One for the History Books

Today, Donald J. Trump is inaugurated for the second time, a day for the history books, only the second time a president will serve non-successive terms. It is far more. It is the vindication of truth over lies, courage over persecution, and fight over flight. Like the Phoenix rising from ashes, this inauguration is a miracle, a reward for faith, proof of America’s greatness, and divine intervention.

How could it be otherwise? Review the recent past. Here is a man who beat the political odds in 2016, a non-politician who outflanked others to dislodge a socialist and win the presidency.

He did that despite what we now understand was a concerted effort, arguably criminal, to misuse the Departments of Justice and State, FBI, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, intelligence community, and White House to stop him.

When that “insurance policy” did not work, a politically motivated, multi-million-dollar “Russia collusion” investigation was initiated, creating unprecedented drag for his first two years. Even so, he substantively reshaped foreign and domestic policy.

In contrast to the Obama era’s moves to “transform” America with power-concentrating, constitution-testing, historically socialist policy, Trump won support for major tax cuts, kept interest, inflation, and economic volatility in check, spurring record economic growth.

On the foreign front, he brokered a widening peace in the Middle East, stopped North Korean missile launches and nuclear testing, kept Russian ambitions out of Europe, rebalanced trade with China, slowed Iran’s nuclear program, sanctioned that country, and spoke of freedom.

On the southern border, he slowed the gush of illegals into the US, with drug and human trafficking, and began building a deterrent wall. He opposed anti-constitutional sanctuary cities, the release of felons, and overt political violence.

He restored respect for the rule of law, and constitutional textualism, and stabilized the federal bench with jurists who did not aim to make laws but to interpret and apply them with original intent.

Incredibly, as he dismantled parts of the longstanding, often anti-constitutional bureaucracy, he was attacked more viciously – and with increasing disregard for truth – by a Democrat-controlled House and Senate, Marxist state, city, high-tech, and media leaders, who feared accountability.

When these underhanded techniques failed, including calls for violence that nearly ended the life of a Supreme Court justice in the wake of a decision returning abortion to the states – his enemies twice impeached him.

In retrospect, the impeachment predicates – a phone call seeking evidence, as one would in a letter rogatory, from a foreign leader on actions that appeared illegal (and still do), and an official speech on federal grounds encouraging peaceful protest, are absurd, the impeachments scandalous. 

Now we know also that the “investigation” by a Democrat-controlled congressional committee into the events after the speech was itself tainted, exculpatory information suppressed, and false facts pushed. The goal was to stop his reelection.

Trump then suffered an inconceivable assault by Democrat operatives in government through lawfare, and abuse of federal and state prosecutorial and judicial processes to top his reelection.

The unethical nature of these prosecutions, venal, malicious, and abusive – flies in the face of 250 years of American constitutional and political precedent. Still, the forces of progressive politics, this toxic mix of personal animus, Marxism, nihilism, and modern Democrat tactics went on, undeterred.

Even when Supreme Court rulings and politically honest brokers sought to slow this prosecutorial hurricane, it did not slow. Yet neither did the candidate’s willingness to fight the injustices.

Compounding what this candidate suffered, a corrupt federal administration with corrupt state actors threatened, induced, and intimidated high-tech social media and media actors into blocking, canceling, defaming, gagging, and trying to suppress his voice and fair defense.

Still, Trump fought on. Even at the eleventh hour, persecuted by unethical judges, prosecutors (some now resigned), politicians, and media irrationally consumed by hate, he persevered.

Then, last summer, the candidate was twice nearly killed by obsessed fanatics, egged on by unrepentant political opponents of his reformist, decentralizing, freedom-focused message, a combination of Our Founders’ energy, Lincoln-like resolve, TR-like populism, and Reagan-like determination not to allow the centralized government to oppress the individual.

When election dust settled, Trump won the electoral college, popular vote, and all seven swing states with updrafts in every demographic, young, old, Black, Hispanic, suburban women and men, rural, urban, border state to interior. In short, he won big.

Now, we come to this moment. It is a living miracle – because this is an intrepid candidate, one who understood what the country needs and pushed a positive, individual-centered, growth, security, faith, and stability-focused reform plan. He spoke to the common man – and won. So, who says miracles don’t happen? One just did. May the Hand of Providence rest lightly on his shoulder. This inauguration is … one for the history books.

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).