OAN Commentary by: Theodore R. Malloch
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Ronald Reagan, our esteemed 40th President, was among the greatest of all our national leaders. In his eight-year span in office from 1981-1989, Reagan, much loved and adored, became the icon of conservatism. He was of course sui generis, in a class all his own.
Surely, there won’t be another Reagan but our 45th and hopefully, 47th President, Donald J. Trump, is perched to make a similar contribution to American culture and world affairs. He will achieve that greatness only to the degree he takes a page from the Reagan playbook and becomes a communicator in chief for all the American people. Here is how he can do so in the last months of his campaign for the White House this time around.
REAGANOMICS:
Reagan’s presidential “trickle-down economics” capitalist system is credited with revolutionizing the nation’s economic outlook. Trump must crystalize his definitive pro-growth and prosperity plan to bring America back from the brink we find ourselves in as a result of the Biden-Harris economy and inflation. He needs to boldly contrast what he has and will do with the disaster created by Harris-Biden. This is her economy, and she is responsible for every iota of it. Her sketchy socialist plans for the future on taxes and redistribution need to be castigated.
CONQUERING THE COLD WAR:
Reagan faced down international threats of communism with a fortitude that many say ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. His defense initiatives revolutionized the idea of national defense with a program that united military tactics and technology to counteract nuclear threats of war. Trump must say how he will return defense spending to what it needs to be, fund the Space Force he started, build out our Navy, and state that we will not countenance threats from—anywhere—China, Russia, or Iran. Period. He will secure our border unlike his opponent who is responsible as Border Czar for allowing 20 million illegals entry into our country in what can only be termed an “invasion.”
STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE:
President Reagan revolutionized the idea of national defense with a program that used modern technology to counteract nuclear war. In a New Vision of the GOP: Reagan, known as the Great Communicator, used his charismatic appeal to put a bold new face on American Strength. Trump must reread his speech on national sovereignty at the UN and stand by it, initiating a grand Trump strategy of Peace and Prosperity. Ending foreign wars in Europe and the Middle East should win him the Nobel Prize he much deserves.
A NEW VISION OF THE GOP:
Reagan used his charming appeal to put a new face to the Republican Party, one that united all segments of the party. Trump must go big tent and include all the segments of MAGA with the other faces in the widening Republican Party that now includes, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, gays, independents, libertarians, and former Democrats. By reaching out Trump can build a larger winning coalition, not only to get out the vote and take back both houses of Congress, but to rule the day and the next decade.
AMERICAN VALUES:
As President, Reagan championed the ideals ingrained in the founding of America, such as patriotism and family values, igniting unprecedented pride in the country. By forging a New Optimism, Reagan took the helm of the country after years of American strife, including high-profile assassinations, hostage taking, civil-rights protests and malaise. Likewise, Trump can unite and heal America by being positively upbeat and pointing to a better future. His opponent makes claims to moving “forward” but in truth it is to an unamerican place called socialism. This is the point he needs to make over and over again.
A NEW OPTIMISM:
Reagan took the helm of the country after years of strife, including assassinations, riots, civil rights struggles and Watergate. His successful leadership re-established faith in the office of the presidency and in the country’s bright future, what he called “Morning in America”. Trump must be equally optimistic, not dark, or negative, and point to the daybreak in our better future. People want a vision they can believe in and work toward. It is necessary to spell out how bad things have gone under Harris-Biden, but the nation wants to hear how good they will get under Trump-Vance.
TAX REFORM:
President Reagan’s tax policies incentivized Americans to work hard and invest in their future, improving quality of life for countless Americans. Trump is right on taxes and regulation. He needs to spell out his policies in detail and what they mean for working Americans, families, communities, and corporations—large and small. The facts are his best case, and they contrast sharply from his socialist opposition. Tell us how much Kamalaism will cost.
INFLATION:
Reagan’s economic policies were responsible for a drastic decrease in the inflation rate, from over 4% to 2.5%. Trump keep inflation low all through his first term. He needs to remind everyone of those facts and lay out his plan to fix the Harris-Biden mess by reigning in government spending and drilling for oil and gas to make America not only independent but dominant in energy. Talk the numbers. Go to the supermarket, gas station, and to new houses, and show it visually. By getting real he will win the day.
JOB GROWTH:
Throughout Reagan’s eight years in office, the nation saw more than 16-million new jobs created. Trump should outline and offer a plan for a robust economy with a believable forecast about how it will be created. It must be booming and growth-oriented and all will benefit with full employment and rising wages. He did it once and will do it again. It all comes down to a simple Reaganesque question: Are you better off now or four years ago?
JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS:
Reagan appointed numerous federal judges to the bench who went on to issue landmark decisions regarding constitutional law, including late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, regarded as a champion of conservative ideals. Trump has mastered this in his first term using the Federalist Society to vet appointments, including three to the Supreme Court. He should stay the course and double down. Remind the electorate of what you did and promise to do in the next term.
President Donald Trump and his team have just over two months to win in order to govern again. It is a closer situation with Kamala Harris embedded as the far leftist liberal’s untested choice and with the ringing endorsement of the entire corporate media. Trump must counter this in rallies, interviews, social media, debates and use massive television advertising in the crucial states to get his message out.
Trump needs a clear, defined, and laser-focused strategy focused on the key battleground states to secure this victory. He cannot fight the last war or relitigate past battles. He must stick to the economy, immigration, crime, and defense. He should both attack the outright communism of the opposing party and candidate and hold high his own unique national vision, like Reagan’s, of a renewed and greater America.
Theodore Roosevelt Malloch was a young soldier in the Reagan State Department and is the acclaimed author of three books on Trump. Hired: An Insider’s Look at the Trump Victory, with an afterword by Nigel Farage; The Plot to Destroy Trump, with a foreword by Roger Stone; and Trump’s World: Geo Dues, with a foreword by Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of Interior, Matteo Salvini.