At this time last year, people were laughing at Donald Trump’s announcement that he was running for President. A Trump presidency was touted as impossible and preposterous. Despite all of that, Trump set fire to the rules of presidential campaigning and picked off each Republican favorite one by one from Jeb Bush, to Marco Rubio, to finally Ted Cruz as he blazed a trail all the way to the Republican nomination. All of this was done while the media continuously focused on tearing down his policies and temperament with a relentless assault on whatever crazy thing he said that week. Despite this though, the media is still taking the same approach to a man who, whether they like it or not, may just be the 45^th President of the United States. They still can’t seem to understand why he has won over Republican voters, and neither can establishment Republicans. However, the fact that they don’t understand why Trump has amassed a movement the likes of which this country has never seen, is exactly why he has risen to such prominence.

The fact of the matter is that, for years, the American people, both Democrats and Republicans alike, have sat and watched as the leaders they entrusted failed miserably right before their eyes. The government shut down, the national debt doubled, and radical Islamic terrorism claimed hundreds of lives in Boston, Orlando, Paris and Brussels. Washington was plagued with gridlock as a stagnant congress became one of the least productive in American History. All of this was enough to make millions of Americans lose faith in the traditional politician and turn to two outsiders promising radical change. For the Democrats, that candidate was Bernie Sanders. For Republicans, it was Trump.

The similarities between the styles of both Trump and Sanders were incredibly striking as their campaigns progressed. Both promised revolutionary change, and touted their self-financed campaigns. Trump and Sanders both sounded very genuine in debates and rallies, a stark contrast from the rehearsed talking points and soundbites of a candidate like Hillary Clinton. Conventional wisdom said that these platforms couldn’t last long, yet Sanders amassed over twelve million votes and won 22 contests against Clinton and Trump won a record thirteen million votes en route to the Republican nomination.

The media as well as establishment Republicans often say that Trump lacks the presidential composure, has paper thin policies, and panders to the fears of American Isolationists with perceived racism and bigotry. However, could that really be possible for all thirteen million people who voted for him? The fact is that millions of Americans are not just frustrated, but furious with the status quo and Trump is the one promising change. Sanders was his democratic counterpart and nearly took down the once viewed as unstoppable Clinton. Republican voters are begging for someone to put America first, and that is the focal point of Trump’s policies. Though many would like to attribute this to prejudice, is it really wrong of Americans to want to put their country first?

The American people’s faith in government as well as career politicians has been destroyed and the fact that the media and establishment Republicans seem to be oblivious to this is the point. Republicans in congress are consistently more interested in playing the blame game than solving the problems at hand. A few months ago Republicans in the Senate led by majority leader Mitch McConnell and former presidential candidate Cruz outright refused to do their job and hold hearings for Supreme Court justice nominee Merrick Garland. Just last week in the wake of one of the worst mass shootings in the history of our country, congress failed to pass any gun reform laws such as universal federal background checks which 89 percent of Americans support.

Trump wants to change all of this petty obstructionism on both sides of the aisle and unite the country on a platform of real change to put America first. Perhaps that’s why the establishment Republicans don’t get him. Because every time they vote to block progress on something the American people want like federal background checks on assault weapons, or deny a Supreme Court Judge his right to a hearing, they are not putting America first.