Here’s something new following the 2024 presidential election.

Inauguration Day 2025 is unique in American history.

Not because a former president is taking the oath of office. That happened in 1893, when President Grover Cleveland 22 became President Grover Cleveland 24.

Rather, Inauguration Day 2025 is unique because, for the first time in American history, Inauguration Day will witness a change in presidents, and the incoming president–because of term limits under the Twenty-Second Amendment–may not serve out the term and be elected president again.

You haven’t read that anywhere else, have you?

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This came about because of President Donald Trump 45, who is about to become President Donald Trump 47.

You, faithful reader of this column, will recall that this column has politely encouraged the president-elect to follow the advice he gave himself during the 2016 campaign: “Stay on message, Donald. Stay on message.”

His staying on message was key to his prevailing on Election Day.

Staying on message came up during a televised interview of this columnist, hosted by Dr. John Viehe and taped on Aug. 12, 2024:

I: “… this election is Donald Trump’s to win and Donald Trump’s to lose, and this is entirely in his hands. And if he keeps his focus on the issues, he will win this election, and he will win it with more than 300 electoral votes. If doesn’t keep his focus on the issues, if he gets sidetracked in the way–and I admire this man’s ideas–but if he gets sidetracked in the way everybody knows he can, he has a challenge on his hands. It’s all in his hands. It’s all in his hands.”

He: “And what do you think will really happen? Are you willing to make a wager?

I: “I think …”

He: “A car wash or something like that?”

I: “… I’ll make the wager that if …”

He: “If.”

I: “… if President Trump stays on the issues, and focuses on policy, focuses on the issues that matter to the American people–inflation, the border, energy prices, and all across the board–he will win with more than 300 electoral votes. He will win Arizona. He’ll win Georgia. He’ll win Nevada, and he could well sweep Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Whether he wins Minnesota, where he had a chance, but that may be harder now that the Democrats’ vice-presidential candidate is from there.”

He: “We’ve got to pick on North Carolina, with both having connections there. What’s your call for that state?”

I: “President Trump wins North Carolina. Not by 10 points, but he’ll win it.”

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There you have it. That’s exactly what happened. He won every one–every single one–of those battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

And he won North Carolina too.

That makes 312 electoral votes.

He succeeded for many reasons. Key to succeeding was staying on message. Which, to his credit, he did. Is any candidate or campaign ever perfect in that regard? No. Nevertheless, he kept the focus “on the issues that matter to the American people–inflation, the border, energy prices, and all across the board.”

Only those who have ever been a candidate know how hard being a candidate is. That’s so for many reasons, not the least of which is continual scrutiny, which can be brutal and ruthless. For example, when this columnist was a candidate, his family–not just he–endured such scrutiny even regarding a family member’s funeral. Yes, really.

Apart from such scrutiny, a candidate can do a thousand things right with few thanks or compliments. But do the littlest thing imperfectly just once, and look out.

And as any observer of the 2024 campaign has seen, the press can be brutally, ruthlessly unfair to those not toeing its line. That’s one reason that the president-elect for years has called the establishment press “fake news.”

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As a candidate, though, he kept plugging away and getting his message out.

To his further credit, he did so without Balkanizing the electorate. He kept the focus “on the issues that matter to the American people” without continually putting Americans into demographic groups.

In so doing, he was successful in places where some conservatives and some Republicans don’t reach out enough.

Bravo, Mr. President. Bravo.

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The hard work doesn’t end with the closing of the polls. Although the campaign for votes has concluded, the campaign for ideas continues.

Key to the campaign for ideas is team members’ likewise “focus(ing) on policy, focus(ing) on the issues that matter to the American people.”

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Dr. John Viehe’s televised Chautauqua People interview of Dr. Randy Elf, taped on Aug. 12, 2024, is at https://works.bepress.com/elf/310.

COPYRIGHT (c) 2024 BY RANDY ELF