When President Donald Trump left Washington four years ago, he was defeated.

He lost a bitter electoral battle. Blamed for the Capitol riots. Not to mention a slew of criminal charges.

F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said, “There are no second acts in American life.”

But he may not have written about sports or politics. In athletics, Rocky Blair, Tommy John, and even Michael Jordan come to mind.

Country singer Carrie Underwood shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump after singing “America the Beautiful” during Trump’s inauguration ceremony in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, January 20, 2025 . (SHAWN THEW/Pool via Reuters)

Trump wins 2024 presidential election

Politics is full of comebacks – Richard Nixon, Winston Churchill and Vladimir Lenin all make the list.

So does the president Donald Trump.

He is only the second one now The President of the United States returns to office. President Grover Cleveland served his first term from 1885 to 1889. But Cleveland lost the presidency in 1888. Cleveland won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College to President Benjamin Harrison. However, Cleveland rallied to defeat Harrison in 1892 and return to the White House.

This is Mr. Trump’s second action. At least when it comes to the presidency.

For his part, the president enjoys unprecedented public support. He received 77 million votes but fell short of 50%. However, the president did receive 312 electoral votes.

Second Lady Usha Vance, Vice President J.D. Vance, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump join outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden at the departure ceremony after Donald Trump is sworn in as President on January 20, 2025.
(Chris Kleponis/Pool via REUTERS)

So Mr. Trump, like Cleveland, enters his second act. What’s in front?

The expectations are astronomical.

“The United States delivered its verdict on November 5th. They spoke loud and clear,” Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama said on Fox.

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Republicans promised a makeover.

“When I see peace starting to appear again around the world. They’re going to say, ‘This is the stability we’re asking for,'” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said on Fox. “Dad is back.”

Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.) speaks at the Fiserv Forum on the first day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 15, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)

Crackdown is coming.

“When you have a completely open border, you don’t have safety, security or even sovereignty,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said on NBC.

With the president back in power, the Republican Party is more united than it was in 2016. Congressional Republicans are far from solidly behind him. House Republicans held 241 seats at the time. His most ardent supporters on Capitol Hill are those who are no longer in office. Former New York Rep. Chris Collins and California Republican Duncan Hunter Jr. were among his first supporters in the House. Both men were convicted in unrelated criminal cases and left Congress. Trump later pardoned them. His biggest supporter in the Senate is former Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. Sessions left the Senate to serve as Mr. Trump’s first attorney general. He served less than two years before stepping down at the president’s request.

Congressional Republicans were skeptical of Trump at the time. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., spearheaded the effort to repeal Obamacare. After Republicans had to withdraw the bill in the House, Republicans finally scraped together the votes to kill it a month later. The bill suffered a setback in the Senate after the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain voted against it. But the failure of the first attempt in the House tells you everything you need to know about where the party stands and how influential Mr. Trump is.

But lawmakers did force through Trump’s much-ballyhooed tax cuts later this year.

Republican unity is different this time. The government and lawmakers started with an agenda of cutting taxes and reducing the deficit.

“There’s a discussion going on right now about whether we’re going to have one bill or two bills here. The process doesn’t matter to us. We just know we have to make this happen for the American people,” said Sen. Mike. Round, R.S.D., Fox. “He’s way ahead of where he was eight years ago.”

But one Republican senator issued a warning to his colleagues.

“I think the top priority for Republicans should be securing the border,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham of CBS. “Putting tax cuts and spending cuts together later.”

It will be about math. That’s despite their ambitious legislative ambition to authorize massive border funding while simultaneously cutting spending and cutting taxes. Republicans hold only a slim majority in the House of Representatives. With former Florida Rep. Michael Waltz resigning to become national security adviser, House Republicans’ tally will drop to 218 votes. That majority will shrink to 217 when Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York resigns to become ambassador to the United Nations — assuming she is confirmed by the Senate.

So, despite the goals, moving anything through the House will be challenging.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson shakes hands with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on stage during the House Republican Conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on November 13, 2024. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)

Frankly, they may need Democratic help on some issues — like avoiding a government shutdown or raising the debt ceiling.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said on Fox: “As much as my colleagues have been talking about the president having a mandate, and he’s elected, that doesn’t exist in the House. “They’re hardly in the majority, so if they want to work with us, I think they’ll find a willing partner.”

Confirmation votes for Trump’s cabinet picks are about to take place.

“He needs a disruptive team,” Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., said on Fox. “They want disruptors. They want to think outside the box.”

But some choices may be too disruptive.

Consider Tulsi Gabbard, nominee for Director of National Intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., selected as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Senate committees have not yet scheduled hearings for either man. Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth is likely to receive a confirmation vote. But the Senate may need to hold a procedural vote to break a Democratic obstruction to force Hegseth’s confirmation.

Still, Democrats are recalibrating their Trump 2.0 strategy.

“I think Democrats resisted the president on everything last time. It was just continued anger. I think this time they need to move to a different strategy of selective resistance,” Moskowitz said.

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Then Trump’s second act begins. What problem did Grover Cleveland solve? Tariff and Silver Policy. Mr. Trump doesn’t need to dwell on the latter subject (we presume). But you know the unresolved battles with China, Canada, Mexico and other places regarding tariffs and issues.

The new president has about two years to implement his policies and get his legislative agenda through Congress. But people are expecting results.

That’s the thing about the second act. In sports. in politics. Only in theaters is there a third one.