It's easy for Presidential candidates to think the election is all about them! After all, in the months leading up to the national election, the Presidential candidates are the constant focus of media and pundits. We look at the latest polls! We hang on to their daily soundbites. We wonder who will come out of the fight and win the day.
Jesus was one of the greatest leaders of all time and continues to impact millions of believers even today. When the disciples who served him wanted to be put first, positioned at his right and left hand when Jesus came to glory, Jesus shared a perspective about what being first as a leader is really all about.
In the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 20:26-28), Jesus shared his thoughts on true leadership: "But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
It certainly is an honor to be elected President of the United States, but we forget about the sacrifice of running and serving. At the end of their term in office, Presidents consistently come out of their terms looking years older under the weight of the position and the constant daily demands. There are the hours of traveling and campaigning, a continuous barrage of attacks from opponents, and now, even attempted assassinations. Who would want this job? The candidates who aspire to the job must have a bigger-than-life confidence and a sense of calling to serve. As Trump has often said, "I don't need this job, seriously. I don't, but I can tell you this: I believe that I can make this country great again." That is a calling to serve.
The best don't just want to win and defeat their opponent; they want to win to make a difference. In the 2016 election, Donald Trump won by focusing on what he promised to do if elected. In his first 90 days, he delivered on many of those promises through aggressive executive orders and convincing Congress to act on what he was elected to do.
Unfortunately, in the 2020 election, Trump forgot what got him elected in 2016. He spent most of his campaign talking about how inadequate Biden was for the job. He stopped focusing on serving and majored in attacking. This year's campaign seems to be a mix of both for Donald Trump. He has an aggressive list of promised priorities that he wants to accomplish when elected. He's been clear in promising a secure border, deportation of illegal immigrants, energy independence, cutting inflation and creating incentives for economic growth, school choice, support for police and sheriffs, lower taxes, smaller government, and fewer regulations. He is hammering policy priorities that Americans desperately want.
However, since he faces a weak candidate who was not elected but essentially drafted by the Democratic Party to take Biden's place, Trump finds himself tempted to focus on how inadequate Kamala Harris is for the role. It's easy to see why. Harris was never a popular choice when she ran in 2019. She was one of the first to drop out of the race. She appears to struggle to articulate what she will do once elected. Despite some special interest bribes for constituents she must win over, she resists clarifying how she'll make a difference for those citizens she says she wants to serve.
It's clear that her basic strategy is attacking, not serving. Why vote for Harris? Can't you see! America can't survive another four years of Trump. To the left, Trump is evil, dangerous, undemocratic, vindictive, ready to use the military against citizens, a fascist, and, basically, the worst choice possible. To the Democratic faithful, they report that Trump is speaking like Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini. But there is a problem with their strategy. Americans were better off under Trump's administration. Yes, Americans rejected the "attacking" Trump in 2020. But why should they vote for an "attacking" Harris in 2024?
Harris is floundering for one reason. She has not found the strength that comes from a solid core of policies that will define how she will serve. She hides behind promises of more freebies for traditional supporters, a campaign based on a joy-filled "opportunity economy," and continual dodging and weaving to avoid answering direct questions as to what she'll do if actually elected.
If Trump can resist the temptation of focusing on attacking Harris in the last week of the campaign and, instead, keep stating what he will do to serve Americans and right the excesses of the Biden administration, Trump will win big. Yes, it truly is his election to lose! Over seventy percent of Americans feel we are moving in the "wrong direction." May Trump remember and focus again on what won for him in 2016 and avoid what contributed to him losing in 2020. Put wheels under the hopes of all Americans to live out their own American Dream! Americans are eagerly waiting for him to help make America great again! Vote not for Trump but for what he will do!