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I think people are getting thrown off a bit by the fact that Ronald Reagan was an actor and Donald Trump was a media celebrity. That’s NOT why they won, nor is it why they were (are) both successful conservative leaders.

Anyone old enough to have been an adult conservative during Ronald Reagan’s ascendency knows that it was his detractors who focused on the acting part of his background, and that it was his detractors who created the “great communicator” meme, which was a backhanded complement intended to suggest that he was all polish, no substance.

Ronald Reagan was a deeply rooted conservative thinker whose success had little if any to do with his having been in show biz.

Although less obvious, I have been convinced for several years now that the same can be said about Donald Trump. There’s a lot more substance there than meets the eye. He hides it on purpose, because he wants to connect with rural America, and he knows talking like William Buckley about conservative philosophy isn’t going to get the job done.

But if you look at old Trump videos from the 1980s - he exhibits a completely different persona. Quiet, thoughtful, articulate and well versed in history.

Here’s the thing. There is no way on Earth Donald Trump could possibly accomplish what he has accomplished, withstand what he has withstood, and remain such a straight and true arrow for the conservative movement, unless his governing philosophy was deeply rooted in conservative principles. He doesn’t show it, but I guarantee it’s there.

It has been a real eye-opener to watch people like Mark Levin and others transform from being virtual #neverTrumpers, all the way to comparing him to Ronald Reagan.

Maybe there is more to Kayne West than I am seeing, but if he is to be Trump’s successor, it will require more than his mass appeal as a celebrity - it will require a deep and unshakable foundation in conservative thought.