Yesterday, I watched the RNC convention when the various state representatives lined up to cast their states’ delegate votes in Trump’s favor. Many said some version of “Donald Trump, the former and future president.” Or “Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president.” However, the phrase that seemed right to me was “Donald Trump, the once and future president.”
That phrase is a variation on “the once and future king,” the title of T.H. White’s novel about the legend of King Arthur. That book and others in the series describe a magical period in the lost mists of British history, along with the promise that the greatest king of all will one day return.
Of course, as a firm believer in our Constitution, I have no desire to see Donald Trump, or anyone else, become America’s king. Nor do I believe Donald Trump is a mythical figure. He is a man, like any other...only a little bit greater.
Image: Donald Trump (edited). YouTube screen grab.
As a student of history, I repeatedly see Trump’s unique qualities in the stories of past figures who appeared at the right time to preserve and advance their nations’ destinies.
When people complain about Trump’s past playboy lifestyle and his other imperfections, I think of King David. I’m not saying that Trump is the second coming of King David or anything blasphemous. I’m just reminding people that King David was defined as much by his imperfections as he was by his greatness. If you’re religious, it’s worth keeping in mind that God looks for what he needs for his people, and does not have a litmus test beyond that person’s ability to fulfill those needs.
When people point to Trump’s past as a Democrat and the fact that he can be a difficult man, I think of Winston Churchill. The two men actually have a great deal in common:
Most importantly, Churchill was an indispensable man who guided Britain through the darkest days of WWII. During his first term, Trump tried to restore America’s core values—the Constitution, the Rule of Law, sovereign borders, an economy that benefits everyday Americans, small government, etc.—only to find himself stymied at every turn by an establishment that recognized how he threatened their powerbase and their fundamentally Marxist plans for America. This time, he’ll be loaded for bear, as evidenced by his choice of JD Vance, a fighter, for his Vice President.
Finally, I, like many others, cannot get over the fact that Donald Trump, like George Washington before, survived bullets that ought to have killed him. As George Washington wrote in 1755,
By the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability and expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, altho' death was levelling my companions on every side.
When one considers how the Secret Service, whether through incompetence or malice, placed Trump directly in the path of a nearby shooter and that Trump was saved only because, in a millisecond of time, he tilted his head at precisely the correct angle to avoid a bullet blowing apart his skull, one does get a feeling of “the all-powerful dispensations of Providence” at play.
George Washington managed to turn a ragtag group of civilians into an Army that took down the most powerful military in the world. Then, he skillfully led our nation through its first tumultuous years, something made possible by his wisdom and humility. He could have been king, but he wanted to be a farmer. He saved the new nation because he was a unique man.
We’re no longer a new nation, and Trump isn’t known for his humility. However, his vision, his courage, his pugnacious nature, his ability not to let his goals overwhelm his short-term strategic plans and tactics, and his political savvy, which was burnished in the crucible of the last eight years, promise that he can return our nation to its constitutional roots and free the American people from the tyranny of Big Government and Woke culture.