I was born in South America, surrounded by socialist ideology. My mother wanted us to live in the only place on Earth where you are bound by only the limits of your imagination. With unmistakable courage, just before my fifth birthday, she put us on a plane to the United States — legally.
I did what you’re supposed to do when you come to the United States. Learned the language. Worked hard. Didn’t take handouts.
It worked. I risked everything to build businesses. I employed thousands of Ohioans. I’m proof positive that the American Dream is alive.
Recently though the American Dream has been under attack by the radical left, and the political class has been acquiescing.
Fortunately, for the four years before Joe Biden took office, the American Ideal had a singular, great champion: President Donald J. Trump.
President Trump stood up to the establishment politicians, the Hollywood elite, Big Tech, and big corporations. President Trump couldn’t be bullied. He cared only about doing what was best for this great country. He fought for the average American.
The liberal elite threw everything they had at him: sham impeachments, shady investigations, a hostile deep state working against him, the media working as an arm of the Democratic Party, and more. But President Trump stood up to them and won more votes than any president in history.
Donald Trump remade the Republican Party with an American First agenda. Previous GOP leaders worried about what corporate board they would sit on after leaving office; President Trump worried about the approval of America’s working class. I’m running for the U.S. Senate to continue President Trump’s fight for an American First agenda.
The America First policies championed by President Trump are the uniting principle of a new movement that will save this country.
At their core, each of these America First policies are about returning power to the people of this country — out of the hands of the government, multinational corporations, and foreign threats.
First, we must put the American worker first. That means cracking down on China. It means no more bad trade deals to benefit corporations. We need to repatriate our critical manufacturing, starting immediately with semiconductors. We cannot allow China and other bad actors to produce or control our most essential goods. This is no longer a hypothetical threat. China is withholding our products from us. We must mobilize the American private sector — with the urgency that the greatest generation brought to World War II — to bring our jobs and goods back home.
We must also secure our country’s borders. As President Trump said, “A country without borders, is not a country at all.” He sought to combat the border crisis — where cartels and coyotes victimize vulnerable foreigners and American citizens alike. He brought order to the border with a firm, fair approach. Let me tell you, no one hates illegal immigration more than legal immigrants. It has to stop. We need to finish the wall and reinstitute the common sense policies that Joe Biden eliminated on his first day. The violence and chaos at the United States southern border must end.
We must put America’s interests first on the global stage. President Trump projected strength and leadership across the globe. Joe Biden is more concerned with warm welcomes at international summits than about speaking up for what’s best for regular Americans. As Senator, I’d be more concerned with what my constituents’ concerns are, than Emmanuel Macron’s.
A few weeks ago, I became a grandfather for the first time. I’m running for Senate because I want my granddaughter to grow up in the same America that I did.
I don’t want her to be told what to think by liberal teachers who would tell her she’s a victim because she is Hispanic or when she’s older to have her political beliefs dictated to her by her politically correct corporate overlords.
I want her to grow up in the country that President Donald J. Trump fought for. A country that is great and isn’t ashamed of it. A country that puts its people first. A country that believes in the rule of law and equal opportunity.
That’s why we must unite around these America First agenda items. If we can create momentum at every level of government, from school board to Senate, we can take back this country. We can protect and even accelerate the victories of Donald J. Trump. We can get our country back, and the world will be better for it.
Bernie Moreno is a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.
First Published August 2, 2021, 1:44 p.m.