I will always remember the moment that I knew President Trump won in 2016. For me, it was when Fox News called Wisconsin—a state that had not voted for a Republican since 1984—for Trump.

In 2024, the equivalent Fox-Wisconsin moment for me was when, shortly after 10 PM EST, the Times’ needle shifted to project that Trump was not only the favorite to win the electoral college but the popular vote as well. The (frustratingly delayed) calling of Georgia and North Carolina for Trump began to convert even the most pessimistic among us. Reports that the Harris campaign headquarters had stopped talking to the press had us all on the edge of our proverbial seats, ready for the moment when we could finally celebrate. ...

And what is the bottom line of all of this? Hope.

What happened Tuesday night was about hope. Today is about hope. Tomorrow is about hope. We, the proud silent majority who love our country and the great values of Western Civilization that it stands for, came together once more to declare that this would not be America’s last stand. We declared that we can hope for a better and brighter future than the economic doom, decline of international strength, and deterioration of our culture that has been perpetrated by the powers that be for far too long.