The election is finally over, marking a stunning victory for former President Trump, who not only won all swing states but also, for the first time in 20 years, secured the popular vote. This required changing the opinions of 7 percent of all voters—a whopping 10 million people! With the Senate and, most likely, the House on his side, Trump now has a free hand to implement his policies.
However, the nation remains deeply divided, with no signs of healing. Media platforms like YouTube, cable TV, and TikTok are filled with attacks and counter-attacks. While Republicans have indeed won the majority, they are unable to reach out to the other 48 percent of voters who chose differently. The election still feels like an “I can overpower you” contest.
Does it have to be this way? Is there anything that can pull our nation together after such a bitterly fought election?
I still remember the moment former President Trump announced his presidential campaign at Mar-a-Lago in November 2022, just one week after the midterm election. It was a subdued event, a low point for Trump and his supporters, as they had just lost most of their battles—except for victories by J.D. Vance and Ron DeSantis, the latter of whom soon became Trump’s next political headache.
When Gov. DeSantis announced his own campaign four months later, touting his impressive midterm election results, Trump’s path back to the White House grew even murkier.
From then on, however, a stunning sequence of events unfolded.
In March 2023, Trump was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for alleged hush money payments to an adult film star. Outraged, Trump’s supporters rallied, and his poll numbers surged by five percentage points.
Next came the classified documents indictment in June, followed by the Jan. 6 election interference indictment, the Georgia election interference case, the high-profile Mar-a-Lago raid in August, and the New York bank fraud case in October. Yet each of these misfortunes turned into blessings, raising Trump’s poll numbers by five percentage points each time. Soon, DeSantis found himself unable to keep up, trailing in Trump’s wake.
When Trump lost his bank fraud case and was hit with a nearly $500 million penalty, many thought it would bankrupt him. However, his Digital World Acquisition Corp. shareholders voted to acquire his Truth Social company and take it public, giving Trump a financial lifeline with nearly $2 billion in new wealth. Trump avoided a fall into the abyss and instead reached new heights.
The miracle continued. When he was shot at a rally in Butler in July 2024 but survived miraculously, rising to shout “Fight!” more than half the nation was awed by him, including former critics and foes like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. It was another instance of misfortune transforming into fortune.
Over the past two years, Donald Trump has repeatedly risen from the ashes, culminating in his landslide victory in November.
What does this unbelievable sequence of events tell us?
Now that the election is over, should it be reduced to the winning side laughing at the losing side and enjoying a four-year victory? What message might these sequence of events be trying to convey?
I believe that, at this moment, conservatives should reach deeper into the issues that divide us and seek common ground that can unify the nation. That common ground lies in the values and principles of this country.
These values and principles are embodied in the Constitution and, more importantly, in the vision of the Founding Fathers who crafted it. Despite the divisions in our country, the Constitution still holds a place of reverence. Why don’t we engage in dialogue within the framework established by the Constitution to address our profound differences?
One major issue of debate is inflation and how we should run our economy. Trump advocates for reducing business taxes, while Harris wants to increase them. Harris also wants to use federal funds to subsidize small businesses and support first-time home buyers.
The Founding Fathers believed in leaving the economy alone. They argued that the government should not attempt to “improve” the economy except to maintain market order. The free market itself is the most powerful force, knowing how to reward successful businesses and eliminate inefficient ones to achieve optimal outcomes. The Founding Fathers also warned against the federal government taking from the rich to give to the poor, as this would demotivate people from creating wealth and jobs, ultimately leading to widespread poverty. They even opposed a tiered tax system, as they saw it as the government taking on the role of a robber.
Another major issue concerns the border. Allowing an influx of illegal immigrants essentially changes our immigration policy—a mandate that belongs to Congress alone. The executive branch should faithfully enforce laws set by Congress and should never overstep its authority by using executive orders to rewrite laws.
Regarding the debate on abortion rights, the Founding Fathers clarified that the federal government was only granted 20 powers by the Constitution, which include maintaining national security, regulating international and interstate trade, overseeing immigration and naturalization, coining money, protecting patents, providing bankruptcy provisions, and running postal services, among others. These powers do not include dictating people’s personal choices, such as whether to practice abortion. When the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade two years ago, it wasn’t ruling against abortion per se. The high court was upholding the Constitution by relinquishing its power to make rulings on people’s personal lives and returning that authority to states and local governments. This principle is clear and should not even be a point of debate in a presidential election. If we examine our founding history, we’ll see this truth.
The Constitution also tells us that all of these principles are rooted in morality, faith, and natural law—the same foundations that have guided America through nearly 250 years to become the most successful and prosperous nation on Earth.
If we recognize that the Constitution remains the supreme law of this land, then we should explore it deeply enough to find the common ground established by the Founding Fathers for all of us today.
Conservatives, at this particular moment, are in a unique position to reconnect with our country’s roots—the founding principles—relearn them, and communicate them to the other side. In doing so, they could initiate a new way of thinking and begin healing our nation. I truly believe this is what God wants us to do, as demonstrated by the miracles seen in this election process.
