Trump, Hope, and Pincer Movements

Where do you find hope, and how to understand why the hope you feel is real? Start with tactics, and what they tell us. The pincer movement, in military terms, is confronting an enemy on two sides at once, squeezing resources, preparedness, agility, and leadership. Trump’s victory – sliceable in many ways – involved two pincer movements, producing a major victory, real hope.

While military analogies can be overdrawn when applied to politics, Clausewitz put war and politics on one continuum. What Trump did, from a distance, is align young and old voters around core issues, namely the economy and public safety, then did the same with minority and majority voters.

The Democrats, true, were confused, disoriented, and not credible. They imagined monsters where none existed and conceived magic tricks to win the day – like waving the abortion wand and expecting all other issues to disappear for women.  The delusion was one they bought, America did not.

Back to the double pincer by Trump. As young people continue to struggle under high inflation, high interest, and high taxes, hunt good jobs, can barely afford to rent, and find their dreams of home ownership on life support, Trump spoke directly – and convincingly – to them.

Trump used old means, but also new ones, including talking with those who have the trust – a big word these days – of the young. He spent three hours with Joe Rogan. He got 56 percent of men under 30,  to 40 percent for Harris. He bumped his support of young women up by 10 percent.

At the same time, by zeroing in on the economy – high cost of living, insecurity on basics – and public safety, made worse by illegal immigration, unprecedented drug trafficking, and underreported major crimes – he also got the attention of thoughtful, sage, older Americans. Perhaps coincidentally, he racked up 56 percent of those 50 to 64, as Harris got just 43 percent.

Caught between big losses from the young and from the old, who went heavily for Trump, the others – those between 30 and 50, over 64 – which were generally a wash or even – mattered less. Trump saw an opportunity in the young and the older but still worked and nailed it.

Then, as if this attack from north and south were not enough, he pinched from east and west, and spoke directly to the interests of individuals who happen to count themselves part some minority, black, Hispanic, Asian, single, entrepreneur, military, gig economy – but also spoke to the majority directly, Christians, Jews, union members, and parents. The effect was powerful, and all-American.

Whether speaking to a restoration of fiscal responsibility, lower debt, lower costs, and free markets or to freedoms generally, speech, worship, 2^nd Amendment, or rule of law without intrusions on your home, papers, and life – things he suffered – he made the case that freedom is real, it matters.

There was the second pincer, watching him blow old numbers out of the water with almost every minority group, then pull from the shadows voters who had never voted before but counted themselves patriots, freedom lovers, Christians who – finally – realized voting your values works.

In the end, this was a new way of winning a campaign, a new approach to winning – universal appeal, economy, and safety, new communications avenues, talking to young AND older, to individuals as individuals, not as groups, and in this way to minority individuals AND majority.

Clearly, this double pincer worked for Trump- Vance and likely will be a coalition that holds for some time, as long as they deliver on the promise of it all, the all-American nature of cleaning things up economically, restoring public safety, trust in government, and then national security.

Truth is, we really do have more in common with other Americans than anyone else in the world. That seems to be true of young and old, minority and majority. Trump saw it, spoke to it, and is likely to deliver on it – as he did before – again. If you are looking for grounded hope, there is it.

Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC. Robert Charles has also just released an uplifting new book, “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024).