Donald Trump is pursuing a large-scale agenda for the United States. Dubbed the “America First” policy, it draws positive parallels to the “Deal with America” of 1994, which was a big reason for one of the most successful congressional elections in recent history by the Republican Party.
The former president has been busy with his political ambitions and recently met with some Republican Party officials who came to Mar-a-Lago to “kiss the ring.”
“The party chairwoman, the top two Republicans of the House, the senior South Carolina senator and a coterie of other former aides and advisors have all appeared in Mar-a-Lago, offering their advice and seeking the favor of a former president who many believe controls GOP candidates’ short-term fortunes up and down the ballot, and has made it clear that he wants to use that influence,”
Donald Trump has been planning to go to “war” with the Republican Party, as we previously reported.
Trump will soon begin screening candidates in Mar-a-Lago who are willing to fulfill his pledge to inflict vengeance on incumbent Republicans who have scorned him, according to three people familiar with the planning, and to ensure that every open GOP seat in the 2022 midterms has a MAGA-approved contention.
The aim of this “battle,” on the other hand, is to remove weak Republicans and give victories to reform-minded candidates.
In an interview with Sky News in Australia, Senior Trump advisor Jason Miller said, “President Trump was committed to the Republican Party, not just that, he wants to make sure the Republican Party takes back the House of Representatives and the US Senate in 2022.”
Now there are specifics of what this process involves: A Trump-backed initiative that has been compared to Newt Gingrich’s 1994 “Deal with America,” which helped the Republicans win a “red wave” election.
“To steer the party’s course, Trump proposed drafting a new ‘America First’ platform — similar to the 1994 ‘Contract with America,’ but focused on topics like border protection and trade,” according to the article.
“He’s going to be really interested,” said Graham.
The emphasis on border protection and trade on the ‘America First’ platform will prove identical to the populist agenda that Donald Trump rode to victory in 2016.
Though Biden eked out a victory with unlikely wins in crucial swing states, the Republicans swept the House of Representatives, threatened to take the lower chamber, and possibly should have held the Senate. Up to now, the GOP has taken all 27 “toss up” districts, in addition to seven “likely Democrat” ones. The Republicans won 12 seats thus flipping 15 seats.
This “red surge” came in the midst of confirmation that for political candidates Donald Trump was not a “anchor” but a bouy. Moreover, several important state legislatures were kept under pressure by the Republicans.
You’re not alone if you are puzzled by the widespread power of the Republicans and the strong success of Trump in red states, in addition to Florida and Ohio, but the rabid, astronomical turnout in only a few major Democratic-controlled metropolitan areas. But the formidable showing in the 2020 House elections suggests that there could be a flip in Legislative strength.
The ‘America First’ populist agenda being drafted comes at a moment when the nation is more at risk than under Bill Clinton, the political opportunist. Regardless of who is in charge, the Biden administration has been releasing extreme, job-killing executive orders at a breakneck pace.
After just one month of the “America Last” agenda of the Biden presidency, voters are longing for a strong sense of a new course. The “direction of the country” polling now shows that Biden’s honeymoon is over.
As a result, the public should be primed to support a pro-America agenda. The comparable 1994 ‘Contract with America’ played a crucial role in the Republican Party’s historic victory:
A Balanced Adjustment to the Budget. Tax reductions. Reforming the healthcare system. Just three of the ten points of Newt Gingrich’s conservative proposal, the Contract with America, were signed by more than 300 Republican candidates and unveiled at a press conference just six weeks before the 1994 midterm elections.
The initiative by Gingrich, then Speaker of the House, was credited with the “Republican Revolution” that ensued in the elections, with the GOP comfortably taking control of the U.S. House and Senate, winning 12 governorships and regaining control of 20 state legislatures.
Roll Call recently acknowledged the importance and messaging of the ‘Deal with America’ after its 25-year anniversary in 2019.
David Winston writes that Newt Gingrich “embraced the notion that voters want something to vote for, not just a reason to vote against the other candidate or faction.” The contract was more of a philosophy than a message for contact. It gave people a chance to vote for change that will actually happen and work. It was a practical, viable policy paper that acted as an organizing principle for a radical change.
“Winston states that “1994 was all about the substance of the problem and the political background for candidates and voters,” and that “it gave candidates the opportunity to speak about bigger image problems in national terms and gave consistency across districts to the party.
He concludes, “It also supported the party in creating the financial capital needed to achieve the kind of historic victory Republicans will need to gain control of the House.”
The establishment Republicans, whom Trump has threatened to primary, seem to have gotten the message that Trump is crucial to their election campaign. Even after the concerted attempt by the likes of Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, and other Never-Trump Republicans to kill him with the Senate impeachment trial, recent public opinion polling on Donald Trump has shown that it has only gotten worse.
“Fifty-four percent said they would vote to run again in 2024 for the former president, should he choose a second term in the White House,” Newsweek noted.
The link between Donald Trump and millions of members of the Republican Party is not even simply dependent on him being the candidate of the party. If Trump wanted to run as an independent or even for president, he could potentially break the Republican Party in half.