Victor Davis Hanson
American Greatness
As Trump continues to show leads in critical swing states, as various lawfare-inspired cases against him seem to the public to be more persecutions than prosecutions, and as Joe Biden appears daily more incoherent and lost, the left on spec has resorted to warning the nation about all the supposedly catastrophic consequences of a future Trump presidency.
Ironically, the left seems oblivious to the reality that one reason Trump leads Biden in the polls is precisely because voters can compare the four-year record of the prior Trump presidency to Biden’s last 40 months.
Recently, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned that Trump will conspire with oil executives to spike gasoline prices. But even after Biden drained the strategic petroleum reserve before the 2022 midterms and is now again doing the same as the 2024 election approaches, gas prices have averaged only one-third cheaper than under Trump.
Trump tried to top off the reserve but was blocked by Democrats in Congress. Nevertheless, he left Biden a nearly full reservoir of 638 million barrels (about 90 percent full), which Biden has now drained by some 270 million barrels to the present 51 percent full—and the levels are falling further as voting nears.
We are warned that 77-year-old Trump looks haggard after his long hours in court. He seems sleepy, we are told. He has aged terribly, the media tell us. But polls show that concern over Biden’s dementia greatly outweighs normal worry over septuagenarian candidate Trump.
Why would any sane pro-Biden handler bring up Trump’s supposed gait or occasional forgotten word when that only reminds the public of the contrast with Biden, whose speeches seem delivered in something other than English and whose transcripts must be heavily edited to airbrush away his incoherence?
We are told that Trump will increase racial tensions. Almost daily, blacks and Hispanics are warned that Trump is a racist—even as polls show that he may well receive the highest percentage of minority votes by any Republican in modern history and has some chance of winning outright the Hispanic vote. Oddly, the media is now attacking minorities on the Marxist principle of false consciousness, as if they are deluded into voting against themselves rather than being perceptive critics of the Biden disaster of high inflation, green mania, a deluge of illegal aliens, and loss of deterrence abroad.
It was not Trump, but Biden, who, during the last election cycles, called one African-American journalist a “junkie” and warned another podcaster, “You ain’t black,” if he voted for Trump. And during his presidency, on occasion, Biden has referred to black subordinates as “boy,” uses the ossified term “Negro,” and has a long history of racist drivel and smears, from “put y’all back in chains” to referencing Barack Obama as the first “clean” and “articulate” presidential candidate to proudly reminding us that his home state of Delaware was once a “slave state.”
As Trump’s polls climbed and the Fani Willis persecution was sidetracked by her own false testimonies, conflicts of interest, and the hiring of her unqualified clandestine paramour, hysterical cries mounted that a reelected Trump would use the powers of government to go after his enemies.
As Jack Smith’s federal indictment became calcified over issues of presidential immunity, his failed efforts to ram through the prosecution before the election, and his office lying over tampering with evidence seized at Mar-A-Lago, tired warnings of Trump’s weaponization to come of the bureaucracy mounted even more.
Now that the jury is out in the Alvin Bragg fiasco and his star witness, Michael Cohen, a convicted liar, has likely again perjured himself and admitted to stealing $60,000 from the Trump organization, Trumpophobia has further peaked.
In other words, the more evidence mounts that Trump’s enemies have manipulated the court system in the manner that they previously impeached him twice, tried him as a private citizen in the Senate, sought to remove him from state ballots, rounded up ex-intelligence officers to lie about the authentic Hunter Biden laptop on the eve of the 2020 presidential debate, and were exposed concocting the Russian collusion yarn by hiring a foreign national in the 2016 campaign, paradoxically, the more the left-wing media warns America that a President Trump would do exactly what they have been doing by emulating their weaponization of the courts, the bureaucracy, and the Congress.
It gets stranger still.
The left warns the country that Trump will deport some or many of the 10 million illegal aliens that Joe Biden and his impeached Homeland Security director Alejandro Mayorkas have deliberately welcomed in.
Consider the logic: the current president destroyed a once-secure border and, for political purposes, illegally rendered immigration law enforcement null and void. But we are still supposed to fear his successor, who would resecure the border, return millions of recently crossed illegal aliens to their countries of origin, and restore the sanctity of federal law. In Orwellian fashion, the Biden administration is now suing exasperated states that are doing their part to help enforce immigration laws that Biden has deliberately shredded.
The absurdity extends to foreign policy. Team Biden and the media are issuing warnings here and abroad that another Trump presidency would tear apart the global order.
Really? Vladimir Putin has invaded neighboring nations in three of the last four administrations, but did not only during the Trump 2017-2020 years. Why?
Before October 7, even Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan preened that his Middle East portfolio was “quieter than in two decades”—but only after Trump’s destroyed ISIS, took out the terrorist Iranian general Soleimani, ended the disastrous Iran deal, cut off aid to Hamas, designated the Houthi terrorists, crafted the Abraham Accords, pledged full support for Israel, our only democratic ally in the Middle East, and achieved U.S. oil independence.
In contrast, Putin invaded Ukraine and may well absorb much of its eastern half. The U.S. suffered its greatest military humiliation of the last half century in fleeing from Kabul and handing over billions of dollars in weapons to the terrorist Taliban, abandoning our NATO-allied forces, sympathetic Afghans, and American contractors.
Hamas killed more Jews in a single day than any since the Holocaust. A full-scale war rages in Gaza. Hezbollah has displaced thousands of Israelis with its daily attacks. And for the first time in history, Iran has attacked in force the Israeli homeland.
China, with impunity, sent a spy balloon across the continental US. Some 25,000 Chinese male illegal aliens mysteriously barged into the U.S. And China has helped kill 100,000 Americans a year through its fentanyl exports to the Mexican cartels.
Given all that, are we supposed to worry that “sharp as a knife” Biden’s disastrous foreign policy will be ruined by a return to the peaceful record of the earlier Trump presidency?
So, what is Trumpophobia? The syndrome displays a number of symptoms.
One, the left always projects its sins onto its opponents. It accuses Trump of doing precisely what it has done, as a way of avoiding blame for its self-inflicted disasters. And the left so vehemently projects because it knows what it would do if it were Trump and was treated as he has been by them.
Two, desperate Democrats are scrambling to find some bizarre way to depose both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, especially should Biden have a disastrous, historic preconvention June presidential debate. As a result, the 2024 campaign has never been about comparison of 2017-2020 to 2021-2024. But rather, it has already descended into the Democratic de facto smear that “Trump is even worse than Biden.” And that fixation instills fears of what Trump might do rather than what he actually has done.
Three, the left feels Biden may do more than just lose the Democrats the presidency, Senate, and its close margin in the House. His hyperinflation seriously damaged the middle class. He turns them off with his arrogance, screaming speeches, loud, obnoxious gibberish, compulsive lying, and generally impotent appearance.
His racial condescension and pandering fool no one. As a result, Biden may well redefine the two parties as race is replaced by shared class concerns. Wealthy blacks may vote for Biden because they are black and wealthy, but more and more middle-class blacks may vote for Trump because they feel his policies benefit the middle class like themselves.
The public increasingly agrees that the Democrat Party is the party of the very rich, the bicoastal privileged, and the subsidized poor, while the lower and middle classes feel far more confident and secure with Republicans.
Four, the left fears a more organized, savvier Trump second term might hit the ground running‚ and thus rapidly and professionally instill a conservative agenda to stop the current neo-socialist revolution.
Given all that, 2024 for the left is little more than “Fear Trump or Bust.”
So just who are the “racists “ in America today?
If you believe that blacks are too stupid to get a photo ID…..
If you believe that blacks are too lazy to go to the polls on a single voting day…..
If you believe that blacks don’t know how to file for a traceable absentee ballot…..
Then golly, doesn’t that make you a racist?
Professor Hanson, Whenever the 2016 Russian collusion hoax is mentioned my anger rises that Hilary Clinton paid no price for her crime. The small fine for election reporting does not count as it is a continuation of her misdeeds and corruption. I am appalled that her actions are merely a footnote to the affair. Why hasn’t she been subpoenaed by the House to publicly explain what she did, but more importantly, how she could sit silently knowing she had the answers when the whole country was embroiled in speculation and animosity? What isn’t she and the DNC publicly shamed and politically toxic for such egregious deceit on the American public? Why didn’t Mueller speak with her early on? Didn’t Steele and Perkins Coie tell the FBI the scheme and her involvement from their first interviews? When the media and Republicans allow the democrats to obfuscate over time and then “move on” (no one wants to re-litigate 2016 only 2024 matters), the democrat’s dirty tricks will continue. COVID and Fauci are another example of this failure. Documentaries and TV specials need to keep this in front of people. I can’t believe how many people I know still don’t grasp what transpired, and continue to think the Russia investigation was legitimate.
Or, we might say, “Hysterics for ABT.”
Average Gasoline Price: During Trump’s four-year term, the average gasoline price was $2.46 per gallon. Under Biden’s presidency, the average has been $3.54 per gallon, which is a 44% increase.
Should Donald Trump tap you for a position in his new administration, please consider it
There’s no doubt Trump will be a more savvy opponent this time round. Hindsight is a beautiful thing.
As you can see average per gallon gas prices were $2.46 under Trumps term and are $3.53 under Biden.
Compare gasoline price trends under Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s presidency
According to the data, gas prices have been higher under President Joe Biden than under President Donald Trump. Here are some key points to consider:
Trump’s Term (2017-2021)
Average gas price during Trump’s presidency: $2.46 per gallon (Source: Energy Information Administration)
Highest gas price during Trump’s presidency: $2.96 per gallon (Source: Energy Information Administration)
Lowest gas price during Trump’s presidency: $2.23 per gallon (Source: Energy Information Administration)
Biden’s Term (2021-present)
Average gas price during Biden’s presidency: $3.53 per gallon (Source: Energy Information Administration)
Highest gas price during Biden’s presidency: $5.01 per gallon (Source: Energy Information Administration)
Lowest gas price during Biden’s presidency: $2.75 per gallon (Source: Energy Information Administration)
I remember gas at $1.98 during Trump!
A fill-up under Trump was $45.
Now it is $85.
At one point it cost me $103.
I had to severely reduce my driving, to only the necessary.
On Jan. 21, 2025, Trump will instantly reduce the price of oil by saying…”DRILL BABY DRILL”!
Biden, the Obama’s, Susan Rice and the rest of the underground presidency have made their middle class support appear to be idiotic and that group can’t want more torture. The only way they pull off a win is in balloting manipulations, and it’s very likely.
Notwithstanding the irrefutable truths spoken here, there’s a reason they are called “yellow dog democrats”. It will be a dog fight to the end.
VDH, you are remarkable! There isn’t anyone else who can explain these times as convincingly and logically as you
Ole wise one – Professor Hanson,
While I am in agreement with what you have posted in your latest entry, it appears to basically be the general story being played on tape in a loop recently. I realize the election season is heating up, and assuredly your schedule has been pretty hectic since the new book has been getting great support, but I miss when you talk about the trials and tribulations running the family farm and details talking about your family and military history. I see many of the conservative news outlets falling into a repetitive loop as well getting fully behind the former President and agree in this sense that beating Biden and mainly the far left is paramount regardless of Trump’s real or perceived shortcomings as a man or leader. Not changing my morning plans and will continue to listen to the latest podcast on my hour drive into the office. It makes my day. God Bless to you, your family and our Nation.
DM
Directly over the bullseye, Professor Hanson.
“We are warned that 77-year-old Trump looks haggard after his long hours in court. He ‘seems’ sleepy, ‘WE ARE TOLD’. He has aged terribly, ‘THE MEDIA TOLD US.'”
This is not journalism. This is parroting biased propaganda.
It is out-right lying?
I’m not American but a simple Canadian stuck too in the same muck that’s got us all unable to free ourselves it seems. But like you, like many, I’m not among those whose imitation of the three blind, deaf, mute monkeys justifies their inaction. I know the same picture displays America and indeed the world.
How would Thomas Nast have cartooned this ? Perhaps ‘ the elephant in the room’ might be seen with a big syringe as its trunk, various well placed donkeys seen having dressed and getting into mouse costumes and the four walls of the room covered in wallpaper with images of the 3 monkeys while a door to each wall shows a growing swell of freed recusers desperately trying to bust into the room – only thing is, the doors open from the inside.
I always supported Trump but pray his warp speed trophy was made well before its presentation, like the song written for its lyrics to be sung (sprung) – by the gullible and proud traits that Trump displayed in his audition in the part of this evil plan, one to make him the scapegoat.
Nast, as you know, though THE quintessential of his day – got taken in a scheme in the end and paid dearly for it.
Caption of this imagined Nast picture
‘ America’s shot in the arm’.
Thanks Victor for your part in this fight but I feel you’re missing or have missed ‘ the point’ – the poison has been given, it’s the poison – follow the poison.
There’s a dam bursting case now about to explode in Ottawa detective Helen Grus
Trump was fooled and cheated by The Gnome, The Scarf Lady, Big Pharma, Big Med, and the rest of the cabal.
He signed the contract for a “safe and effective vaccine”. It was none of these!
BTW: The technology for the jab started in 1965! When all of the ferrets died in the clinical trials, they shelved it because it was so toxic. The ADZ was just as toxic but the same people still forced it upon the gays dying from AIDS. That whole thing was horrible!
Within every part of the current administration, watch the left’s current efforts to preclude and block any of Pres Trump’s future initiatives to course-correct the country.
Ps…..’ America’s Shot in the Arm ‘ thing is, I’m not an artist, can’t draw a thing – only conclusions.
Follow and support, listen to Helen Grus voice in the wilderness – pull the doors open, you prisoners inside- kick them open – you evil bastards, come out with your hands raised up.
Good summary of the situation. The not so obvious point is an enemy media.
Last one – promise.
It takes but one to open the door(s) to free the prisoners – Trump. If he’s elected and doesn’t then I’ll know his true colours. To do that before Nov would, I feel, be suicidal for him and the country.
I must be misreading this statement….
Recently, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned that Trump will conspire with oil executives to spike gasoline prices. ‘But even after Biden drained the strategic petroleum reserve before the 2022 midterms and is now again doing the same as the 2024 election approaches, gas prices have averaged only one-third cheaper than under Trump.’
Since when under Biden ……..” have gas prices averaged only one-third cheaper than under Trump.’ Please explain. Haven’t prices been more expensive
throughout Biden’s entire reign?
Thank you so much for this important essay! I’m hoping it will be widely read!
Nailed it.
Great love Trumpophobia, how long before Fox news start talking and explaining the symptoms.
VDH accurately portrays the groundless fear-mongering that the handlers of Biden indulge in. The real political contest, however, is between two different styles of governance. One style is governance by de facto permanent and unelected Oligarchy of Public/Private Partnerships, making use of the Permanent D.C. Establishment, which is an unconstitutional Fourth Branch of government, and rigged elections for their UniParty “Partners in Crime” (Kash Patel describes this Racket in his book, “Government Gangsters”). The other style of governance is the traditional, Constitutional style of Representation via government officials ELECTED by citizens and sent to D.C. to execute policies in the actual interests of our Nation and its CITIZENS. The contrast between the two methods is stark, when it comes to WAR. Citizens aren’t interested in fighting & dying in wars for the health of the investment portfolios of The Oligarchs in the Industrial/financial/military Complex, nor to overthrow regimes that this Oligarchy finds objectionable for some, obscure-to-the-citizens, reason. Citizens will fight to defend THEIR Nation and States and Cities and Towns, etc…when attacked, and The House votes for a Declaration of War. These are the two different styles of governance that stand before the citizens in the 2024 election. Choose one.
There’s a billboard in town that says “Tired of the chaos? Restore democracy. Vote Democrat.” Clueless.
Item four~ well put.
“ And China has helped kill 100,000 Americans a year through its fentanyl exports to the Mexican cartels.”
The USA is far better off without these weak minded, welfare roaches and criminals that had no idea that taking powerful drugs would result in addiction. This country is overdue for a serious high colonic of the leftist perverts, the insane and the bluehairs. Sometimes you just need to cut your loses.
“…gas prices have averaged only one-third cheaper than under Trump.”
Is this a typo?
Very strong by VDH again! I’m always amazed at how succinct you are in covering so much.
All of this movement towards Trump is in spite of years of the Mainstream news shaping the stories about Trump. Two points I would love to see hammered home is that democracy didn’t go away in the prior term as it won’t during next. That they mean Democrats everytime they say democracy.
It’s hard to remember how much it seemed that Democrats were ever just trying to be relevant again but it happened before and they are running scared fearing their irrelevance.
There’s a lot of meat & potatoes in this article. Thank you!
Here’s the problem. They cheated last time. They will do it again. The only articles that matter are those that focus on what’s happening to stop it.
Thank you Dr. Hanson. Your insight is a very big part of my education. Also, I cannot recommend any of your books highly enough. Thank you!
Strongly disagree with this statement:
“gas prices have averaged only one-third cheaper than under Trump.”
9 year chart on page
https://www.clevelandgasprices.com/Retail_Price_Chart.aspx
appears to show average under
Trump about $2.40
Biden about $3.40
Trump’s reelection will result in another “released” bio weapon. This one will probably kill a billion, just in hopes they can win one more election…
What’s the plan B after Trump loses in November
Shortly after the November election, the Democrats doing whatever it takes to get Biden over the Election finish line, will reveal an underlying condition of Lewy Body Dementia causing him to turn over the Presidency to Kamala Harris with Gavin Newsom as vice president until Kamala is impeached or steps down.
“But even after Biden drained the strategic petroleum reserve before the 2022 midterms and is now again doing the same as the 2024 election approaches, gas prices have averaged only one-third cheaper than under Trump”
When were they ever cheaper under Biden? For how long? by 1/3rd? I don’t think ur statement is accurate
As a member of the very elderly female generation, I’ve learned to ignore most polls and media ‘information. We’ve had bad politicians in the past but in my opinion, these are the most arrogant and blatant. Thank you for sharing your extensive education and memory. We must learn from history because people haven’t changed. It would be interesting to jump to the future and see how future generations rate ours.
Absolutely nailed it. And the American people see all this very clearly, while the elites (bicoastal Democrats) do not. Trump has positioned himself as a leader of the people, with the people’s best interests at heart, and THAT is what differentiates him and makes all the Biden rhetoric ring hollow. That’s why the “death of democracy” message isn’t working, nor “dictator” nor “bloodbath.” No one believes Trump will do anything else but restore America to what it was years ago, but without losing the elements of progress that people want.
None of what the USA is being politically subjected could have risen to any wild immigration to one of my age, 90. Had any of this surfaced in my young age anticipating military service in the Korean Conflict, I would never have served.
I cringe each time I hear Biden or someone else on the left side of right, speak about Trump, republicans, Christians, conservatives or values, morals and decency. The last three are especially ludicrous to be spoken of by any of them. They have no values, morals or even a tiny shred of decency. Their fear of Trump is palpable.
Thanks for pointing out where the middle class stands. A commenter earlier said that the wealthy AND “middle-class” were too used to having illegals serve them in various capacities — which made me wonder what kind of “middle-class” people he’s hanging out with — certainly, in this rural area of a MAGA state, we take care of ourselves and do without any expectation of (or any site of) illegals to TCB for us…
“But even after Biden drained the strategic petroleum reserve before the 2022 midterms and is now again doing the same as the 2024 election approaches, gas prices have averaged only one-third cheaper than under Trump.”
Professor, you must be focusing only on CA fuel prices, possibly limiting it to diesel. I travel around the country annually in my RV and each year the average price of gas under Biden has exceeded the price under Trump. My averages are listed
2019 11,767 miles avg $2.96/gal (trip WA-PA and back then around the US)
2020 2,203 miles avg $2.28/gal
2021 24,287 miles avg $3.12/gal (two trips around the USA)
2022 563 miles avg $4.85/gal (limited trip across WA due to gas price & election)
2023 15,504 miles avg $3.74/gal (two trips around the US)
2024 3,542 miles avg $3.59/gal (so far, WA-PA-AL)
This data is empirical in an RV getting 8-9 miles per gallon so I have visited many gas stations along the way and always bought 87 octane at the cheaper stations. One can guess who I will be voting for this November, same person I did in 2016 and 2020.