The 2022 midterms someday could be remembered as the “revenge of the normal” election. Normal Americans asserted their independence and rebuked charlatans and extremists of varying types on both sides. Voters didn’t define “normal” as ideologically moderate or milquetoast. Instead, they rewarded candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who delivered results and fought aggressively for his agenda within the Founders’ framework of principled pluralism. 

Yet, despite the obvious rebuke to his style of politics, Donald Trump announced his 2024 presidential candidacy in a low-energy speech loaded with language appealing to his loyal base. He decried the “blood soaked streets of our once great cities” and complained about “radical left lunatics running our government right into the ground.” He checked off other boxes from the Trump bingo card: “our rigged and corrupt system,” “censorship,” “Barack Hussein Obama.”  Just a few short days after a midterm shellacking, Trump quadrupled down on a strategy that failed in the last three national elections.