President Trump won big here in Florida in 2016. He’s very likely to do so again, and, in his rally speeches, he’s shown a striking degree of self-awareness as to why.
“Whether you love me or hate me, you’ve got to vote for me,” the president told a packed stadium at a recent campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The same people who are rooting for a recession so they can have an easier time living out their #Resistance fantasy of ousting President Trump interpreted that remark as a gaffe. It wasn’t.
Liberals have never understood Donald Trump or the movement he leads. In their confusion, they’ve conjured up a non-existent, mindless cult of personality in their imaginations. Rather than accept the fact that the American people rejected the liberal vision for America, they’d rather retreat into the comfortable fantasy that millions of voters were hypnotized by Donald Trump’s lovable personality.
Undoubtedly, Donald Trump’s fearless, “nothing-is-sacred” persona was a refreshing blast for the American electorate. People here in Florida and around the country flocked to the MAGA banner based on Donald Trump’s feisty debate performances and raucous rally speeches.
But it wasn’t because Donald Trump was “likable” in the traditional politician sense. It was because he was willing to say what millions of Americans knew in their hearts to be true, but wouldn’t dare say in public because they weren’t untouchable celebrity billionaires. His very presence exposed the previously unchallenged lies that underpinned the establishments of both major parties.
This was certainly true in the 2016 general election. Hillary Clinton was hardly “likable,” but that’s not why Floridians picked Donald Trump over her. It was because they knew they couldn’t trust Hillary to deliver the results that Donald Trump promised.
As we get into the 2020 campaign, those same voters are going to examine the record, see for themselves that the president has kept his promises, and realize that there’s too much at stake to support anyone else — no matter what they feel about how much they “like” Donald Trump.
As President Trump himself told his supporters — displaying that same iconoclastic edge that won them over in the first place — you can love him or hate him, it doesn’t matter. You still have to vote for him.
Disliking President Trump isn’t going to make the humanitarian and national security crisis on the southern border go away, and he’s the only person in Washington willing to take the necessary steps to end it. Millions of would-be illegal immigrants are awaiting the unanimous Democratic promise of free, American taxpayer-funded healthcare the moment they violate our border. Most of the Democrats competing to run against Donald Trump would even “decriminalize” illegal immigration if they get the chance.
Liking President Trump doesn’t help your family’s bottom line, but voting to reelect the president who has delivered the most robust American economy since the dot-com boom does. Opinions about the president’s Twitter account don’t mean much next to strong GDP growth and a full-employment economy where workers have more power and better wage prospects than they have at any point in a generation.
With 20 or more radical Democrats still running, Florida voters have plenty of choices in the 2020 presidential race, but only one real option. Ultimately, we’re going to come to the same conclusion we did in 2016, because like the rest of America, Florida is ready to support a winner again.
Dr. Gina Loudon, Ph.D. (@RealDrGina) is a bestselling author, columnist, and frequent news commentator. She was a Trump delegate to the Republican National Convention and currently serves on the Donald J. Trump for President Media Advisory Board. She also serves as the National Co-Chairwoman for Women for Trump.
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