What Was so Different this Time About President Trump’s Election Victory?

Why is newly elected Trump a veritable cultural hero in 2024 in a fashion unimaginable eight years ago, when the media had rendered him a near demon? In the weeks before the 2016 Trump Electoral College victory, Donald Trump was polling between 35 and 40 percent. He would average only about 41% approval over his tumultuous four-year tenure. No one knows what lies ahead over the next four years. But for now, President Trump already polls well over 50% approval. His inauguration in a few weeks (Jan. 21, 2025) will likely not resemble his 2016 ceremony.   In the 2016-2017…