Trump is the 20/20 vision for 2020

It doesn’t actually take 20/20 vision to see what 2020 will be like. To quote a well-known personality, it will be “perfect,” it will be “beautiful,” it will be “huge.” It will be all about Donald Trump.

For 2020, the economy likely will continue to grow, our security will remain strong, and there will be fierce domestic political stress.

Clearly, a large part of America is disturbed by President Trump’s behavior, but, to use a standard Washington pivot or conflation, who would be better? Who could be bigger? The short answer is no one.

A really old socialist? A liberal woman who offers up costly plans that never would become law and changes them so fast it causes political whiplash? A young, inexperienced small-town mayor (the largest number of votes he has ever received is 11,000) who couldn’t even get elected Indiana State Treasurer, an election virtually impossible to lose? A seemingly confused old man who may have used his political position to get Ukraine to pay the son for doing virtually nothing and to get China to invest in a “fund” that the son managed? Or, an old billionaire who spends tens of millions of dollars running weak TV ads trying to convince voters in a small number of large states that he is more than the autocrat who could be said to have bought the mayorship of New York City? Trump will have a field day with this field.

American voters are not total fools and Trump has delivered a vastly better record to run the country than any of his rivals.

As of 2020, none of the Democratic presidential candidates except former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has shown any skill at running large, complex organizations. None gives Americans comfort that he or she could do better than, or even come close to, Trump’s record economic results. None gives Americans hope that he or she could keep domestic unrest under control, as Trump has and his immediate predecessor did not. None gives Americans confidence that the country will have the free and open debate that Trump has engendered, as opposed to, again, his immediate predecessor who seems to have used the IRS and law enforcement agencies to suppress opposition. It is hard not to think that the unattractive message of today’s left is “Shut up, stop talking!”

The Democratic Congress gave Trump a beautiful Christmas gift with the maybe-maybe-not, not-sure-what’s-next, obviously-unfair “impeachment.” As with the tirades by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), the Democrats’ script may as well have been written by Trump himself.

The central problem for progressives and Democrats in 2020 is that the wildly successful end-of-the-year market propels the argument that Trump has governed as an effective moderate and has held our foreign adversaries, as well as often cynical allies, off-balance and at bay. The market is not just an economic “indicator.” It is real money in pension reserves for union members and middle-class families across the country. It is real wage increases. It is record low unemployment. It is confidence in international stability. It is voters who are better off in 2020 than in 2016. It is way beyond the hot air that other politicians have to offer. In 2020 it will continue to create real, concrete hope and change — and that is hard to beat. 

The Democrats, driven to extreme “progressive” positions, continue to cast themselves as so dangerous or naive that they would tear all that apart.

And that is why, despite Trump’s many faults, he will control the 2020 field. It is why relentless attacks and jokes about him will fail. It is why the impeachment charade will fail. Trump has been “real” and produced real achievements. His opponents have appeared as extreme, blustering phonies, with no good ideas or achievements. 

And so, as we progress into this New Year, it will be very frustrating to many. The style of government will be disappointing and often sad to those who want dignified political discourse. But it also will strengthen America’s economy and defense. It will provide more opportunity than Americans have seen for decades. 

The one thing 2020 will not do is “tear the country apart,” nor will it “endanger the republic.” Quite the opposite, actually. Americans may argue viciously with each other over Trump’s style, but the strong economy, providing real progress among the urban poor and immigrants, and a real economic platform for the middle class will bring more voters to the center and unite more underlying support for the president’s policies. While often-cringeworthy, Trump’s unique style of international diplomacy is improving America’s economic and trade agreements and providing a real sense of the president’s determination to strongly defend the country without engaging in useless foreign wars.

In spite of shrill dinner party arguments and extreme media commentary, Trump is becoming the subliminal choice of more Americans and 2020 is setting up to be his year.

Grady Means is a writer (GradyMeans.com) and former corporate strategy consultant. He served in the White House as a policy assistant to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller. Follow him on Twitter @GradyMeans.