I have never been more wrong about anything in my life than I’ve been in my assessment of Donald Trump’s political prospects. I discounted him in the primary, and I was discounting him in the general election all the way until about 9:30 p.m. on election night. He is now my president-elect and the future commander-in-chief of the most powerful military the world has ever seen. I pray earnestly and unambiguously that God may bless him, grant him wisdom, and open his ears to wise counsel. I pray earnestly and unambiguously that I end up being just as wrong about his character and capabilities as I was about his political prospects. I want him to be good, to be wise, and to be worthy of the Oval Office.
At the same time that I’ve been Never Trump, I have also been Never Hillary. There is a measure of real justice in the America’s rejection of Hillary Clinton. The electorate has directly and intentionally rebuked her corruption, her double standards, and her arrogance. This election was less about the love of Trump (though many millions do certainly love him) than it was about rejecting the colossal hubris of the progressive establishment. This is a good thing, a very good thing indeed.
Moreover, with the GOP retaining the House and Senate, there are many, many good and principled conservatives returning to Washington. They have the opportunity to right an enormous number of statutory and regulatory wrongs. This victory was not just about Trump. From top to bottom, the GOP had a far, far better night than it did in its presidential landslides of 1972, 1980, or 1984. The Republican party now runs the United States of America.
Finally, the role of conservatives — whether they were Never Trump or supporting Trump out of a belief that he represented the “lesser of two evils” — is clear. Trump is not naturally or intellectually conservative. He is self-interested. It is vital that we unite to strongly and clearly declare that life, liberty, and constitutional governance must prevail. I’m under no illusion that conservatism won the White House tonight, but conservatism has a voice. We must use it without fear.