When President-elect Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, his victory was marked by celebration but also immediate backlash, including widespread protests and the rise of the “resistance” movement. Trump’s job approval rating never exceeded 47%, making him the first president in history to never reach 50% approval in the Gallup poll during his term. Some Democrats argued that Trump’s failure to win the popular vote — losing by nearly 3 million votes — raised questions about the election’s legitimacy. Others attributed Hillary Clinton’s loss to Russian interference and social media misinformation.
As Trump prepares to begin his second term, polls show that most Americans expect him to perform well upon returning to the White House next month and approve of his management of the transition so far.
Watch the video above as Straight Arrow News contributor Michael Continetti compares Trump’s tumultuous first term to the lead-up to his second. He observes that, unlike his first term, Trump is currently enjoying a “honeymoon” phase as he prepares to return to the White House — but predicts it won’t last.
The following is an excerpt from the above video:
Trump also benefits because over the past year he became a figure of sympathy and even fun. His appearances outside his New York City trial for business fraud highlighted the disparity between the justice system’s treatment of Republicans and conservatives and its handling of President Biden and the Biden family. And when the assassin’s bullet grazed his ear in Butler, Pennsylvania, he responded vigorously and courageously.
Meanwhile, Trump displayed a lighter and more sympathetic side to his personality in his appearances at a police officer’s funeral, at a Harlem bodega, at a rally in the Bronx, and in countless long and frank interviews on popular podcasts such as Joe Rogan’s. His silly YMCA dance became a cultural trope.
By the end of the campaign, when Trump worked the drive-through line at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania and donned a safety vest and rode a garbage truck in Wisconsin, he was not only having more fun than his opponent, he was taking on symbolic meaning as the irreverent, fearless, and shameless champion of working class, traditional America.
The Democrats, for their part, have faded into the background. The party has no leaders. Biden and Harris are barely visible. The Democrats in Congress are consumed with internal battles, and with determining the direction of their party. Other Trump antagonists, such as the hosts of “Morning Joe” and the prime minister of Canada, have made the trek to Mar-a-Lago, seeking a rapprochement with the once and future president.