“Today we celebrate the urgency of now, the thrill of what’s next, the glory of this game, and we do it as one.”
That sentiment is courtesy of Brad Pitt in a soaring prerecorded video on Fox right before the Super Bowl on Sunday night. Only rivaled by Thanksgiving and Christmas, there is no singular event that comes even close to bringing so many of us together — and on a night many of us have to work the next day, no less.
A record-breaking 126 million U.S. viewers tuned in to watch the Philadelphia Eagles pummel the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22. And while the game itself wasn’t memorable, outside of the Chiefs finally and deliciously being dethroned, the overall tone and mood of unbridled patriotism was.
As a prime example, the Pitt video might as well have been a Trump ad, complete with clips of cowboys riding horseback carrying American flags, firefighters battling wildfires, U.S. Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima, etc. The message: American greatness only works when we huddle up and work together.
Forget patriotism. This was downright jingoistic.
Donald Trump himself also became the first president to attend the Super Bowl out of the 59 that have been played. It is unbelievable that not one, from Ronald Reagan to the Bushes to Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, all sports fans, had attended, considering that it is such an easy political win to just show up. There’s nothing but upside to doing so.
As you may have heard, Trump received a roaring reception from the crowd when shown on jumbo screens during a tremendous national anthem by Jon Batiste. Contrast that with former Vice President Kamala Harris attending a Los Angeles Lakers game earlier in the week, where the installed 2024 Democratic nominee was barely acknowledged by the fans in her home state.
And in what was the ultimate irony, while Trump was applauded in New Orleans, the once-untouchable Taylor Swift was roundly booed moments later. The president, of course, could not let that fact pass without weighing in.
“The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift,” Trump trolled on Truth Social. “She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!”
The culture shift compared to Trump’s first term is nothing short of extraordinary. After his first victory in 2016, Trump voters largely kept their support on mute, especially in the workplace, all out of fear of being ostracized or seeing career prospects going sideways.
This time around, the Trump dance is openly being celebrated by everyone from NFL players to LPGA golfers.
Corporations, one by one, have been doing away with DEI programs.
Hostages are being released by Hamas, a reaction to Trump’s threat of “all hell breaking out” if they continue to stall.
Violent gangs of illegal immigrants are being shipped back to their home countries or Guantanamo Bay.
And the NCAA announced recently that it would no longer allow biological men to compete against biological women following Trump’s executive order that banned transgender athletes from female competition.
The optimism felt during the Super Bowl is reflected in polls that have been exceptional for Trump, especially considering that most of the legacy media has continued its onslaught of unhinged negative coverage of him and his policies, which, after nearly 10 years since announcing his first presidential run, has become beyond tedious and predictable.
CBS News has Trump’s approval at 53%, easily his highest ever while occupying the Oval Office. But the crosstabs tell an even rosier story.
For example, when voters were asked if Trump was keeping his campaign promises, 70% said yes. What that tells us is that not only are Republicans happy with the president’s dizzying first three weeks of action, but independents and some Democrats are as well.
Other highlights:
Six-in-10 people support mass deportations for more than just criminals in the country illegally.
Nearly two-thirds, 64%, support sending U.S. troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.
And here are the four top words that voters would use to describe Trump most: 69% say tough, 63% say energetic — ya think? — 60% say focused, and 58% say effective. This is the Arctic polar opposite of the way former President Joe Biden was described. Voters thought he was old, outdated, elderly, aging, senile, demented, slow, confused, idiotic, ignorant, sleepy, gaffe-prone, and bumbling.
Trump’s approval among black and Latino voters also blows away anything we’ve seen from a Republican president in the modern era, with 33% of blacks and 49% of Latinos approving of his performance. If these levels are maintained or even increased, it’s hard to see how Democrats can win any presidential elections moving forward. This is especially true if MAGA-approved JD Vance is the nominee four years from now.
Young voters are also giving Trump a big thumbs up, with 55% under 30 approving. This voting bloc, like Latinos and blacks, is supposed to be owned by the Democratic Party. But in another poll from CBS News last month, a whopping 67% of adults aged 18-29 said they are optimistic about Trump’s second term, easily the highest of any age group.
And while the president is riding relatively high, Democrats are melting down before our eyes. The confirmation hearings for Trump’s Cabinet nominees were largely a display of cheesy performance art. Their behavior may have driven Republicans on the fence about confirming the more controversial candidates into Trump’s corner.
And then there were stunts such as the one led by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) at the Education Department, where the 86-year-old led other House Democratss to attempt to enter the building but were denied by an unarmed security guard with cameras rolling.
“What’s your name?” Waters demanded. “Tell us your name. Give me that ID again.”
“I’m not giving you the ID,” the guard replied without emotion. “I showed it to you.”
“Say what?” Waters asked incredulously.
“I showed you the ID,” he replied.
“Could you let me see the ID again?” she pressed.
“No,” he replied.
“Huh?” a flummoxed Waters responded.
“No,” he reiterated.
And that was it, basically.
“The Democrats have lost their minds, and they’ve lost their confidence,” Trump told Senate Republicans at Mar-a-Lago afterward. “They looked foolish today. They tried to break into the Department of Education just because we want to go in and check the books.”
As for other opportunities in his second term to play the patriotism card, check out this Triple Crown: The country will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026. The U.S. will also host the World Cup the same year. And in 2028, the Olympics return to Los Angeles. Much like attending the Super Bowl, Trump will be front and center for these events while the world looks on.
“I’m going to be here for the Olympics and the World Cup,” Trump mused earlier this month. “God works in mysterious ways.”
Fixing the economy after Bidenomics crippled it is a top priority, no question. As is fixing the border, improving our horrible test scores in education, drastically cutting government waste, and ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
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But winning the culture war is also important. It plays to voters’ emotions in a way policy cannot. Over the next four years, Trump has an opportunity to be seen as a beacon of optimism and an embracer of all things Americana.
All in contrast to his opponents, who haven’t offered an inspiring vision for America in a long, long time.