of putting “America first” and ensuring “peace through strength,” led to both unparalleled peace deals and historic blows to Amer- ica’s adversaries, from China to Russia to Iran. Along with promising a return to his successful first-term policies, Trump’s 2024 campaign has introduced a wide slate of innova- tive policy proposals that have differentiated him from the rest of the GOP primary field. On education, Trump has advocated for the direct election of school principals by parents, as well as a parental bill of rights. On immigration, he has called for the deployment of military assets to target drug traffickers and cartel leadership. On trade, he has called for economic independence from China and an aggressive use of tariffs to protect American workers from foreign trading abuses. And on dismantling the Deep State, Trump has issued a policy plan to remove rogue government bureaucrats from their positions. Though the former president has predictably faced some head- winds since his campaign launch last November from the corpo- rate media, establishment Republicans, and the left-wing activist class, he has consistently expanded his polling lead lapping his nearest opponents like Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley by nearly 60 points in some cases. A series of politically motivated indictments against Trump have seemingly failed to dent his popularity among conservatives, and may even have served to remind many voters why they like him. Trump has also consistently polled well against Joe Biden, beating him in many hypothetical general election matchups, by as much as 10 points in some polls. As the first vote of the primary season approaches, the former president will almost certainly continue to face opposition from his critics. But even as he does, a trend that began in 2016 remains true today: attacks on Donald Trump only succeed in making him stronger. Did you know? Trump pledged to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. See our comparison chart on page 42 for more! Next: Governor Ron DeSantis on page 30
F rom his iconic trip down the golden escalator in Trump Tower in 2015 to his overwhelming lead in the 2024 Republi- can primary polls, there is no doubt that, for the last decade, former president Donald Trump has been the single most influ- ential and talked-about figure in American politics. Following his historic victory over establishment favorite Hillary Clinton in 2016, Trump led the Republican Party in a conserva- tive-populist direction that champions fair trade and secure borders, restores law and order, and stands up to the far left’s war on American culture. As the 45 th president, Trump remade the federal judiciary with hundreds of conservative appointments including the three Supreme Court justices who helped deliver the landmark Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. His low-tax, low-regulation, fair-trade economic agenda propelled the US economy to unprecedented heights. His border secu- rity measures effectuated the most secure southern border in modern history. And his foreign policy, rooted in the philosophy President donald j.trump
28 • AMAC Magazine
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