Trump Has Changed . . . He’s Better, Much Better
COMMON SENSE: Yesterday, the drama surrounding the vote for Speaker of the House was short-lived but intense, ending well. Because it was reminiscent of the nightmare surrounding the ousting of Speaker McCarthy more than a year ago, for those of us who are invested in the America First agenda, it was like pulling off a scab before our wound healed. Not just infuriating, it also felt like it was unnecessary and counterproductive to everything we have fought so hard to accomplish.
At the same time, as I contemplated the events afterwards, I became encouraged. There was one aspect about them that was truly uplifting and hopeful.
To end the stalemate, President-Elect Trump placed a video call to Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Representative Keith Self (R-TX) while they were huddled in the House cloakroom with loyalists to Mike Johnson. On the call, Trump said that it would be “disrespectful” to the nation and to him for Speaker Johnson to not be reaffirmed on the first vote. Hearing this, Norman and Self changed their votes immediately. Speaker Johnson was confirmed, and a protracted crisis was avoided.
All of this was the good news, but hidden without these events was even better news. By telling both Representatives that it would be “disrespectful” to not affirm Johnson on the first vote, Trump displayed a level of statesmanship that we rarely witnessed in his first term. Instead of telling the Representatives that they were being “disrespectful,” in my estimation, Trump would have been more likely to ream the pair a new one, but that didn’t happen. Instead of scolding them as losers, which happened quite often in his first term, Trump firmly but gently brought the pair back into the fold without alienating or disgracing them.
To be able to do this is real growth for the President-Elect, and it bodes well for fulfilling the Herculean task ahead of us. To accomplish what he has promised—to Make America Great Again—Trump needs Representative like Norman and Self to be on his side. We do too. By appealing to them, with just a hint of a threat, instead of smacking them with an iron fist, Trump moved his agenda forward significantly. This is the kind of statesman-like leadership we need to change the course of our nation. When required, like it was yesterday, Trump provided it. Thank God, he did.
—Jack Watts