Let’s call it a Trump Triumph.
It’s hardly a revelation to recognize that Pennsylvania, my home state and the fifth-largest in the nation, will hold a pivotal role in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes carry substantial weight beyond being merely those of a swing state. The historical context underscores this significance, with these 19 votes representing only half of the state’s electoral power a century ago.
Why the decline? Much like other blue states, Pennsylvania succumbed to the pitfalls of tax-and-spend policies, leading to an exodus of its populace to states like Florida, along with their jobs.
Donald Trump (Credits: WITF)
The resonance of this reality was palpable as thousands of fervent Trump supporters converged at the Farm Show arena in downtown Harrisburg for a rally sponsored by the NRA.
The Washington Times captured the fervor of the crowd with its headline on the former president’s reception:
Among the multitude of sentiments expressed, the Times noted:
The challenges that plague President Biden nationally are equally formidable in Pennsylvania, where concerns over the 81-year-old president’s mental acuity were compounded by special counsel Robert Hur’s recent characterization of him as an “elderly man with a poor memory,” deemed unworthy of prosecution for mishandling government secrets.
Seizing on this narrative, Trump used the NRA event to dismantle Biden’s presidency, highlighting his purported cognitive decline.
“Joe Biden is the worst, most incompetent, and most corrupt president in our country’s history,” Trump declared. “If Crooked Joe secures four more years, his second term will make his first seem like paradise. We won’t have a country left. We won’t let it happen. We can’t afford to.”
The significance of Trump’s appearance in Harrisburg is unmistakable. As a resident of the area and a seasoned Pennsylvania political observer, I can attest to his considerable popularity in the state. Contrary to Biden, Trump’s mental acuity remains unimpeachable.
However, the battle for Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes in the 2024 election will undoubtedly be fierce.
It’s abundantly clear that Biden pales in comparison to the fervent support demonstrated for Trump at the Harrisburg rally.
This holds profound implications, extending beyond the state’s borders, as it underscores a glaring disconnect between the American elite, who dominate various sectors including media, politics, academia, and the broader populace.
The 2024 election is thus a contest for the very soul of our nation, a sentiment not lost on the Pennsylvanians who attended the Trump rally.
Undoubtedly, the future of the Second Amendment is at stake, as Trump emphasized at the NRA event. His discussion of the pervasive anti-gun sentiment within the Biden camp resonates deeply with Pennsylvania’s large population of gun owners and staunch Second Amendment advocates.
Outsiders may fail to grasp this reality, but Pennsylvania’s historical stance on gun rights has long been evident. This was underscored in the 1968 U.S. Senate race, where Republican Rep. Dick Schweiker’s opposition to gun control propelled him to victory over the incumbent Democrat, Joe Clark, in a state traditionally associated with liberal politics.
Trump’s rally with the NRA last week was a resounding success, reaffirming his strong grassroots support in Pennsylvania. However, complacency is not an option. Trump understands this, hence his relentless commitment to winning over Pennsylvania voters.
To borrow a phrase from Arnold Schwarzenegger: Trump will be back. And his presence in Harrisburg last Friday was unequivocally a Trump Triumph.
