President Trump’s selection of Mark Meadows as his new White House chief of staff comes at one of the most consequential times in our country’s history.
Chiefs of staff have always played a critical role in the West Wing, but this time it’s different. We’re at war — but unlike any other battle in recent history, this invisible enemy has invaded our shores, making Meadows not just a presidential chief of staff, but more importantly, chief of staff to a wartime president.
During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln had Edwin Stanton and General Ulysses S. Grant. During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt had George Marshall and Harry Hopkins. Today, Trump has Mark Meadows and Jared Kushner.
Trump is not a career politician. He’s a career businessman and deal-maker. Voters were tired of the same people running for office (political insiders), and they wanted an outsider with real-world experience. It’s why Trump was elected president.
Unlike previous administrations, Trump doesn’t surround himself with Washington insiders and career politicians. He’s purposefully sought out people with extensive private sector experience to serve in his government.
Mark Meadows is a perfect example.
Like the president, Mark is not a career politician. Prior to his election to Congress in 2013, Meadows was a successful small businessman and entrepreneur.
His personal story embodies the American Dream. In 1987, with a $25,000 line of credit, Meadows and his wife, Debbie, opened a restaurant, later selling it, before opening up a local real estate business.
This is the kind of person we need right now serving as chief of staff to the president during this public health and economic crisis, someone with real-world experience and unquestionable business bona fides.
Meadows is also widely respected by his former colleagues in Congress. In his new role as chief of staff, having a private sector background and a deep knowledge and understanding of Congress, with friends on both sides of the aisle, is proving to be a tremendous asset to the president as we deal with this historic crisis.
This will make a big difference in the war we fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the past, America has fought wars against an enemy we could see. This time, we’re fighting an enemy we can’t see. An invisible enemy that’s invaded our shores.
I know a little about war. From 2007-10, I traveled to Baghdad 14 times as a Department of Defense civilian, where our job was to help stabilize Iraq’s war-torn economy. I’ve been an observer up close. War is ugly. It ruins lives and destroys the economy.
But thanks to the leadership of Trump, decisive actions going back many months ago were taken that prevented further physical and economic damages to our country as a result of the coronavirus.
To date, over 67,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19. While that number is more than we lost during the Vietnam War, it’s a reminder that this unprecedented and unexpected crisis could have been a lot worse.
Economically, we’re experiencing another crisis.
About 30 million workers have filed for unemployment in the last six weeks. Unemployment could reach 20%. As a country, we haven’t seen numbers like this since the Great Depression.
But Trump knows what he’s doing. Aided by men of experience and integrity such as Mark Meadows, I am confident, now more than ever, that our best days are yet to come.
Making America Great Again is more than a catchy slogan. It’s our new call to action.
When the history books are written, Trump will be remembered as a wartime president who surrounded himself with the right people and guided us out of this historic crisis.
Mark Vargas is a tech entrepreneur, political strategist, criminal justice reform advocate, and contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential Blog. From 2007-10, he served as a civilian in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkAVargas.
