‘Safe return doubtful’: Trump’s venture into Deep State pack ice

As President-elect Trump announces nomination after nomination, putting the crew in place that he considers best equipped to fulfill his lofty promises to American voters, one can imagine his “You-must-be-all-in!” advertisement for those vying to fill key positions in his administration.

MEN/WOMEN WANTED!

For hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold,
long months of complete darkness,
constant danger, safe return doubtful,
honor and recognition in case of success.

Donald J. Trump, Mar-a-lago, Florida

Those words replicate the advertisement (seen above) that, legend has it, Sir Ernest Shackleton placed in The Times of London on Dec. 29, 1913, as he readied his new ship, the aptly named Endurance, for his voyage through the icy waters of the Weddell Sea to the South Pole.

The beginning of the 20th century was the age of polar exploration, bold adventurers plowing both north as south as far as possible, vying for the greatest prize of all, the poles.

Polar explorers answering the call for the dangerous expeditions knew well the challenges awaiting them, that they must overcome staggering odds while enduring unbearable conditions.

Step up they did, though, gritty men embarking on a quest for polar immortality.

It was on Nov. 5, 1914 – precisely 110 years prior to Trump’s resounding election victory – that the Endurance arrived at its final port of call, the whaling station of Grytviken, there to spend one month in preparation for its voyage into the icy “White South” of Antarctica.

Trump’s Nov. 5 victory, likewise, landed him at the launching point for his final presidential voyage as Commander of his ship of state, which I now christen Trump’s Endurance II (since Trump’s Endurance I, which went into service in 2017, submerged in the icy waters of the Deep State).

Only through astonishing personal endurance did Donald Trump persevere, against all odds, to win the election in his comeback bid. The presidential voyage he now embarks upon on Jan. 20, intent on boldly venturing into and brashly breaking apart the ominous pack ice of the Deep State, will require yet more endurance, not only from the president himself, but also from his crew.

This Thursday, Dec. 5, marks the 110th anniversary of the day the Endurance set sail into the savage cold of treacherous, berg-filled waters with its brave crew of 27 men chosen, legend has it, from more than 5,000 who answered Shackleton’s “Safe Return Doubtful” advertisement.

Talk about full disclosure! His ad was a warning, actually, of unbearable conditions – “hazardous journey, bitter cold, constant danger, safe return doubtful.” The ad was also honest about the meager reward, even if successful, for those bold enough to join the ship’s crew. No pirate riches were promised, but only “honor and recognition in case of success.”

The rest of Endurance’s story? In a flash freeze, she became locked in the ice floes and the ship was doomed, sinking on Nov. 21, 1915. Miraculously, the entire crew survived the ordeal, eventually rescued from Elephant Island in 1916.

Trump’s Endurance I met a similar fate. The ship he commanded became victim of a flash freeze in the savage and icy sea of the Deep State. Her hull was unable to withstand the vicious assaults, the lies of Democrat-supporting intelligence agencies, supported in their malfeasance by a hyper-biased media intent on sinking Trump’s Endurance I.

Beginning with the thoroughly discredited charge of Russian collusion, hoax after hoax after hoax followed, battering the ship’s hull until, at last, Endurance, taking on water with two impeachments, and aided by the massive iceberg of a global pandemic, sank.

Expect Endurance II to fare better in its bold quest. Trump 2024 is not the same as Trump 2016, something the Democratic Party and the elite media know well, and fear. Trump’s new ship of state is experienced, weathered and thick hulled, prepared for the dangerous voyage.

With polls showing Americans supportive of the transition team’s work of assembling the Endurance II’s crew, Trump’s second presidential venture appears to be starting with promise, chiefly due to the complete MAGA buy in of those stepping up to serve, a feature of crew quality the Endurance I, with too many establishment Republicans, sorely lacked.

The Endurance II’s crew will be of more sturdy MAGA stuff, hearty enough for the task of disruption that will be necessary to break apart the massive icebergs of resistance, which, for the last 10 years, has blocked MAGA with berg-sized lies about Trump and his supporters.

Trump’s victory decidedly shows that voters aren’t buying the lies anymore. As Joe Rogan last week called out “the greatest media psy-op in history,” Americans, including and especially young Americans, are calling for our Commander in Chief to chart a new course.

Like those brave polar explorers of the last century, the men and women accepting Trump’s nominations to key positions in his administration know the battles ahead, well aware of the potential peril, not only through Democrat resistance and legacy media assaults on their resumes and their character, but actually receiving threats.

As the Endurance II readies itself for its perilous voyage, raise a glass as I toast her crew, wishing for their safety and success:

“Here’s to the men and women of the crew of Trump’s Endurance II (Yes, Mark Cuban, not only men, but many strong and capable women are on board for the journey).

“May God smile upon you and guide you to success in your venture.

“Here’s to you (In honor of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 crew, I list here only 27 names of Trump nominees):

“Vance, Wiles, Musk, Ramaswamy, Gabbard, RFK Jr., Bondi, Rubio, Hegseth, Patel, Stefanik, Homan, Vought, Bergum, Wright, Duffy, Bessent, Lutnick, McMahon, Bhattacharya, Noem, Whitaker, Ratcliffe, Zeldin, Welden … and a shout out to my two fellow Arkansans, nominees as ambassador to Israel (Gov. Mike Huckabee) and ambassador to the United Kingdom (Warren Stephens).

“Here’s to you, brave ones, and much honor and recognition in case of success!”