Monday night, we learned the stunning news that the FBI had conducted a raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. While we’ve yet to see the warrant or documentation supporting the raid, the reports are that it was connected to classified material removed from the White House, at issue under the Presidential Records Act.

While the fallout from this unprecedented move will continue to unfold — likely for years — Trump himself wasted no time in sharing his own reaction to it. Initially, he released an e-mail:

These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before. After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate. It is prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats who desperately don’t want me to run for President in 2024, especially based on recent polls, and who will likewise do anything to stop Republicans and Conservatives in the upcoming Midterm Elections. Such an assault could only take place in broken, Third-World Countries. Sadly, America has now become one of those Countries, corrupt at a level not seen before. They even broke into my safe! What is the difference between this and Watergate, where operatives broke into the Democrat National Committee? Here, in reverse, Democrats broke into the home of the 45th President of the United States.

The political persecution of President Donald J. Trump has been going on for years, with the now fully debunked Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax #2, and so much more, it just never ends. It is political targeting at the highest level!

Hillary Clinton was allowed to delete and acid wash 33,000 E-mails AFTER they were subpoenaed by Congress. Absolutely nothing has happened to hold her accountable. She even took antique furniture, and other items from the White House.

I stood up to America’s bureaucratic corruption, I restored power to the people, and truly delivered for our Country, like we have never seen before. The establishment hated it. Now, as they watch my endorsed candidates win big victories, and see my dominance in all polls, they are trying to stop me, and the Republican Party, once more. The lawlessness, political persecution, and Witch Hunt must be exposed and stopped.

I will continue to fight for the Great American People!

Early Tuesday morning, Trump released a powerful campaign-style video on Truth Social. One needn’t read between lines to pick up on his intentions. And, regardless of one’s political bent, it’s impossible to miss the masterful marketing here:

The video runs for three minutes and forty-six seconds. It opens like a movie, with the President’s name over the title: “A Nation in Decline” against a black background. We hear Trump’s voice, somberly intoning: “We are…a failing nation…We are a nation that has the highest inflation in over 40 years.”

We then see him, in black and white, at a podium, as he continues: “Where the stock market just finished the worst first-half of a year in more than five decades.”

Throughout the video, we see stark scenes of power lines, oil wells, the disgraceful exit from Afghanistan, crime, a defeated-looking Joe Biden, as Trump soberly describes the current state of our nation:

We are a nation that has the highest energy cost in its history, and we are no longer energy-independent or energy-dominant — which we were just two short years ago.

We are a nation that is begging Venezuala and Saudi Arabia for oil.

We are a nation that surrendered in Afghanistan, leaving behind dead soldiers, American citizens, and 85 billion dollars’ worth of the finest military equipment in the world.

We are a nation that allowed Russia to devestate a country — Ukraine — killing hundreds of thousands of people — and it will only get worse.

We are a nation that has weaponized its law enforcement against the opposing political party like never before — we’ve never seen anything like this.

We are a nation that no longer has a free and fair press — fake news is about all you get.

We are a nation where free speech is no longer allowed, where crime is rampant like never before, where the economy has been collapsing, where more people died of COVID in 2021 than in 2020.

We are a nation that is allowing Iran to build a massive nuclear weapon and China to use the trillions and trillions of dollars it’s taken from the United States to build a military to rival our own.

We are a nation that, over the past two years, is no longer respected or listened to, all around the world.

And we are a nation that is hostile to liberty and freedom and faith.

We are a nation whose economy is floundering, whose stores are not stocked, whose deliveries are not coming, and whose educational system is ranked at the bottom of every list.

We are a nation that, in many ways, has become a joke.

Then we cut back to Trump, in color, the music uplifting, as he promises a hopeful, smiling crowd:

But soon, we will have greatness again. It was hard-working patriots like you who built this country and it is hard-working patriots like you who are going to save our country.

There is no mountain we cannot climb. There is no summit we cannot reach. There is no challenge we cannot meet. There is no victory we cannot have.

We will not bend. We will not break. We will not yield — ever, ever, ever. We will never give in, we will never give up, and we will never, ever back down. We will never let you down.

As long as we are confident and united, the tyrants we are fighting do not stand even a little chance. Because we are Americans and Americans kneel to God and God alone, and it is time to start talking about greatness for our country again.

Then we fade back to black, and the video ends with a simple quote:

“…the best is yet to come.”

–President Donald J. Trump

Definitely shades of Reagan’s famous and much-beloved “Morning in America” ad. No doubt that’s intended. For all the hatred directed at Donald Trump, anyone with an ounce of intellectual honesty would be hard-pressed to dispute the man knows marketing. His fans will love it; his critics will hate it — almost as much as they hate him.

But for those who view Monday’s Mar-a-Lago raid as the coup de grâce for Donald Trump, I’ll paraphrase one of the country’s most beloved writers and humorists: As with most things Trump, the reports of his demise are…greatly exaggerated.

P.S. Folks, these latest shenanigans show us how critical it is to support independent journalism. You can do that — easily and inexpensively (less than $5 per month) — by clicking here and using discount code SAVEAMERICA to sign up for a VIP membership. Remember — a VIP Gold membership gets you access to VIP content across all Townhall properties. We appreciate you!