Nearly 10 years into former President Donald Trump's historic political movement, his critics still can't understand what makes him so popular with everyday, hard-working Americans — and they still demonize the men and women who support him.

President Biden's calling them “trash” was obviously not only insulting but simply wrong: Trump's supporters are good, decent people who believe he will make their lives and America better.

Why? Because he's done it before.

In early 2015, I was working in communications at the Trump Organization when Trump, my boss, told a small group of us that he was running for president.

From our first trip to Iowa in January, I knew he was going to win.

Sure, our team consisted of exactly zero professional politicians. Most of us had never been to Iowa before.

But from the start, this undeniably talented candidate offered the kind of leadership Americans craved.

He was politically incorrect and said things that were obvious and true. He was brash and controversial at times.

At the same time, he became a pariah of the media and the political class and the darling of the people.

He was authentic to the core, never wearing a suit and tie – he always looked like he came straight from the boardroom, no matter the occasion.

When another aide suggested he carry his own suitcase out of his personalized 757 plane to “look more like a normal man,” Trump declined. He always told us how smart the American people were; They would know it was a lie if he did something like that.

People understood that he wouldn't apologize for his success – and that he wouldn't apologize for America either. He reminded people that the American dream is something to strive for and is within reach with the right leadership.

In the early months of this campaign, Trump sat in the passenger seat of the SUV in which we drove through states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, shaking hands and signing autographs with supporters who trailed behind us as we stopped at lights.

Crowds formed at every tiny airfield we flew to, and he always made time to visit the people who gathered to see him, often giving dollar bills to the waiting children.

When we stopped to eat, he was the one placing the order at the McDonald's drive-thru window. While other candidates ate corn dogs at the state fair, Trump offered flights in his helicopter.

I watched as he listened to each person who approached him with a story of a job loss or family hardship. Afterwards, he would often write handwritten notes to them to express his gratitude or offer support.

He volunteered to help those in need and made promises that he fought tirelessly to keep.

From these encounters grew the unbroken trust between Donald Trump and his supporters. He looks straight into the eyes of those who thought they had been forgotten or feared being left behind, and he tells them that he sees them, he hears them, and that he fights for them.

The American people are Trump's superpower. They give him the energy and strength to keep his promises, and he values ​​them all – not just those who voted for him.

His victory in 2016 was not just a political shock, but also a remarkable triumph: the embodiment of the very American idea that you can achieve anything you set your mind to by being who you are.

Trump, who has never held elected office, amazingly prevailed against 17 career politicians and then defeated Hillary Clinton, a candidate with all the advantages: top politicians running their campaigns, full control of their party and more money than our campaign could have dreamed of let of.

She enjoyed the support of the incumbent president and all major institutions, newspapers and celebrities.

Trump had something far more powerful: a message that resonated and an undeniable connection with voters who recognized an outsider's willingness to effect real change.

He withstood an unprecedented onslaught of negative press and outrageous slander, but never gave up his true self and his beliefs.

Much has changed since his unlikely victory in 2016, but a few things have remained the same: Trump still faces seemingly insurmountable obstacles and relentless attacks, and Americans are once again yearning for strong, sensible leadership.

He is still the same incredibly hard-working, patriotic person I knew back then – more determined than ever to fight for this country and make it better for everyone.

I voted for Donald Trump in 2024 for the same reason I worked on his campaigns and in his White House: because I know the American people can count on him.

Vote for Donald Trump on Tuesday and join me in writing the next chapter of a story of American greatness that we can all be a part of.

Hope Hicks served as White House communications director for President Donald Trump and later as an adviser to the president.