I’ve always loved the quote often attributed to Alexandre Ledru-Rollin: “There go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader.”

It certainly came to mind at a FOA lunch I attended in 2016 at Martha’s Vineyard. A guy named Knute was the speaker, and the Q&A centered on the then-recent Republican presumptive nominee. The crowd was in disbelief when Knute did not agree that the nomination should be passed off to Romney… because he was a nicer guy. The crowd pressed… how could this be. Knute was un swerved, citing two books (Coming Apart and HillBilly Elegy) as evidence of a real trend in America- middle age middle America mostly white and mostly drifting- forming a base that would rage against the woke machine. He was dead on.

That movement hasn’t gone away, and neither has T-45. He is their Ledru-Rollin.

Nor will he pass quietly, until America comes to grips with a few things. First, beating T-45 requires humility. It starts by recognizing that no one win every voter- not even half of them: T-45’s support within the Republican Party isn’t just a mile wide, it’s also a mile deep. But roughly a third of those voters prioritize the character of the country and the people who run it — and that may be enough to change the 2024 outcome.

It’s not about beating T45 with a competing ideology. It’s about offering Republicans the contrast they seek: a candidate who champions an agenda with decency, civility and a commitment to personal responsibility and accountability.

Those people exist.