A Big Thanksgiving For Catholics

This Thanksgiving, Catholics across the nation have extra reason to celebrate. On election day, Catholics resoundingly rejected the most anti-Catholic presidential ticket in American history. By the largest margins in nearly 50 years, Catholics voted instead for President Trump and JD Vance’s promises to restore optimism and hope on an array of issues that Catholics hold dear.

Basking in electoral success, it’s easy to forget what transpired over the past four years, and what could have come next had the election turned out differently. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris notoriously governed as the most pro-abortion administration in United States history. The Harris-Walz platform went further, making abortion a leading issue of their campaign, promising to ban all state laws protecting women and vulnerable children, making even late-term and post-birth abortions the law of the land.

A prospective Harris-Walz administration promised to escalate this persecution, threatening any person or institution that stood in their way. In the final month of the campaign, Harris inexplicably declared that Catholic foundational beliefs on the sanctity of life and fundamental protections for conscience and religious freedom would be targeted, effectively putting Catholic schools, religious orders, hospitals and charities in jeopardy. Harris’ running mate Walz was no better, doubling down on his radical record as Governor of Minnesota, where he was exposed for trying to silence reporting on the number of babies left to die after botched abortions.

Lest we also forget, the Biden-Harris administration weaponized government agencies against Catholics in an Orwellian fashion that Harris and Walz would have only intensified. Late last year, the FBI Richmond Field Office was exposed for labeling traditional Catholics as potential domestic extremists, and circulated memos to multiple field offices advising agents to set trip wires, and to surveil Catholics attending religious services. While undercover agents embedded in Catholic choir lofts joined in the singing of sacred hymns, pro-abortion vandals firebombed and vandalized pro-life organizations and Catholic churches with impunity.

And then there was Biden-Harris’ FBI and DOJ’s lopsided application of the FACE Act – and their aggressive use of it against peaceful pro-life advocates – making clear they viewed Catholics and pro-life citizens as enemies of the state. Elderly Holocaust survivor Eva Edl, among many others, was arrested for her prayers, while Mark Houck’s home was raided, forcing him to beat back charges that could have landed him in federal prison for decades. Meanwhile, Jane’s Revenge and other pro-abortion domestic extremists eluded responsibility for their terrorizing of pro-life organizations across America.

Catholics got the message. Kamala Harris had no time nor tolerance for Catholics and our way of life. Her decision to skip the traditional Al Smith dinner was only made worse by her decision to submit an off-color, humorless video featuring SNL actors mocking Catholic school girls. Her snub of the traditional fall charity dinner only confirmed Catholic skepticism given Harris’ extreme record of anti-Catholic bigotry – most notably, her implication that holding to Catholic beliefs is disqualifying for federal office. 

Conversely, President Trump’s resilience despite ongoing attacks, smear campaigns, and trials inspired many anxious Catholics, who believed the former President understood their plight on a personal level, from the humanitarian catastrophe at the border to the cost of food and housing, to parental rights, religious freedom, and the enthusiasm around children’s health with Making America Healthy Again. 

Aside from his pivot to leaving the question of abortion to the states, Catholics remembered who stood up to intense opposition to nominate and help confirm three new Supreme Court justices who joined a court majority to overturn Roe v. Wade – a goal sought by Catholics and countless pro-life advocates for over 50 years. Trump likewise championed religious freedom as president and candidate, repeatedly affirming his respect for Catholicism. He even attributed surviving an assassination attempt to God. And unlike Biden, Trump’s Vice President JD Vance is a devout Catholic who has sought to conform his public life consistent with Catholic teachings.

Trump likewise staunchly defended parental rights, standing up to progressive efforts to undermine parental oversight of their children’s health when it comes to gender ideology. Catholic parents should be relieved that Trump opposes the indoctrination of their Pre-K through 8th grade school children with explicit LGBTQ+ ideology; they also should expect the Trump/Vance Administration to end the discrimination against Catholic parents in foster care.

In addition, Catholic parents – especially those stripped of custody of their underage children — will benefit from Trump’s fierce opposition to life-altering transgender surgeries on children. Further, unlike the Biden-Harris administration, Trump will defend Catholic parents who object to the violation of women’s privacy in bathrooms and locker rooms, along with the assault on women’s sports. Biology and sanity were on the ballot in November, and thanks be to God, won.

Finally, Trump has pledged to continue fighting to build an economy that prioritizes American workers and families – an issue that led to a historic surge in support among Hispanic voters. The effects of Biden’s reckless government spending in the aftermath of COVID sent the price of groceries, gas, and rent soaring. The ensuing economic strains were felt keenly by families nationwide, most especially by young families struggling to buy a home, or to absorb skyrocketing prices on nearly every good and service.

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, not just for the gift of freedom, but for the gift of God’s Providence that has unmistakably marked our nation from the beginning. We also give thanks for those that protect us from harm, who defend our American way of life, and for leaders willing to defend our nations rich traditions and heritage, starting with our most fundamental freedoms.

As we celebrate this Thanksgiving, however, we must remember that our work is far from done. I am proud to have held led CatholicVote and our efforts to elect Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. We stand ready to assist the new administration in the coming months and years.

But if we are to truly make America great again, perhaps the best place to start is by giving thanks.

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Brian Burch is the President of CatholicVote.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.