The Day Donald J. Trump Changed the Republican Party Forever

On that iconic day ten years ago, June 16, 2015, the golden escalator moment wasn't just campaign theater, it was an economic turning point. A declaration that the era of managed decline was over and that America was ready to grow, win, and lead again.

President Trump didn't just launch a candidacy; he launched a movement that put economic nationalism, working-class prosperity, and American exceptionalism back at the center of our political discourse. The globalist elite had handed over our factories, our jobs, and our future to Beijing and Davos. Donald J. Trump said "No more." He spoke the language of Main Street, not Wall Street, and in doing so, he fired the first shot in an economic revolution that remains the single most important political development of the 21st century.

For decades, the Republican establishment, embodied by the Bushes, Cheneys, and their corporate allies-championed a globalist vision. They preached free trade, open borders, and endless wars, cloaking their agenda in the rhetoric of liberty and prosperity. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, backed by both parties, were their crowning achievements. These deals promised economic efficiency but delivered devastation to America's industrial heartland. Factories and mills shuttered,

communities crumbled, and the Rust Belt became a graveyard of broken dreams. By 2015, China had overtaken the U.S. as the world's leading manufacturer, producing 28% of global output compared to America's 17%. The trade deficit with China ballooned to $367 billion by 2015, a direct result of policies that prioritized corporate profits over American workers.

The neocons and their big business allies didn't just erode economic dominance; they undermined national security. Manufacturing isn't merely about jobs, it's about sovereignty. A nation that can't mine essential minerals, produce steel, semiconductors, or medical supplies is a nation at the mercy of its rivals. China's rise as a manufacturing superpower, fueled by American capital and know-how, gave Beijing leverage over critical supply chains. When COVID-19 hit, the U.S. scrambled for masks and ventilators, exposing the folly of outsourcing strategic industries. Worse, the globalists' policies freed China to transform its third-rate military into the world's second-greatest fighting force. By 2015, China's defense spending had soared to $145 billion, modernizing its navy, air force, and missile systems with technology and wealth gained from American trade. The People's Liberation Army, once a backward force, now boasts aircraft carriers, stealth fighters, and hypersonic weapons, challenging U.S. supremacy in the Pacific. The globalists' mantra of interdependence ignored the reality: nations like

China play for keeps, not for win-win.

Trump's escalator ride was a middle finger to this betrayal. His unapologetic speech called out the "disaster" of trade deals and the "stupidity" of leaders who let America be "ripped off." He didn't speak in the polished cadences of think-tank wonks or Wall Street donors. He channeled the fury of millions who were abandoned by a party that claimed to represent them but served Davos and the World Economic Forum instead. His message of economic nationalism, bringing back jobs, securing the border, and putting America first resonated not because it was new, but because it was true. Pat Buchanan had warned of the same in the 1990s, but the GOP machine crushed him. Trump, with his wealth, fame, and defiance, was impossible to silence.

The old guard fought back. Jeb Bush, with his $100 million war chest, was their anointed heir. Pundits scoffed at Trump, calling him a clown, a fad, a danger. But the base wasn't listening. In the 2016 primaries, Trump obliterated the establishment, winning 44% of the vote to another outsider Ted Cruz's 25% and leaving Bush with a humiliating 3%. This was the beginning of TDS, Trump Derangement Syndrome. The neocons' vision globalism, interventionism, and corporate fealty had lost its grip.

Trump's GOP was about tariffs to protect American workers, skepticism of foreign wars, and a rejection of elites who saw the heartland as flyover country. By 2020, the trade deficit with China had dropped to $310 billion, and manufacturing jobs were trickling back, proof that policy could reverse the damage.

The transformation wasn't total. Neocons and globalists still lurk in the party's corners, whispering about free markets and "rules-based order." In the Senate, the Old Boys' network-an entrenched clique of establishment Republicans-wields outsized power, clinging to the fallacy of the 60-vote filibuster rule as a sacred tradition. This self-imposed hurdle, often defended with a wink and a nod, ensures that bold reforms stall, holding the Trump agenda hostage. While the base demands action on trade, immigration, and industrial revival, these senators slow-walk legislation, prioritizing collegiality and corporate interests over the will of the voters. Some Republicans in Congress still cling to the old dogma, hoping to outlast Trump's influence. But the base has changed. The voters who pack rallies, wave MAGA flags, and demand accountability aren't the chamber of commerce Republicans of yesteryear. They're workers, small-business owners, and patriots who see through the lie that globalism serves America. The escalator moment wasn't just a candidacy; it was a declaration of

war on a party that had forgotten its people.

Donald J. Trump's legacy is this: the Republican Party, is no longer the plaything of neocons, or big globalist corporations. It's the party of the forgotten, the betrayed, the ones who built America's greatness and watched it shipped overseas. The globalists may still have their think tanks, their donor networks, and their Senate gatekeepers, but the soul of the GOP belongs to those who cheered that day in 2015. The escalator descent wasn't just a campaign stunt-it was the day the Republican Party was reborn.

Perry O Hooper Jr. is a former Alabama State Legislator from Montgomery. He is a member of the Alabama Republican State Executive Committee. He was the 2016 Trump Victory Chair.

Opinions expressed in opinion columns are the opinion of the writer alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Alabama Gazette, staff, or publishers.