Democrats and their friends in corporate media have no idea how to handle Trump 2.0. The president’s first term saw a handful of major accomplishments, namely tax cuts and the Abraham Accords, but, by and large, Democrats and journalists were able to thwart large swaths of President Donald Trump’s agenda using an extremely effective combination of censorship and propaganda.
Perhaps Trump simply learned how to combat the Left’s tricks, or he is surrounded by far more competent advisers this time around. Maybe the bullet that nearly killed him in Butler, Pennsylvania, focused the president in ways not seen in his several decades in the public eye. Whatever the case may be, this version of Trump is a far more effective weapon against the Left than many, myself included, thought possible.
The Left and the press used the issue of illegal immigration to their favor during the 2018 midterm elections and the 2020 presidential election. Voters were inundated with videos of crying children and fake stories of abuse by Border Patrol agents until the Left was able to weaponize the nation’s empathy against the commonsense border control efforts of Republicans.
Something changed, and it came straight from the top. When Margaret Brennan of CBS News attempted to corner Vice President JD Vance on the topic of illegal immigration, Vance didn’t flinch, and “I really don’t care, Margaret” made its way into memes and onto T-shirts in record time. People understand that the crisis on the southern border is a serious matter, and the Trump administration, led by the extremely hawkish “border czar” Tom Homan, is treating it as such.
There are several Cabinet nominees whom Democrats despise but none more than Secretary of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. His plan to rid the U.S. military of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs goes against the basic pillars of modern leftism, and the Left pulled out all the usual tricks in an attempt to stop his confirmation. Democrats concocted uncorroborated stories of alcohol abuse and even pulled the “brother’s ex-wife” card, to no avail. Hegseth and the administration held fast, and the military’s focus will now be on efficacy and lethality. What a novel idea.
One unconstitutional Democratic executive action after another has fallen over the last week and a half. In his first action after being confirmed as secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy axed former President Joe Biden’s CAFE fuel economy regulations, which amounted to a de facto electric vehicle mandate, and the Trump Defense Department is rehiring the 8,000 military personnel who were dismissed due to the Biden regime’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
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On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order “protecting children from chemical and surgical mutilation.” The order seeks to end, or at least reduce, transgender surgeries on children by defunding organizations that perform the horrific acts. Trump exited the Paris climate accords (again), paused most foreign aid, and removed Biden-era regulations that hampered domestic energy production as Democrats and journalists wailed powerlessly.
These actions are not only moral and necessary, but they are also popular. Democrats outkicked their coverage on a lot of issues, most obviously with their enthusiasm toward open borders and the targeting of children with perverse gender ideology. The president received his mandate in November and is more focused on fulfilling campaign promises than any Republican in modern history. After former President Barack Obama’s victories, and the fact that Democrats were able to lie and censor their way into a Biden presidency, the Left thought it was destined for power in perpetuity, but its luck finally ran out. When it did, Trump and his team were ready to hit the ground running.
Brady Leonard (@bradyleonard) is a musician, political strategist, and host of The No Gimmicks Podcast.