Is Making America Great Again Making America Divided Again?

MAGA — Addressing the Divide

Millions of us fought to get President Trump elected, but we weren’t simply fighting for a man, we were fighting for a cause - to change the direction in which our country was heading. After 13 months, we all now understand that a single election victory will not necessarily give us the change we wanted. The 2024 election gave us the opportunity to effect change, but not the guarantee of change. Too many of us have sat back waiting for victory to be handed to us on a silver platter by one man or one party. However, entrenched interests cannot be expected to allow changes that reduce their wealth and power without a monumental battle, and we all have a role to play.

Coalition Building and Renewal

All campaigns, especially Presidential campaigns, require that coalitions be built among people who do not agree on all matters. However, they must agree on enough to be willing to sign onto the movement. As time passes the rifts are exposed, and a movement that refuses to examine its own divisions cannot sustain a governing majority. Electoral majorities are never permanent, but must be refreshed from time to time, rebuilding around shared convictions. Recognizing this reality is not defeatism — it is the first step toward renewal. The divisions that exist today are real and ignoring them only weakens our movement.

Let’s begin with the truth that no lasting movement is based on personality, but on principles. Many patriots today find themselves walking a difficult line balancing respect for the President who set out a vision we embraced, with the responsibility to voice genuine frustration about certain policies of the administration and the GOP in Congress.

Then, if we disagree, we have the right to say so. We cannot be expected to stand silent while watching key promises go unfulfilled. Loyalty should never require silence, and demanding accountability is not disloyalty — it is the duty of every citizen who cares about the future of this nation.

From Momentum to Frustration

Not long ago, there were consistent success stories. There was momentum and energy, and we had real victories to point to.

But in recent months, the tone has shifted. Instead of stories of success, many are experiencing disappointment, fatigue, and uncertainty as to whether meaningful change can ever be achieved. People in our coalition are wondering if grassroots citizens can overcome entrenched interests even within their own party, and whether the promises made to them will be kept.

Beginning even before the 2016 elections, and continuing to this day, I have had an active travel schedule where I consistently interact with many patriots, and I can say there are many positive signs.

Conservatives are more aware than ever of the opposition we face from elites, and they realize that perhaps the biggest problem we face is the mindset of big government.

We are not looking for government to solve our problems, but for government to allow us the freedom to solve our own problems.

We have not given up. I am constantly asked about what individuals can do to help achieve victory.

Most importantly, I find that there is still widespread hope. Our God is described in the book of Romans as “the God of hope.” We are told to “abound in hope.” We have no right to ever abandon hope.

But at the same time, many are searching for direction, accountability, and results. What MAGA means to many, is something I often address at public speaking events about how I will stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone who understands the very American notion that our freedoms come from God, not from the government. Therefore, those freedoms are unalienable, and no government can be allowed to take them from us.

We live in a Constitutional Republic which has problems but is still the best designed system on earth. That is how many see MAGA, or America First — not as a label, but as a shared commitment to protect what makes the United States exceptional. Those aspects of our country should be a source of pride - not the pride of hubris or arrogance, but what might better be described as pride in our heritage, and thankfulness for being Americans. There is nothing wrong with being called a patriot.

Should we lose this kind of pride in being Americans — if the identity of the home of the brave and the land of the free fades — we ALL lose something precious.

A Message for Leadership

Those who serve in elected or appointed office must remember that it was the People who put them in those positions. They are men and women entrusted not to rule over the People, but to serve the People. They must be sober minded. They must recognize they too are under authority - the authority of God and the Constitution, and they will give an account.

We do not have to think alike to stand together. Our strength has never been built on strict uniformity; it has been our shared commitment to freedom and liberty. If we hold fast to those principles, disagreement on other matters becomes not a weakness, but proof that liberty is alive. We have not lost our country, but it is at real risk. We are in a season where vigilance matters more than comfort.

Many people feel that the distance between leaders and everyday citizens has grown, and that frustration is real. The system is under strain, but it is not beyond repair.

History reminds us that there have been times before when citizens believed power had been consolidated into the hands of an unresponsive elite. Many times, but not all times, public pressure, civic engagement, and reform reshaped the system. Dissatisfaction, when channeled constructively, has often been the catalyst for renewal rather than decline.

Where We Go from Here

There are real concerns today:

• Growing distrust in government and institutions.

• Perceived influence of wealth and insiders.

• Inconsistent accountability.

• Deep political and cultural division.

But there are also reasons for confidence:

• Elections can still change our future - if they are fair and honest.

• Grassroot movements can still influence policy - if we hold our leaders accountable.

• Local and state governments remain responsive to citizen pressure, because they are closer to the People.

Citizens who had previously been uninvolved have now seen that we have an uphill battle in front of us. Successes should encourage us to fight onward. That realization should not discourage us but instead strengthen our resolve. Real change has never come easily, but it has always come when citizens step forward, stay engaged, and refuse to surrender their voice.

Our nation has faced times of doubt before, and each time the American people chose courage over cynicism and unity over division. Faith in government may rise and fall, but faith in the character of our citizens, endures.

The future of our country has never rested solely in Washington. America’s future has always lived inside our communities, within our families, and bounded by our willingness to stand together for what is right.

Stay engaged, build locally, and organize seriously. Hold leaders accountable while developing new leaders. Keep the faith.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9.

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