Emineth: Team of Rivals – InForum

Something happened on the road to Milwaukee. Something organic. Something real. As important as the assassination of Donald Trump was in setting the stage. What happened was the result of something even bigger. And “we the people” of the United States of America were allowed to be a part of it. People who a year earlier had stood on the same stage as participants in a debate with many of those who would be speaking that week. The circumstances were certainly very different. The stakes were truly nothing. They were no longer competing for the second spot on the presidential ticket. Trump had made his choice.

However, this week the cream of the crop of the Republican Party came together and were each given 5-7 minutes to speak. And speak they did! These men and women lit up the room with their distinctive styles, delivery and substance to stand on their own as they attempted to light a fire and fan the flame in the party of Trump for candidate Trump.

These people, some of whom had very different philosophies and beliefs about Trump as an individual and even policy issues, countered previous positions with a twist or dodged their own arguments with a new focus. Notable were the words of Nikki Haley, who assumed her role as ambassador in the Trump administration. She listed a number of things that would not happen in a Trump administration: the takeover of Crimea, the war in Ukraine, leaving Americans behind in Afghanistan, and a soft Bidenesque stance on Israel. She ended her remarks on a high note: disagreements do not have to destroy support, i.e., casting your vote for Trump. Think of Reagan’s 80/20 rule. Marco Rubio looked nothing like the candidate Trump saw in 2016: his message was heard and would be well received.

One thing that struck me was that this was a good preview of the future of the Republican Party. Vivek Ramaswamy’s speech showed signs of maturity – his voice sounded older and his words wiser. His message had the colors of a great campaign speech. Burgum gave a speech for Trump and showed that he would have been a great choice.

While I find it difficult to compare Trump to any American president in history, a book by noted historian Doris Kearns Goodwin comes to mind as I search my memory for possible connections. “A Team of Rivals” is how she described the outcome of the 1860 Republican Convention. Lincoln became his party’s unlikely nominee for president and assembled a team of three brilliant men who came in as his rivals to work with him as members of his cabinet. It seems fitting to suggest that Trump could do something similar and surround himself with some of those who spoke for him. As the saying goes, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

Gary Emineth is a businessman and political activist from North Dakota. He is the former executive director and state chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party. Emineth has served on the Republican National Committee and has chaired numerous presidential campaigns in North Dakota. He is the host of the daily television shows “The Legislature Today” and “Open Range” on BEK. He is a serial entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience in business with multinational corporations. He has traveled the world and served as CEO and president of mid-sized companies.