Almost ten years into former President Donald Trump’s historic political movement, his critics still cannot grasp what makes him so popular with everyday hard-working Americans — and they still demonize the men and women who support him. 

President Biden’s smearing them as “garbage” was obviously not only offensive but just plain wrong: Trump’s supporters are good, decent people who believe he will make their lives and America better. 

Why? Because he did it once already.

In early 2015 I was working in communications at the Trump Organization when Trump, my boss, told a small group of us he would be running for president. 

From our first trip to Iowa that January, I knew he was going to win. 

Sure, our team consisted of exactly zero professional politicos. Most of us had never even been to Iowa before. 

But this undeniably talented candidate, from the very beginning, was offering the kind of leadership Americans were craving. 

He was politically incorrect, saying things that were obvious and true. He was at times brash and controversial.

He simultaneously became a pariah to the media and political class, and beloved by the people.  

He was authentic to his core, never not wearing a suit and tie — he always looked like he came straight from the boardroom no matter the occasion.

When another staffer suggested he carry his own suitcase from his personalized 757 airplane to “look more like a regular guy,” Trump refused. He would always tell us how smart the American people are; they would know it was phony if he did something like that. 

People understood he wasn’t going to apologize for his success — and that he wouldn’t apologize for America, either. He reminded people the American dream is something to strive for, and it’s within reach when you have the right leadership. 

In the early months of that campaign, Trump would sit in the front passenger seat of whatever SUV we traveled in across states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, shaking hands and signing autographs for the supporters who ran after us when we stopped at traffic lights. 

Crowds would form at every tiny airfield we dropped into, and he always took time to visit with the people who gathered to see him, often giving dollar bills to the children waiting.

When we stopped for food, he was the one who placed the order at the McDonald’s drive-thru window. While other candidates ate corn dogs at the state fair, Trump offered rides in his helicopter.  

I watched him listen to each person who approached with a story of a lost job or a family hardship. He’d often write them handwritten notes afterward to express his gratitude or to offer support.

He volunteered aid to those in need, and he made promises he fought tirelessly to keep. 

The unbroken trust between Donald Trump and his supporters grew from those encounters. He looks directly into the eyes of those who thought they were forgotten, or fear being left behind, and he tells them he sees them, he hears them, and he’s fighting for them. 

The American people are Trump’s superpower. They give him the energy and strength to deliver on his promises, and he treasures them all — not just those who voted for him. 

His 2016 victory was not only a political shock but a remarkable triumph: the embodiment of the very American idea that you can achieve anything you set your mind to, and you can do it being exactly who you are. 

Trump, who had never held elective office, astonishingly trounced 17 professional politicians and went on to defeat Hillary Clinton, a candidate with every advantage: top political operatives running her campaign, full control of her party, and more money than our campaign could have dreamed of.

She had the endorsement of the incumbent president and of every major institution, newspaper and celebrity. 

Trump had something far more powerful: a message that resonated and an undeniable connection with voters who recognized an outsider’s willingness to create real change.

He withstood an unprecedented onslaught of negative press and outrageous smears, yet he never abandoned his true self and his convictions.  

A lot has changed since his improbable win in 2016, but a few things remain the same: Trump is still facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles and relentless attacks, and Americans are again craving strong, common-sense leadership. 

He is still the same incredibly hard-working, patriotic person I knew then — more determined than ever to fight for this country and make it better for everyone. 

I voted for Donald Trump in 2024 for the same reason I worked on his campaigns and in his White House: Because I know the American people can count on him.

On Tuesday, vote for Donald Trump and join me as we write the next chapter in a story of American greatness we can all be part of.

Hope Hicks served as White House Communications Director for President Donald Trump and later as Counselor to the President.