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Throughout the evening Tuesday, Fox News commentators made repeated references to the possibility that Donald Trump was going to pull off “the biggest comeback in American politics since Grover Cleveland,” which showed a fine awareness of history but probably left many viewers puzzled, since ol’ Grover is not exactly in the first tier of American presidents who shine brightly in our miseducated and distracted national historical memory.
Still, it is true that Donald Trump and Grover Cleveland are now the only two presidents in American history to have been reelected president after losing their first bid for reelection. And contrary to the Fox talking heads, Trump’s comeback is even more comprehensive and astonishing than that of his nineteenth-century counterpart.
As “Rating America’s Presidents” explains, in Grover Cleveland’s day, the biggest — and only — swing state was New York. In 1880, 1884, and 1888, if New York had gone for the other candidate, it would have changed the outcome of the election. 21,000 New York votes made the Republican James A. Garfield president in 1880 instead of the Democrat Winfield Scott Hancock, and in 1884, Cleveland was elected president for the first time because he won New York by the nail-biting margin of 1,149 votes over James G. Blaine, “the continental liar from the state of Maine.” The powerbrokers of the day were well aware of New York’s power: Cleveland was the Democrats’ fourth presidential candidate from New York in five elections.
When Cleveland was running for reelection in 1888 against the Republican Benjamin Harrison, New York once again effectively chose the president, swinging back to the Republicans by a margin of just over 14,000 votes and sweeping Grover and his glamorous young bride Frances (the proto-Melania Trump), whom Cleveland had married in the White House, back to private life.
Still, Cleveland won the popular vote and remained the leader of the Democrat party. Harrison was not a popular or particularly successful president, and when Cleveland challenged him to a rematch in 1892, he looked stronger than he had in 1888. As in 2024, the economy was a big issue. The Republican platform reaffirmed the party’s commitment to “the American doctrine of protectionism” and stated that “the prosperous condition of our country” was due to their “wise revenue legislation.” The Democrats countered this America-first message by charging in their own platform that “Republican protection” was “a fraud, a robbery, of the great majority of the American people for the benefit of the few.”
Cleveland won by a comfortable margin and became the only president to return to the White House after leaving it — until Jan. 20, 2025, that is, barring an act of God or some nefarious act of Democrat chicanery. Cleveland did indeed pull off a remarkable comeback, but Donald Trump’s was much greater and more impressive.
Cleveland, after all, won the popular vote when he lost his first reelection bid in 1888. The official results of the 2020 election look increasingly improbable in light of 2024 — where did Biden’s 81 million votes go? Nevertheless, according to the tally that we all must accept on pain of being called “election deniers” and marginalized accordingly, Trump lost the popular vote by seven million votes in 2020, yet stormed back and won it in 2024, becoming the first Republican to win it since George W. Bush did so in 2004.
Even more importantly, Trump pulled out this victory while under a cloud that was unprecedented in American history. Grover Cleveland never had to deal with his opposition framing him on bogus charges and trying to sideline his candidacy not on the basis of the issues, but because he was a “convicted felon.” Grover likewise never had to face a gaggle of self-described news outlets that were really nothing more than propaganda arms for his opponent.
When he lost his race for California governor in 1962, two years after losing the presidency by a razor-thin margin, an embittered Richard Nixon told the gleeful press corps: “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.”
He pulled off a splendid comeback of his own by being elected president in 1968, but Richard Nixon, as hated as he was, was never kicked around as much as Donald Trump has been. The 2024 election coverage was the most biased in history, as most establishment outlets presented Americans with the claim that they faced a choice between Kamala Harris and Adolf Hitler.
Grover Cleveland never had to face anything close to defamation of that magnitude. Hitler wasn’t even born until Cleveland had already lost his attempt at reelection and Benjamin Harrison had been president for six weeks. Because he overcame so many attempts to destroy his career and reputation, and even end his life, Trump’s 2024 victory is unparalleled in American history and is without any exaggeration one of the most remarkable events in the history of any country.
The left will, of course, keep on trying to destroy him. But the election results demonstrate that they’re facing a far more formidable foe than they’re prepared to admit even on Wednesday morning, as they glumly survey the smoking ruins of Kamala Harris’ presidential bid.
We can only hope that while President Trumps victory stymied the “progress” of the Democrat Party it will also have the effect of stymieing the liberal media even though I seriously tend to doubt it.
The Eco-Freaks are already whining about Trump and trying to get the usual Suckers to donate to them as always
The Left has been lying about us, defaming us, trying to kill us for many years now. Trump is the point man in this struggle. They have been defeated now but not extinguished. They will go on trying to destroy this country and its values.
That said, now is not the time for conciliation, generosity or “reaching across the aisle.” Let’s hold them to a strict, legal accounting for their heinous actions. As the Israelis say about October 7th, “Never forget, never forgive.”
Trump’s nemesis is CAREER pols. They hate him.
NEVER, EVER vote for a Dem, progressive, liberal or RINO.
Or ANY Career politician.
Congressional term limits. Twelve years LIFETIME maximum.
I like Cruz. And Ron Johnson. Yet both are on their third terms. OUT!
WI Sen. Tammy “Who is she?” Baldwin is far past her expiration date. Thankfully “RINO Ryan” left. Pelosi. Schumer. Mitch. Grassley. Durbin. And many more, are not listed here.
No retirement benefits. Afterall, it is “Public Service.” (They retire at the salary they received on their last paycheck. Roughly $170K.)
Repeal the Seventeenth Amendment.
Restore States rights.
The comically anti-Trump movie ” The Disciple” presents DJT as shaped by Leftist bugbear Roy Cohn ; if that is indeed true, after Nov. 5 Cohn should have laid down his harp and done a big victory jig !
Will history every tell the truth – that President Trump won in 2020 but they stole the votes with computers! Which was one of the rigging that they have used the lawless LawFare to cover up! So President Trump won 3 elections for POTUS!
The only stunt President Trump pulled was the garbage truck which did not backfire on him only endeared him deeper to voters. He did not try to talk black with blacks or put on a sombrero with Hispanics or the other shtick that Cackling Kamala did that only made her look worse, more phony and showed how lame they ran their race and how lame and stupid Hells Up Commie Cackling Kamalalala is! Pandering did not work. Listening and learning and formulating ideas from did work and will always work because of President Trump has set the high bar for all!
People did not shy away after the trash truck and vest stunt – people identified and glowing yellow road vests never had bigger sales numbers.
The rallies where President Trump spoke for 2 hours at a pop without teleprompter and always remembered what city he was in with tens of thousands to over an hundred thousand lining up to get in, outdoors they got in and thousands that didn’t get in stayed to be in unity with each other and watched on big screens in all kinds of weather!
Someone passed out or needed medical attention, President Trump always stopped the speech until medical teams or a doctor attended to the person.
It was grit and tenacity of President Trump and us all that got us through these last 4 years up to the election day!
This includes all the demonic attacks and assassination attempts on President Trump. One of which we damn near lost him!
It really should and needs to be reiterated that the election results are not only a victory for Donald Trump but also a victory for America and a victory for the American people. Furthermore, that Trump will on January 20th become President Trump, once again, is likewise a triumph for Israel and all the other civilized countries of the world.
In contrast, about that loser, Kamala Harris, with her Marxist-Islamic alliance, known as the Red /Green alliance, means a devastating loss for the powers and forces and darkness and wickedness.
Just to mention only two examples of this is that the United States will no longer be having international policies that are a reflection of that the Communist dictators of China want to be installed.
The other example, is that the person who be the US President, Trump , on 1/20/25 will no longer have a policy of appeasement towards those hostile anti –America and anti- Israel Muslim despots of that tyrannical Islamic regime of Iran. As by contrast to treacherous and traitorous , Joe Biden, who was always giving in, as in “caving in” to those in power in Islamic tyranny of Iran, granting them everything that they demand.
The victory of Donald Trump of the results of the November 5th 2024 Presidential election is likewise a triumph for America and the American people.
Therefore, in the future, in American history books, all genuine historians will recognize Donald Trump as a Great Patriotic American President.
In contrast, the names of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will rot in American history.
As the Bible informs its reader “The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.” Proverbs 11:7. [K.J.V.]
Grover Cleveland was the last great president the Democrats ever had. He was a small government Jeffersonian like Coolidge.
The Dems should look to him if they ever want to repair their reputation.
Pray for Mr. Trump’s safety as the target on his back just got a whole lot bigger. The same for the team that he is bringing together. They all have a huge target on their backs and need all the prayer they can get. I don’t believe that the ‘bad guys’ are just going to pack up their bags, say ‘Oh well, we tried’ and walk away.
Maranatha, come Lord Jesus………..
To paraphrase Jimi Hendrix:
Move over Grover,
And let Donald take over
Amazing Hister defeated the hoe!
/sarc off
Can’t think of anything sarcastic or humorous that’s not even more tasteless than the first line.
Obviously, we need to pray for Mr. Trump.
Whether or not the Dems try to murder him, they will find new ways to continue their lawfare and sabotage his agenda.
And his supporters, followers, and fellow patriots will face some serious discrimination and lawfare.
All of which will suck oxygen from our forums and comboxes while patriots rot in prison or are forgotten again.
Some of us have lost everything due to hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or arson-started wildfires … and they need our help.
But many of us have been relegated to the dungeons. And the ones rotting in prison or had their lives destroyed by the Feds targeting the Dems’ enemies should come first.