Yesterday’s America First Works event in Kentucky celebrated a very different vision for Kentucky and the country. Kentuckians gathered to celebrate leaders who are championing the importance of strength and America First policies.
But not everyone in Kentucky’s own delegation shares that vision. Congressman Thomas Massie has repeatedly opposed many of the priorities now driving America’s restoration.
America is experiencing an undeniable comeback. It's visible in the men and women rebuilding our military, restoring our manufacturing base, securing our borders, and reviving the spirit of patriotism that once made this nation the greatest force for freedom the world has ever known.
Just a few years ago, Americans watched one of the most humiliating military disasters in modern history unfold during the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Thirteen American service members were killed at Abbey Gate. Billions in military equipment were abandoned to terrorists. Americans were stranded behind enemy lines while the Taliban celebrated on television.
That withdrawal shattered trust among military families who sacrificed everything for this country, and it destroyed America’s reputation on a global stage.
After four years of America Last leadership, we now have leaders who openly praise the courage of our troops, the sacrifice of military spouses, the strength of military children, and the importance of the workers who build the strength of our military from the ground up.
This administration is promoting the truth that peace through strength cannot exist without the support of our industries at home. That means we must ensure that those in factories, steel mills, energy plants, machine shops, shipyards, and manufacturing facilities across America are fully equipped and ready to support our people on the frontlines.
This is what built the Arsenal of Democracy during World War II.
American workers once united around a common national mission. Entire communities built support systems to sustain the war effort together. Brave men fought for American families overseas while those at home worked around the clock producing aircraft, tanks, ammunition, and machinery. People understood that freedom in America is sacred, and they loved their country for that reason.
The energy in Kentucky yesterday reflected that spirit.
America First leadership recognizes a truth Washington ignored for decades: a nation dependent on foreign adversaries for critical materials, technology, medicine, and industrial capacity is not truly sovereign. Rebuilding manufacturing is a national security issue.
While the administration fights to restore American strength, some politicians continue undermining the very movement they claim to support.
Congressman Thomas Massie is a prime example.
Massie presents himself as aligned with the America First movement. However, his voting record reflects repeated opposition to key defense and national security priorities to restore military readiness. He has consistently opposed policies intended to strengthen American deterrence and rebuild the capabilities needed to confront growing global threats.
There's no coming back from that.
China continues to prepare for our downfall. Iran bankrolls terrorism with American activists in its pocket. Russia is ready to move against us at a moment's notice. Our young people are dying at the hands of cartel drug rings. Our critical infrastructure is threatened with cyber war daily. Our enemies see performative conservatism disguised as principle for what it is: cowardly and weak.
Military strength also depends on industrial strength. For decades, establishment politicians from both parties hollowed out American manufacturing while enriching multinational corporations and foreign competitors. Towns across Kentucky and throughout the industrial heartland watched factories close, jobs disappear, and communities collapse while Washington elites called it “progress.”
President Trump never hesitated to call them out.
Under the America First movement, the forgotten American worker matters again. The machinists, welders, steelworkers, truck drivers, and military families matter again.
America is living through a moment where the divide is no longer simply Republican versus Democrat. It’s between those who believe America is worth defending and those who sneer at the idea of American greatness.
One side believes in security, strong families, faith, freedom, sovereignty, and a commitment to the Constitution. The other embraces the bureaucratic state, open-border chaos, and policies that give Americans no path to prosperity, safety, or hope—turning its back on morality itself.
Many put phrases like “good versus evil” into a box, only to be used in fiction. But some of us know that's been the true war from the very beginning. Nations crumble when the fear of political persecution outweighs the need to fight for what's right.
Yesterday’s gathering united veterans, workers, parents, pastors, entrepreneurs, and young Americans who refuse to surrender their country to weakness and decline. We saw what these patriots are motivated by: love of country, love of freedom, love of family, and love of future generations.
What’s happening in Kentucky is an illustration of a growing movement across the nation.
If we continue pursuing courage, strength, and patriotism, historians may someday look back on moments like yesterday as a turning point in America’s restoration.
Ashley Hayek is the President of America First Works and served as National Coalitions Director for the Trump 2020 Campaign.