From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By David Bossie

President-elect Donald J. Trump promised that if elected he would govern in bold colors, not pale pastels. Our next president believes deeply in American Exceptionalism and is making it perfectly clear that the days of America taking a back seat to anyone are over.

Trump’s optimistic vision is for our great nation to lead once again as a beacon of freedom for centuries to come, and that we must be victorious in the great battle of ideals that is currently underway. There is simply no escaping it; the United States will continue to lead the world for good or Communist China will gladly take up the mantle and lead it for evil.

Freedom, democracy, free market capitalism and individual liberty must persevere and carry the day because socialism, oppression and the road to darkness never sleep. Trump knows that America must be vigilant and that means always being on offense.

Trump has big plans for America. This starts with undisputed economic dominance and a peace-through-strength foreign policy that makes the world safe again. When America is out front leading, there is far more reason to be optimistic about the future.

Communist China wants to replace America as the world’s global superpower and Trump fully understands this — and wholeheartedly rejects it. For decades, U.S. policy toward China was naïve and wrong. China was built-up in Washington, D.C.’s corridors of power as a partner with good intentions. But Trump, the ultimate political outsider and America’s first advocate, knew otherwise.

During his 2016 campaign for president and throughout his first term in office, Trump singlehandedly changed U.S-China policy for the better. He called out China for stealing American jobs and ripping us off economically. He also called out China’s dictatorship for rampant human rights violations and their COVID-19 cover-up.

Then President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris assumed power and immediately bent to the will of the communists in Beijing. The CCP took full advantage of the weakness of the Biden-Harris administration and flexed their muscles around the world for four long years. But on January 20, 2025, when Trump once again takes the oath of office, that all stops — and not a moment too soon.

In signature Trumpian fashion, our 45th and soon to be 47th president is already showing a much-needed sense of urgency, getting busy positioning America and the world for his presidency even before he is officially sworn in. Outgoing President Biden is nowhere to be found, and there is just no time to wait for the return of American leadership on the global stage.

Look no further than Trump’s recent announcements regarding Greenland and the Panama Canal. Trump is always playing the long game and sometimes this requires four-dimensional chess. With his every move, Trump is looking at the world through the prism of what China is angling to do for the balance of the 21st century.

Trump sees the acquisition of Greenland by the United States as a matter of national security and significant strategic importance. This is simply a matter of common sense; China is expanding its influence all over the globe and it is high time for America to recognize this reality and take action. A “Greenland Purchase” — like the Louisiana Purchase — will send a message to the world that America is a strong, vibrant, future-oriented nation, laser focused on making our planet a safe place for freedom, peace and prosperity to flourish.

The same theory goes for the Panama Canal. The United States built and paid for the vitally important trade route and the worst president in history before Biden — Jimmy Carter — made a short-sighted mistake to cede control of it. The thought of future Chinese control or undue influence over the canal is a non-starter for Trump, and rightly so. Once again, common sense is guiding Trump’s thought process on this matter. China wants to dominate the world and greatly expand its interests in the Western Hemisphere, so it doesn’t take a genius to understand its lust for the Panama Canal. Once again, while it might be unpleasant to think about, America wants the canal protected for free and fair trade, and global safety and security for all. The ultimate plans of the Communist Chinese on the other hand must always be considered and for Trump, America sitting on its heels isn’t a survivable option.

When President Harry Truman famously said, “I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell,” he was talking about the tough decisions a leader must make in a complex world. Likewise, throughout the historic 2024 campaign, Trump spoke with similar honesty and transparency about the daunting task that lies before us in the years to come. Indeed, there is much work to do to get America back on the right track — and that includes making important geopolitical decisions that will make the world a safer place now and for future generations.

David Bossie is the president of Citizens United and served as a senior adviser to the Trump-Pence 2020 campaign. In 2016, Bossie served as deputy campaign manager for Donald J. Trump for President and deputy executive director for the Trump-Pence Transition Team.