The Patriot Post® · The Trump Effect
Guest post exclusive to The Patriot Post.
By Charlie Kirk
Let’s be honest, the past few weeks have not been kind to the Democrat Party.
The Democrats were desperate to bounce back after their first round of presidential debates devolved into a circus of extremist rhetoric — but they just can’t seem to catch a break. President Trump, meanwhile, has been coasting on a wave of prosperity and patriotism.
According to the latest ABC News/Washington Post survey, which was conducted in the days immediately following the Democrats’ disastrous debate performances, the President’s job approval has just reached a new high. At 47 percent, the President’s approval rating among registered voters is now one point higher than Barack Obama’s was at the same point in his presidency.
Of course, it’s important to remember that the polling industry has historically underestimated Donald Trump’s support — most infamously in 2016, when almost every reputable pollster predicted that Hillary Clinton would win the presidential election. For that reason alone, President Trump’s recent surge in the polls should terrify the Democrats ahead of the 2020 election.
But the poll numbers released on Sunday merely capped off an already disastrous week for the Democrats, who were hoping for a lifeline or two over the long holiday weekend.
First came President Trump’s Independence Day address in Washington D.C., which many Democrats predicted would be nothing more than a partisan publicity stunt.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, for instance, said the President’s “Salute to America” was “designed more to stroke his ego than celebrate American ideals,” while House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer accused Trump of “forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for what amounts to a political rally.”
Contrary to the predictions of his political opponents, Donald Trump did not hijack the event to promote his own presidency. Instead, he delivered an eloquent speech that honored the true champions of American liberty.
“Today, we come together as one nation with this very special Salute to America,” President Trump said during the address. “We celebrate our history, our people, and the heroes who proudly defend our flag — the brave men and women of the United States Military.”
Despite intermittent thunderstorms, an enormous crowd blanketed the National Mall to hear the President’s patriotic speech, further compounding the frustration of Democrats who had hoped that the rain would depress attendance.
The Democrats were also eagerly anticipating the release of the June jobs report on Friday, encouraged by early forecasts of mediocre job creation. In fact, payroll processor ADP predicted that the economy would only add 102,000 jobs last month — a result that would have given President Trump’s critics a brief opportunity to question the effectiveness of his economic policies, if the projection had turned out to be accurate.
Instead, the Democrats were dealt their second major blow in as many days, as the report revealed that the U.S. economy created 224,000 new jobs in June, more than twice as many as ADP had forecast. The report also showed that wages increased by an impressive 3.1 percent in June, marking the 11th straight month that wage growth has been at or above 3 percent for hard working low- and middle-income Americans.
The results sharply contradicted the doom-and-gloom picture of the economy that the Democrat candidates painted during their debates, offering a timely reminder that the U.S. economy continues to enjoy historic prosperity under President Trump’s leadership.
The Democrats desperately needed to score some quick political points last week in order to recover from their horrendous display on the debate stage, but strong economic data and a masterful Independence Day address by the President dashed whatever hopes they might have had for a political windfall.
It’s truly a disastrous time for the Democrat Party.