Congratulations to Donald Trump on his astounding victory on becoming the President-Elect and defeating Hillary Clinton in the Process. No one would have thought this possible when Mr. Trump first announced that he would be running to be the Republican candidate for President. Using an unorthodox approach to run his Campaign, Trump mowed down all 16 of his Republican rivals in the process, leaving many hurt feelings, bruised egos, alienating many and making some enemies along the way. He was not the preferred candidate. Many found his style boorish and completely lacking in civility. At times he unnecessarily made himself a pariah, pushing away some of the very people whose support he would need to help him win the election. He never fully gained the backing of his party, but managed to rally many of the disaffected grassroots who were tired of the establishment, and were just plain weary of the seeming contempt in which the people of the country were held. Mr. Trump became the leader of a movement. He seemed to shoot himself in the foot over and over again. Many felt that he would eventually commit political suicide, and that his campaign would blow up in the process. Mr. Trump proved his resilience though, and in keeping with the theme of one of his books he demonstrated “the art of the come back,” over and over again.

It is difficult to recall any candidate having to overcome so much odds to ascend to the highest office in the land, but Trump with his take no prisoners style fearlessly took on all comers, mauling them all in the process and leaving a trail of blood along the way to the his victory on election night. The media industrial complex galvanized themselves in opposition to the candidate, forsaking all pretense of journalistic integrity in the process. They were exposed but did not even care. There is a lot to dislike about the way that Donald Trump ran his campaign. There is a lot to dislike about his style, the way he treated his opponents along the way, and some of the things that he has said. Elements of his private life came back to haunt him in the process, but even that was not sufficient to keep him from attaining the prize on which he steadfastly fixed his gaze for most of the last year and a half. He refused to surrender to any narrative that the media, his opponent or anyone else attempted to attach to him, and he fought “tooth and nail” to fend off any attack that he deemed unfair. In the past, one simply had to pull out the race card, the misogyny card, the homophobe, or other bigot card to send any Republican candidate scurrying in a corner and begging for forgiveness, then doing everything in his/her power to prove that he really is not a bigot, as the media refused to let up. Trump refused to play that game and remained focused on his message. His platform of border security and stemming the flow of illegal immigration, putting America first, appointing originalist jurors to the Supreme Court, protecting the first and Second Amendment, repealing Obamacare, removing onerous regulations that stifles businesses, and his tough stance on terrorism resonated with the voters, but it is perhaps his fighting spirit that endeared him the most to the people. They appreciated his candidness, his refusal to apologize when he felt he had nothing to apologize for, his lack of political correctness, and the fact that he simply never backed down from a fight.

Many have been longing for a candidate like Mr. Trump, and the people who elected him to power made a decision that they were not going to allow anyone to topple his candidacy. Despite the media and other elites trying to destroy him, the people used their chosen candidate as an example of how to fight. They decided to fight back by ensuring that he attained the ultimate prize. The choice of Donald Trump is also a harsh rebuke to the Democrat Party who for years have ridden the race horse to hold on to the reins of power. They rejected Mr. Obama’s obvious shenanigans when he told crowds that Donald Trump will encourage the KKK, and Mrs. Clinton’s claims that Donald Trump is a misogynist. They did not buy in to the scare tactic that because Trump tweets at three in the morning he will be a danger with the nuclear codes. The people appreciated his message of law and order, and support for the police when Democrats were telling black people that they are being targeted by the police.  At the same time they appreciated his outreach to the black community and minorities, pointing out how much they have suffered under Democrat leadership in the inner cities for decades, and more than a century in some cases. Most of all, people appreciate that Mr. Trump loves America, and that he is unabashedly proud of his country in a time when it is fashionable amongst liberals to hold the country in contempt.

Mr. Trump’s election is a rebuke to the Democrat party for the middle finger that they stuck in the face of the electorate by choosing to run the most corrupt candidate in modern history. They knew the sordid history of their candidate, but with the arrogance that they have displayed for many decades; they decided to put her up anyway. Donald Trump may be a flawed man, lacking many of the personal attributes that we love to see in our leaders, but his fingerprints are not on any of the disasters that we have faced as a country in the last few years. None of the perils facing the country at this time can be pinned on him. His failings are all of a personal nature without the comparable effects as Mrs. Clinton’s actions. Mrs. Clinton’s failings are not only personal but they are, and have been dangerous to the country.

Mr. Trump’s victory is just the first part of what is going to be a long arduous, rough road ahead. Though the media has been exposed, they are not going to go into hiding, and President-Elect Trump will face unprecedented opposition during his tenure. It will be once again OK to criticize the President without being called a racist. He has to make a concerted effort to show that he is the President of all the people, that he will work to heal the divide where possible, and govern with fairness. People have to also tame their expectations and realize that Donald Trump is not the savior, their problems are not going to disappear because he is the President. They too will have work to do by coming together to get things done, drawing on the American spirit of hard work, self-reliance and faith in God. Many of us believe that God rules in the affairs of men. He uses the good and the bad to help bring about his ultimate purpose. We will continue to look to him for guidance, for wisdom and comfort in difficult times. It is he to whom we look whether Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton is the President-Elect.