He did a great job for four years, and it is a shame that he, for whatever reasons, couldn’t parlay that success into four more years in office. The country has certainly suffered because of it.
The last few weeks—again, for whatever reasons, some his fault, some not—have not been kind to Mr. Trump. Since we are in a political “off-season,” it might be a good idea for him to sit back and take stock of what a good campaign in 2024 would look like. He isn’t dead, politically, but he needs some resuscitation. If I were his political campaign manager, here are some suggestions I would make.
1. Disappear for a while, or at least, don’t try to hog the limelight. One recent Townhall writer spoke of “Trump Exhaustion Syndrome”—too much is too much. Plus, the more any human is in the public eye, the more chances there are to make mistakes, especially when his myriad enemies are scrutinizing his every word and deed. And Mr. Trump has made plenty (of mistakes and enemies). Take a vacation for a few months, Mr. Trump, and give the rest of us some time away from you. We’d appreciate it. And come back a new man. For examples….
2. Quit talking about 2020. Nobody wants to hear that anymore. You aren’t going to be President before 2025. Shut up about 2020. I’m in Thailand and I don’t want to hear it; I can imagine how the people in America feel. The future is what concerns us, not the past. If some reporter asks you about 2020 (and they will), cut them off—immediately. “We’re going to talk about 2024 and beyond. Period. Next question.” The past can’t be changed; the future can. Help Republicans learn how to win in 2024, not that you were cheated in 2020.
3. Conquer yourself, Mr. Trump. We like you, but we have lives, too, and we want to know what you are going to do for the country, not what your latest personal grievance is. Barack Obama became legendary for starting every sentence in the first person (“I” or “My”). Don’t talk about yourself, or the injustices to you that cannot be corrected. Frankly, we don’t care.
3. Quit endlessly berating Republicans you don’t like. If you rant about how stupid and gutless Mitch McConnell is—something we already know anyway—the only thing you are going to do is alienate people whom you need to help you back into the White House. There are rotten Republicans; that’s just the way it is and it isn’t going to change. Have the wisdom to use them and get them on your side. Sadly, there are not enough conservatives in the country to put you over the top. Get elected first, then do what is necessary to save the country.
4. Let Congress handle Hunter Biden, the Twitter revelations, etc. They aren’t going to, of course, but there is absolutely nothing you can do about that except make it worse by constantly harping on it. Griping is only going to show pettiness. Be above it, Mr. Trump. We need a statesman now, and statesmen must pick their fights carefully. Joe Biden isn’t going anywhere in the next two years. The Democrats and the media will see to that, so quit trying to remove him from office, and start planning what you will do when you get back to Washington.
5. And then tell us, positively and upliftingly, what you plan to accomplish. It is certainly acceptable to expose, clearly, the disasters of the Biden administration. But the negativity is not enough. Ok, Biden screwed up A (and B, and C, ad infinitum). What are you going to do to fix those things? Give us something to look forward to, not just to complain about.
6. Point to your previous record, but don’t dwell on it. Remind people they were paying less than $2 a gallon for gas and that the country was energy independent. Don’t let Americans forget that black and Hispanic unemployment was the lowest they had ever been in your administration. That’s all fine. But then, we need to know how you intend to return the country to those “good ol’ days.” Give us your blueprint, not just your critique. Be positive, inspiring, and enriching.
7. And will you please get out into minority communities and talk to those people? Rightly or wrongly, Republicans are seen as the party of white people, and they care little to nothing about blacks and other minorities. Go to Harlem, Detroit, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and other Democratic hell-holes and talk—but mainly LISTEN—to what the black and Hispanic people are saying. Show that you intend to be President for ALL Americans. Now, you will never please everybody; the country is too diverse. But perceptions ARE important, and by showing a true interest in the problems faced by inner-city dwellers, you will be doing something Democrats certainly never do. Go to the cities that the Democrats are destroying and find out what you can do to rebuild them. Care what is happening to those tragic places and show it; the Democrats do neither. If you don’t care, either, please go home.
Donald Trump in 2016 was brilliant. And he won because of it. Since then, not so much. Build, Mr. Trump. “Make America Great Again” is a fine motto. Now, tell all Americans again what it means. Show some humanity, compassion, humility, wisdom, fortitude, and positiveness. America needs help, not a sledgehammer.
Have you started your Christmas shopping? Don’t forget to include some good reading material, especially for the cold winter months. My western novels, Whitewater and River Bend are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Eliva.com. A third western, Allie’s Dilemma, is available for Kindle only. And read some different posts on my blog at thailandlewis.blogspot.com.