Donald Trump's "America First" platform empowered the nation to some of its most important days in the republic's history.  He had a bond with his supporters that few presidents have ever achieved.  Whether or not he returns to office in the future, the movement he spawned is mobilized for the long run.

MAGA conservatives were dealt a setback when Democrats were allowed to steal the elections.  The system failed, and weak Republicans also failed by doing nothing when they had the power to challenge the election fraud.  It was appalling to all of us, and now we must take steps to see that this does not happen again.  

In some ways, we are back to the beginning, where the Tea Party was twelve years ago, but now we are the MAGA movement with millions joining our ranks.  We are awake now like never before.  Rather than yelling at the television, we must take action and do something about it. 

We need to mobilize and take control of the Republican Party with MAGA conservatives instead of RINOs.  Forming a third party is a waste of time.  We need to invigorate and infuse the local party officials with movement conservatives at the precinct level.  From there, we move up to the county level, then the state, and then the RNC itself.  We will back only MAGA-minded candidates and insist that GOP officeholders maintain basic MAGA principles. 

The ten House and seven Senate Republicans who voted against Trump in the impeachment have resulted in numerous Republicans no longer associating with the GOP.  This thinking is precisely the wrong response.  We must double down and primary those weak-kneed Republicans and take back the House and Senate in 2022. 

MAGA-supporters only grow more outraged by the left's attempt to stifle debate.  The next step for MAGA patriots who live in swing states will be to tighten up election laws so that an election fiasco does not happen again.  Election laws are primarily a state issue, but nothing can progress until there has been a national discussion on election fraud. 

Worldwide, this is a clash between the globalist elites and grassroots nationalist movements.  Do we want a new world communist order run by elite oligarchs in Silicon Valley and Davos and underwritten by the slave labor of a genocidal regime in Beijing?  Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are bought and paid for by both camps and will not confront either of them in any meaningful way.  The MAGA movement is now the resistance, and we cannot submit.

There is no depth to which the left will not stoop.  Leftists will steal elections in the name of "count all the votes," burn cities in the name of "Black Lives Matter," and orchestrate riots in the Capitol to blame it on Trump and then impeach him over it after he has left office.  We can only expect more of this behavior in the years ahead. 

These tactics are straight out of the Alinsky playbook to take down the movement's leader to neutralize those who follow him.  Anyone who speaks up, such as Gen. Michael Flynn, Mike Lindell, Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, or Steve Bannon, is viciously attacked.  Everyone knows courageous leadership can mobilize the more than 75 million Trump voters into an unstoppable force. 

America is being stolen before our eyes.  Only the MAGA movement can prevent this dismal future that is coming.  We have the potential to win big in the midterms as the Tea Party did for the Republican Party in 2010.  We have much work to do, and we must work for the long run. 

Trump has been the driving force of this nationalist-populist movement these past five years.  While we hope for his return to office, the MAGA movement will continue after he is gone.  Our best days are ahead.  Governor Ron DeSantis and Senator Josh Hawley could be the rock star successors in the long run. 

If MAGA conservatives don't take over the Republican Party, we will lose the country.  The public is awakening to the precarious state the nation is in, and they are joining the movement.  The election fraud and impeachment were less about Donald Trump and more about stopping the MAGA movement.  And stopping this movement is not going to happen. 

Jeff Lukens is a West Point graduate, U.S. Army veteran, and a political activist in his community.  He can be reached here. 

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr (cropped).