Ten Years After Trump Descended the Golden Escalator It’s A Brave, New Political World
Monday marked the 10th anniversary of Donald Trump’s trip down the golden escalator to the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City, where he launched his presidential campaign — and changed American politics for a generation.
At that time, few pundits believed Trump had a serious chance of winning the presidency even once, much less twice. Most echoed MSNBC pundit Mike Barnicle: “Donald Trump will never become president of the United States.”
Ten years later, many political observers are quoting the Grateful Dead, “What a long, strange trip it’s been.”
Michael Straw, chair of the Media Borough GOP Committee, recalls his thoughts as he watched Trump take his infamous escalator ride.
“I was thinking, ‘This is a new type of candidate. He will shake up politics.’ I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew this wasn’t the same old politics I was used to seeing,” Straw said Monday.
Asked how politics in Pennsylvania has changed in the 10 years since Trump made his appearance, Straw suggested the old axiom ‘All politics is local’ may not be as true as it once was.
“So much of local politics is now tied to the fate of the national political environment, which it shouldn’t be,” Straw said. “Just because you’re fine with what’s going on nationally, doesn’t automatically mean you approve of the policies being implemented in Delaware County.”
Delaware County GOP Chairman Frank Agovino echoed that sentiment.
“Trump has changed politics in a seismic way. There used to be a time not long ago when local and county parties could focus on local issues to win elections. Now you must consider national issues, and the administration’s stance on them, when considering campaign messaging and strategy for local candidates.”
Guy Ciarrocchi is a veteran of Pennsylvania politics who has both worked on campaigns and run for Congress in Chester County. He recalls thinking Trump had a mission when he got into the race, and it wasn’t to become president.
“I believed Trump was running to talk bluntly to the American people about where America was and where it should be going,” Ciarrocchi said. “I assumed he was running to be that blunt voice, not to win.”
“I was right about the message—but I underestimated how many Americans wanted to hear someone fight for them and America,” added Ciarrocchi. “He filled that void, changing politics for at least a generation.”
While Trump is often criticized as being divisive and many Republican operatives from the previous era have been pushed out of party leadership, polls show the GOP united behind Trump than any presidential nominee since Ronald Reagan. And he’s the first Republican to win Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes since George H.W. Bush in 1988.
And victory has consequences, as evidenced by Republican Dave McCormick’s upset win over three-term incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Bob Casey last year. McCormick, whose win was made possible by Trump’s coattails in the Keystone State, is the first nonincumbent Republican to win a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania since 2010.
“Many do not like Trump, but no one can deny he has brought forth the most consequential political movement of modern times,” Agovino said. “No one can deny he is an unabashed America First president, which resonates with many.”
One challenge for Republicans has been unity. George W. Bush’s approval soared after 9/11, but in his second term his support among Republicans sagged. Subsequent presidential nominees John McCain and Mitt Romney also failed to unite the entire party.
Gallup reports that Trump’s approval among Republicans in March hit 92 percent, a number only exceeded by the two Bushes during wartime. The question now is whether Trump voters will still support the GOP when he’s no longer on the ballot.
“A major challenge that has emerged is the advent of Trump-only voters within the Republican Party who do not turn out in big numbers in important statewide and county elections,” Agovino added. “In the populated Southeastern part of the state, I have seen firsthand the support that the established political parties such as the Delco GOP have given to President Trump’s reelection effort. Yet unity, at times, proves to be elusive, and distrust apparent. That is the part of Trump’s rise that is confusing and challenging. Agreement on 80 percent of issues is simply not good enough for some and an all important vote is lost in a local election over the 20 percent.”
Still, local Republican remember that day 10 years ago when they first saw the man who would be the future of their party,
“Seeing him coming down that escalator, I knew something phenomenal was going to happen as he entered U.S. politics,” said Ellen Cox, leader of the Doylestown Republican Social Club. “I really feel like it’s different since Trump came onto the scene.
“He’s not a politician. He owes no one anything.”
