Five Reasons We Can Be (Cautiously) Optimistic About a Second Trump Term

Happy Sunday! I apologize for the lack of posts this week. I had a very long election night and was up until 3:30 in the morning covering the results. I also had a series of work commitments, and personal obligations that kept me extremely busy for the rest of the week. I feel like I’m finally catching my breath today and have been recharging this weekend with Ben and the girls, doing simple family things.

The election, the election, the election... As I said in my previous Substack, I thought Trump was going to win. On election day, when I went into the voting booth, I had absolute certainty he was going to be our next president. Throughout this cycle, I never met an Uber driver or anyone working in a vocation not somehow related to media or politics, or who didn’t make over $200K a year, who was voting for her. I asked everyone who seemed open to talking about their vote since Harris was announced, and every single one said Trump.

I’ve felt for a long time that the media was trying to create Harris into a figure she simply wasn’t. That’s not to say she wasn’t a formidable candidate, but anyone who goes on The View and can’t answer how they will be a different candidate than Joe Biden during an era of global sea change against government incumbents is simply not capable of earning the votes needed to make it to the White House. Both James Carville and I believe that moment on The View was the kiss of death for her campaign and the beginning of the end of her momentum.

I know there’s a wide range of emotions across the country, but considering Trump won both the popular and electoral vote, we need to take a moment to recognize what a generational figure Trump is and the historic win he just delivered for my party. He made every single state in America more Republican, except for the state of Washington, with the largest GOP win in forty years—since Ronald Reagan. The Latino vote is now officially evenly split across party lines, and 20% of Black men are Trump supporters. To put it bluntly, it’s an absolute electoral bloodbath for Democrats. I could run down all the changes in demographics, but you can find the data elsewhere. What interests me right now is where we go from here.

What happened? My personal opinion, which I shared to much conversation and mild controversy on Instagram, is this:

Let this be a time of real reflection and realignment for my friends on the left. Conservatives are not racist, sexist, or fascist because we want safe cities, love our police force and military, and want the border crisis fixed. We don’t want biological men competing against our girls in sports or to be called chest feeders and birthing people. We don’t want blatant antisemitism accepted and peddled in society by anyone, but especially by elites and on college campuses indoctrinating our children with hatred of Jews. We believe Israel is an ally and has the right to exist and defend itself. We believe in fighting for the rights of the unborn, and extreme abortion policies—like those that are only legal in North Korea—are pure evil. We believe the greatest hypocrisy is saying 'my body, my choice' and then forcing an entire population to get an untested vaccine in order to work. We are sick of paying 25% more for groceries this year than four years ago and being told it’s not happening or it’s not important. And we don’t think flying an American flag is a sign of white supremacy.

Now, I know some of you think this is harsh, but it’s the truth, and I’ve been sounding the alarm as loud as I can for over a decade that Democrats’ extremist, socialist platform and cultural insanity are both alienating the country and creating a dangerous, anti-American agenda at a policy level. If you disagree with me, please share in the comments. Please know, as my friend Mark Halperin says, I come from a place of peace, love, and understanding. I believe communicating as much as possible from a place of compassion and love is integral to this moment. I also believe I have been right, and if Democrats don’t somehow fix this huge problem, their party is going to go the way of the Whigs. You cannot lose this many voters in this many places and have a foreseeable future. However, politics is cyclical and unpredictable, so let’s see what the future holds and if Democrats learn any lessons.

So where do we go from here? I am, for whatever reason, extremely calm and zen at this moment. Maybe it’s because this is a storm I saw coming and was mentally and emotionally prepared for the results. Maybe it’s because many people I know and love have worked with President Trump and will likely work with him in his new administration—and even if I have many questions about him, I have no hesitation about any of them. I’ve also been through so many election cycles in my lifetime, and I promise you 2026 and 2028 are just around the corner. Nothing in life or politics is permanent.

You know I love a list and we’re all busy, so I wanted to give you five reasons to be cautiously hopeful about the new Trump administration—and five ways Democrats can reroute their ship to get you through the week.

Five Reasons to be Cautiously Hopeful about the New Trump Administration:

1. Age and Life Experience:
   Everyone close to President Trump has emphasized to me that he has changed since his assassination attempt. They say he is aware that his first administration ended horribly and that this is truly his last chance at securing his legacy. I keep hearing that his age and awareness of mortality are factors that mean this new version of him will take the office more seriously and with a greater understanding of his place in history than before. I may feel like Lucy with the football at this moment, but I’m willing and open to giving him and his administration a shot until proven wrong.

2. His Cabinet and Staff:
   The people rumored to be in his new cabinet, as reported by The New York Times, include Mike Pompeo as Secretary of Defense, Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, and Scott Bessent as Secretary of Treasury. These are serious, well-respected, and experienced people—not MAGA caricatures from the internet. I’ll feel very secure if these are the choices for these cabinet positions. Trump also just named Susie Wiles, his former campaign manager from this cycle and a political legend, as his White House Chief of Staff. She’ll be the first woman to hold this position in American history. Everyone who knows Susie or has worked with her respects her and credits her for bringing maturity and seriousness to the Trump campaign. She’s not a Beltway insider who will be swayed easily by the “swamp people” or interested in becoming a cable news star, unlike much of his previous staff. The days of Omarosa and Scaramucci seem long gone.

3. Republican Policy:
   I always try to remain hopeful and see the bright side in politics because, quite frankly, everyone I love and support tends to lose. The big bright side for me is that I agree with President Trump on probably 75% to 85% of his policy positions (except the tariffs, of course—I’m still an old-school fiscal conservative). Many issues important to me, like securing the border, enforcing consequences for theft and overall crime in America, supporting our ally Israel, and mandating that biological men cannot compete in women’s sports, will likely be implemented in some form. Trump’s election to a second term is a wholehearted rejection of both the policy and social mandate from Democrats that have caused a lot of literal physical and cultural destruction over the past four years.

4. He Will Make Democrats Moderate:
   Democrats have no choice at this point, given the historic election results, but to make changes. I believe socialism is an existential threat to the foundation of America, and Democrats have peddled in this insanity and elevated radical fringe figures for far too long. I believe the era of AOC, Rashida Tlaib, and Bernie Sanders having an absolute stranglehold on the coalition is over. Americans don’t like it, and they don’t want it. At a certain point, you have to put points on the board in politics, and there are Democrats smart enough to understand the need to move away from the trends of the past decade that got them here.

5. Tulsi Gabbard:
   Anyone who follows my life and work knows how close Tulsi Gabbard and I are. I said privately during the election that the one thing that could have gotten me to vote for Trump (for the record, I wrote in; I didn’t vote for Harris) was if he had chosen Tulsi as his running mate. She’s the godmother of my eldest daughter and one of my dearest friends. She has brought so much light, inspiration, and clarity to me and millions of other Americans during extreme darkness, and knowing her is a blessing in my life. She endorsed Trump, heavily campaigned for him, and I believe helped pull him over the edge with independents and shy Trump voters with the help of RFK. I’m hopeful she will continue to work with him in some fashion in the new administration as a signal to people like me that his coalition is broader now. Where Tulsi goes, I will follow—and anyone who trusts my judgment should, too.

Five Ways Democrats Can Reroute:

1. Stop With the Woke Stuff:
   In the past eight years, we have witnessed an era of Red Scare hysteria surrounding cultural issues. The prevalence of cancel culture, #MeToo, political and journalistic censorship, and societal punishment has been incredibly exhausting for the American public. No one wants to feel this level of tension constantly, and it all hit a fever pitch during the Biden years. Quite frankly, none of this represents a realistic or healthy way to live, run a company, corporation, or community. Outside of tech headquarters, legacy newsrooms, and Ivy League campuses, these issues are largely unpopular. I truly believe this played a significant role in Harris' loss.

2. Talk To The Other Side:
   Harris should have gone on Joe Rogan—I don’t know why she didn’t, or why she seemed too scared to. Rogan made multiple offers, even saying he would meet her anytime, yet her campaign refused. Trump, for all his faults, maintains a very open relationship with the media. Democrats rarely attempt to communicate with anyone on the other side, whether in life or with the press. You can’t get elected anymore just by going on SNL, talking to sympathetic journalists, and avoiding non-legacy media. Times have changed; adapt to them. Both Mayor Pete and Senator Fetterman do this well—they’ve appeared on Fox News and other outlets to try to change hearts and minds.

3. No More Celebrities:

   No one cares what Oprah, Beyoncé, or Taylor Swift think about politics. Harris looked wildly out of touch during a time when people can’t afford gas or groceries, holding rallies and events with billionaire celebrities. The opinion of any entertainment celebrity is completely meaningless in politics—unless they’re a college football coach (in my opinion). Harris's campaign appeared elitist, out of touch, and downright ridiculous for placing so much emphasis on this. I don’t know why this lesson hasn’t been learned; this isn’t a new insight for this cycle.

4. No More Legacy Presidents:

   President Obama was caught on a mic lecturing Black men about not voting for Harris, then spent his time rapping twenty-five-year-old Eminem lyrics at rallies. He is no longer the president he once was and is now a billionaire Hollywood producer. Who does this help, and who is this for? As the Pod Save America bros are finding out the hard way, the era of 2008 'Hope and Change' propaganda is long gone, and people simply don’t respond to him or it the way they once did. President Clinton was also on the campaign trail making a series of gaffes, including calling Senate candidate Kari Lake 'attractive,' which only reminded people of what an out-of-touch womanizer he is and why Hillary lost. Like the old guard Republican political families, legacy political names are meaningless now. We’ve broken from the past in a very significant way, and the American public is over anything related to dynasties or elitist entitlement.

5. Pick a VP That Will Actually Help You:

   I never saw Harris's pick of Tim Walz as anything other than a signal to her base that she wasn’t going to side with Israel. It’s a hard truth to face, but I believe the extremely popular, well-spoken Governor Shapiro of the vital swing state of Pennsylvania was overlooked simply because he is Jewish. Anyone with more than a week of experience working on a campaign knows he was the stronger, better choice. VP picks should be strategic and help a candidate, but Governor Walz couldn’t even deliver his home district or state for Harris and came off as though he was cosplaying as a red-state everyman.

Thank you all for reading, subscribing, and supporting. I’m really loving the little community we’re building. Please feel free to leave anything in the comments that you’d like to share or think I need to hear. It’s important that we all feel heard at this moment. I have another busy week ahead with work and am currently looking at schools for Kindergarten for Liberty—seriously, where has the time gone?! But I promise to share more later in the week. In the meantime, remember, as I always say: the only way out is through.

Love,
Meghan

P.S. To everyone asking about the red lipstick I wore on election night—that is my go-to whenever I want to look nice! It’s L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipstick in the color Le Rouge Determination.

Plus, some recent bonus family photos for my paid subscribers below!