Trump’s Political Comeback: Grit Defined
If you look into the etymology of the word “grit,” you will find that its European origins break down to signify both earthy matter, like dust and gravel, as well as the human action of “rub[bing]” and “grind[ing].” Yet, if you want to see the living, breathing definition in modern America, look no further than President Donald J. Trump.
Grit is both disdained and admired in modern America. Public sentiment around the idea might not be as divided as our political lines, but its relationship with our ideological leanings may be deeper than we think.
As the word’s origins describe, the idea naturally represents the “grind.” In pop-culture, we think of the grind as our daily routine, or the mundane repetitive tasks necessary to achieve our long-term goals. However, in the literal sense, the word implies the rubbing against something else. This is a key difference.
Most Americans say we appreciate grit, until its practice grinds up against something we want left untouched. Understanding this reality can explain a lot about the public’s relationship with President Trump. Practically everyone in the media, Washington, and Hollywood loved Trump prior to his political ascension. They loved his tenacity, his money, and his story. Then, his grit rubbed up against their power, their values, and their politics.
Throughout his first term, the political and social elite tried to make him a pariah. They opposed him in the electoral process. They opposed him in the courts. They opposed him in the culture.
Then, in 2020, they thought that they had ended his political career. However, thanks to President Trump’s grit and perseverance, he accomplished the greatest political comeback in American history and was sworn in as the President of the United States once again on Monday, January 20.
I am thrilled with President Trump’s return to the White House because I fully support his America First policies – I firmly believe a successful Trump presidency will empower Americans, grow our economy, and return our nation’s standing in the world. However, I also find Trump’s political story to have implications far beyond politics.
His comeback proves that the underdog can still beat the odds in America – that the elitists need not always win. Trump’s electoral success shows that the beliefs and values of Americans far beyond the coastal havens of power can still find a home in the halls of Congress and the institutions of our culture. That reality is important for Americans to witness and for our children to believe.
Yet, Trump’s story teaches us a beautiful lesson about character: it illustrates what grit actually looks like. This is important, because I believe the idea is easily misunderstood.
If you have grit – you possess the ability to move beyond your immediate circumstances. That is a characteristic that the social planners and the political elites fear most – they prefer compliance, regardless of any other consideration, to be the default mode of the citizenry. However, our entire existence as a free and independent nation was dependent on the willingness of men to not comply with the status quo and to demand the recognition of their God-given rights and liberties by their government.
If you don’t understand history, it is easy to embrace the wrong thinking that if you just do the right thing, everything will go well for you. That idea couldn’t be farther from the truth. Sometimes, the best sign that you are doing the right thing is that you are experiencing substantial opposition.
Whether you support President Trump politically as I do, or you don’t even care about politics, his comeback story can still provide an important lesson about resolve and perseverance that few in our modern American culture have exhibited in our lifetime. Grit is defined by the grind.