Trump channels Reagan, dominates Republican Party

Recent primary elections make it undeniable: President Trump dominates the Republican Party.

The president has gone 118-0 in winning endorsements over various recent contests, including challenging high-profile incumbents such as Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.). The stunning sweep has ushered out of office politicians who do not support Trump, and welcomed in those who do. As House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told a gaggle of reporters recently, Trump’s endorsement “is the most powerful in the history of politics.“

The last person to achieve that unquestioned Republican leadership was President Ronald Reagan.

What do the two men have in common? First, they speak common sense to the common man. Second, they get things done. Third, their bold agendas infused new life into a moribund Republican Party, each in their own time.  

The comparison between Trump and Reagan, who is now hailed as the godfather of American conservatism, will draw plenty of skepticism. But the legacy of our 40th president tracks closely with that of our 45th. While Reagan is celebrated for facing down the Soviet Union, winning with his famous “peace through strength” doctrine, he also navigated the first arms-control agreement with the “Evil Empire,” which came under fire at the time from hardline conservatives who accused the president of “going soft” on communism. 

We do not yet know the outcome of Trump’s war against Iran. But if he can negotiate a peace deal that removes the nuclear threat from the Middle East’s biggest sponsor of terror, and expands the Abraham Accords, he will have reset the region’s future. A similar opportunity exists in the White House’s aggressive posture toward Cuba, an island 90 miles off our cost that for 67 years has provided a dangerous access point for our........

© The Hill