(Editor's note: The following commentary is not an endorsement for any political party or candidate, on the part of Newsmax.)
There’s a reason that national and Florida polling shows that Republicans who want a candidate able to "challenge woke ideas" overwhelmingly favor President Donald John Trump.
Often, the left asks conservatives to define "woke" and laughs at their inability to capture it. In summary, though, "woke" is the new term to describe irrational political correctness.
It most clearly manifests as a left-wing obsession with race and gender that puts all other policy considerations aside.
You might want more policing in your neighborhood, but, if that means too many Blacks get put in jail, then that’s a bad policy. You might want a secure border, but, if that means you have to deport Mexicans, then that’s a bad policy too.
That’s wokeism in a nutshell, and no other Republican can take the mantle of being the preeminent anti-woke candidate from President Trump.
Then-candidate Trump started the War on Woke in June of 2015, boldly declaring, "When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. . . . They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
In that now-famous moment, he spoke of how Americans must address the ills brought to our country by our open border.
To protect our nation, he announced that it is "way past time to build a massive wall to secure our southern border." He added, "A country without borders is, quite simply, not a country."
President Trump proceeded to launch a fight against political correctness that reshaped the Republican Party.
And for this sin of wanting to secure our border and protect our nation from criminals and drugs, globalist corporations lashed out against President Trump. Companies such as NBC and Macy’s cut ties with him.
President Trump didn’t stop.
The forces aligned against him included the FBI, which would launch the bogus Russian probe. This never deterred President Trump. While in office, he not only secured our border, but he also implemented policies to combat the Left’s woke agenda.
It’s President Trump who began the fight against critical race theory.
As NBC News put it, "Trump ignited the fight over critical race theory in schools."
Trump boldly signed an executive order that banned anti-white training sessions in the federal government. His administration’s memo specifically called out training on "white privilege."
Additionally, President Trump rescinded the Obama-era Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule that federalized local zoning to increase "equity."
The key to fighting the left’s divisive racial ideology is persevering through the attacks.
The Democratic media apparatus will shout "racist" and "bigot" in order to stop you from combatting their policies.
The left’s slurs do not deter Mr. Trump; he’s proven his indefatigable spirit under relentless assault, and he’s running for president again to combat their twisted ideology.
Trump will cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory or left-wing gender ideology. He also plans to initiate a Department of Education civil rights investigation into race-based discrimination at schools.
Our nation's 45th commander in chief has shown the requisite mettle to succeed.
His competitors have not.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., for instance, has a history of doing his donors’ bidding. His record on free speech is abysmal, and he's nothing more than a war hawk draped in a cloak.
When DeSantis has tried to stand up for his bold, focus-grouped proclamations, it hasn't worked out so well.
Over the past few months, he has been consistently outmatched by Mickey Mouse?
Would his attempts at intimidation fare any better globally?
On the other hand, President Trump is fully aligned and committed to unabashed America First values. He will shamelessly pursue them.
He has shown us his strength of character and fortitude.
The right team will uplift him to achieve heightened levels of success. Other candidates, namely DeSantis, will claim to be the "anti-woke candidate."
They are just a tribute band. Americans want the real deal.
Gavin Wax is a New York-based conservative political activist, commentator, columnist, operative, and strategist. He also serves as the 76th President of the New York Young Republican Club and as an Ambassador for both Turning Point USA & Live Action. You can follow him on Twitter at @GavinWax. Read Gavin Wax's Reports — More Here.