I’ve always been a conservative. I’ve always registered Republican.
Today I find myself asking a different question. Looking toward 2028, who actually makes sense? Who can represent the broad range of Americans who don’t fit neatly into one political box?
My answer is simple:
I like a team.
I think putting a team together from day one is the smart move.
Not just a candidate. A governing team.
Two people who complement each other, who can genuinely work together, and who both understand the responsibility of the presidency. Two people where, if one had to step into the Oval Office, Americans would feel confident that the direction of the country would continue.
The old way — selecting one popular candidate and then scrambling to find a vice president who might help win a certain state or demographic — is outdated. It does a disservice to the office and to the voters.
Why not build the team first?
Presidential candidates spend years traveling the country trying to understand the needs of people with different economies, different histories, and different challenges.
The farmer in rural America, the technology worker in the city, the small business owner, the factory worker, the healthcare worker — they do not all have the same problems.
The president cannot personally solve every problem.
Nor should they.
What I want to hear from a candidate is:
“I am here to help you solve your own problems. When you need help, the federal government will be there. But government should empower people, not replace them.”
That does not mean everything belongs at the local level. Some things belong to all Americans equally: basic education standards, protection of constitutional rights, healthcare standards, and guarantees of religious freedom.
Some responsibilities are shared.
But the idea that one person can personally make every decision, solve every problem, and direct every aspect of government is unrealistic.
Recent years have reminded us of the risks of placing too much responsibility in the hands of one individual.
This is why I believe in a team.
And not just a President and Vice President selected for political convenience.
A real governing partnership.
The Vice President should not be an afterthought. The Vice President should be someone Americans would trust to become President if circumstances required it. The agenda should not change because one person leaves office.
The team should already be working together before Election Day.
We live in an era of artificial intelligence, robotics, space exploration, and challenges we have never faced before.
Why are we still choosing executive leadership the same way we did generations ago?
Imagine a different approach.
After the primaries, instead of waiting for a winner to choose a cabinet after the election, a presidential team could begin assembling the administration before voters make their final decision.
The voters would know what they are voting for.
The country would not lose months while Congress fights over political appointments.
The vetting, planning, and preparation would already be underway.
Government is the largest project any of us will ever undertake.
I spent much of my career in engineering, and one lesson applies to any complex project:
You do not hire one person and tell them, “Make it work.”
You assemble the right team.
You identify the lead programmer, the project manager, and the people with the skills needed to complete the job. You define the goals, the scope, and the expected results before the work begins.
Then you maintain oversight to keep the project on track.
Government should be no different.
We still need accountability. The buck still has to stop somewhere.
But the idea that one person can successfully manage the entire operation alone is outdated.
A strong team is not a weakness. It is how complex organizations succeed.
And perhaps the greatest benefit is that it moves us beyond the idea that only one party has all the answers.
Yes, we have a two-party system today. Hopefully, someday we have more choices.
But a governing team built around competence should be able to draw from the best people available, regardless of party label.
The question should not always be:
“Who has the right letter after their name?”
The question should be:
“Who can do the job?”
Today’s challenges are simply too great for one person, one party, or one ideology to solve alone.
It is time to stop playing politics and start playing government.
While we still have one.
Maybe that is the lesson America should take from the Trump years.
Not simply who won or who lost.
But that our system needs to adapt.
Let’s build a team.
Not just a campaign team.
A governing team.
A team with a realistic agenda, not promises made from a stage two weeks before Election Day.
