We can argue the reasons behind why the left and the mainstream media gassed up the anti-Trump rhetoric train and pulled out of the station almost as soon as Donald Trump descended the escalator at Trump Tower in 2015.  There are many reasons – some legitimate, some conspiracy-esque.  Regardless, the situation exists.

This constant drumbeat of "Damn Trump, Damn Trump, Damn Trump," day after day, night after night, week after week from a vast majority of news outlets has, to at least a good chunk of the public, engendered an intense hatred for our 45th president.  They hate him.  They hate everything he does, everything he says, everything he signs into law.  They hate.

And Donald Trump knows it.

People will say Donald Trump is not a politician, that he is new to the complicated world of politics.  Historically speaking, that may be true, but Donald Trump plays the political game better than anyone I've seen in my lifetime.  It's driving his opponents crazy.

President Trump sees what he calls the fake news media vilifying his every move day after day.  Unlike politicians in the past – specifically, Republican politicians – he doesn't cower in a corner; immediately apologize; try to recover; and limp along to a beige, mediocre career.  In fact, he does the opposite.  He punches back.

When he punches back, the left and the media double down on their hysterics, and an interesting phenomenon seems to emerge.  Rationality and sanity – which may have been in short supply to begin with – fly out the window.  Things that would never escape the mouths of pundits, politicians, and newscasters hit the airwaves, and rational sane people can't help but shake their heads in amazement. 

If you're going to discuss examples of media hysteria, you might as well dive into the deep end.  Let's look at immigration.  President Trump's policy on immigration has always been to put Americans first and to keep America secure.  He wants to build a wall, beef up border security, and do away with policies that are less than spectacular when it comes to vetting potential immigrants.  Those policies would allow fewer criminals and illegal drugs to cross the border.  America is safe.  Everyone should be happy.

Instead of applauding President Trump for something that just 20 short years ago Democrat President Bill Clinton advocated for, what did the left and the media do?  They pivoted away from any rational message they once had on the subject and began promoting open borders and sheltering illegal aliens, regardless of how obscene their crimes are, in newly designated sanctuary cities.  To top it off, the left and the media branded the president and anyone who sided with him as a xenophobe and a racist.

What about the kerfuffle with the NFL and kneeling during the National Anthem?  The players decided to do this during the National Anthem, long viewed as a tribute to not only our country, but to those who fought and died to protect the freedoms of our country.  A football game lasts for three-plus hours.  The National Anthem lasts for 90 seconds.  They say it's not dishonoring the flag, but they continue to do it during the less than 1% of the football broadcast that honors our country.

President Trump, as he is wont to do, weighed in on the issue and chose America over the protesters.  I don't remember him denigrating the players' views or their right to protest.  But he did call it disrespectful. 

The left and the media, in predictable fashion, disagreed with the president, but when he didn't back down, the irrationality and the insanity ratcheted up.  Some commentators called President Trump a white supremacist (who doesn't these days?), and one even suggested that the anthem and the flag itself represent racism.  Those who agreed with the president are even worse than he is.

My final example isn't even a policy decision.  President Trump decided to use (or rather borrow from Ronald Reagan) the campaign slogan "Make America Great Again."  We have seen numerous examples of college students and others having their MAGA hats ripped from their heads.  Some have suffered beatings in the process.

Politicians on the left and their cronies in the media, in their constant denigration of the president, have made fun of and dismissed the MAGA slogan, with some pundits equating it with genocide and white nationalism.  Now Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, has stated that America never was that great to begin with, ignoring the progress that's been made historically.

What do all these examples (and trust me: there were tons more) have in common?  They communicate to the average everyday American, who works hard and still loves this country, that the left and the media are anti-American.  We want open borders, let everyone in even if they're criminals, drugs can't be stopped, disrespecting our National Anthem is okay because it's racist, and trying to make America great again is a horrible idea and must end.

How could things have gotten this way?  The answer is simple when you think about it.  Donald Trump was savvy enough not only to use the intense hatred directed against him to maneuver the left into these untenable positions, but also to reveal the left's agenda and methods to the country.  As a whole, America is center-right and still very much patriotic.  We see what the left and the media are doing, and we don't care for it. 

Some experts think a blue wave is coming in November.  Some say it may be a red wave.  If I know this country, I suspect that it will be a red, white, and blue wave.

Steve Schiller is Producer for the radio show Steel on Steel, steelonsteel.com.