A Nation Full of Hope: What I Saw at the MAHA Gala in Washington

By Caitlin Sinclair, The Kennedy Beacon

Four years ago, on January 20, 2021, I was lying on an operating table at the Cleveland Clinic, sedated for an 8-hour surgery. I was undergoing yet another procedure for a series of unexplained health problems that the medical community couldn’t solve.

The country had just elected Joe Biden. The weight of the moment was undeniable, not just personally, but politically. The world felt on edge, my body felt like it was failing me, and my country felt as though it was crumbling under division, lockdowns, and fear.

I’ll share my full health story another time, but suffice to say, I was a victim of a corrupt medical system — a victim of Big Food, Big Pharma, and a broken healthcare system that couldn't address the root causes of my issues. For six years, I suffered through endless doctor visits, invasive tests, and three unnecessary surgeries, none of which provided real solutions. And then came the subtotal colectomy, a procedure where most but not all of my colon was removed, that left me in recovery with even fewer answers.

The system seemed more interested in treating symptoms than understanding causes, especially when it came to women’s health. I felt abandoned, not just by the doctors but by the system that was supposed to help me.

As Joe Biden took the oath to “preserve, protect, and defend” our freedoms, I couldn’t help but feel the profound irony of the moment. The new administration promised extended lockdowns, mandates, and restrictions that would continue to isolate families, devastate small businesses, and deeply impact our way of life.

As a conservative woman, I was being ridiculed for my beliefs, ostracized for supporting Donald Trump. I lost a number of friends. My views were constantly dismissed as being “on the wrong side of history.” Yet, as I lay there about to spend the next eight months recovering from surgery, something unexpected happened. In the midst of all the darkness, I felt a tiny flicker of something powerful. That four letter word: hope. It wasn’t the grand, sweeping kind, but it was enough to make me believe that, someday, things could change. For me, for my health, and for the country. I promised myself that I would be part of that change.

Fast Forward: January 20, 2025

I stand on the red carpet at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington D.C., at the MAHA Gala, surrounded by my mom and some of the most influential voices in the fight for health freedom. I’m glowing in full glam, holding my head high as the newly appointed spokeswoman for the American Values PAC. I’m healthy. I’m emotional. And it feels surreal. Four years ago, I was lying in a hospital bed, unsure if I’d ever feel truly alive again.

Against all odds, the conversations I had once desperately pleaded for were now happening on a national stage. Conversations about the very things I had been ignored and silenced for — female health autonomy, the destruction of free speech, and the need for a government that truly serves its people.

The irony wasn’t lost on me that, just a few years earlier, I had been begging for anyone to listen, to have these discussions. Now, I was standing shoulder to shoulder with people like Jordan Peterson and Russell Brand, who had been voices of inspiration for me during the darkest times. We were talking about the things I once thought were impossible to discuss — things that could change the trajectory of our nation’s health and future.

One of the most emotional moments for me came unexpectedly during the inauguration, which I was watching on TV. I saw JD Vance standing in the Capitol Rotunda with his family: his wife, his children, and his mother. I was overwhelmed: tears came without warning. Here was a man who had come from nothing — who had been vilified, mocked, and misunderstood. And yet there he stood, in the heart of Washington, surrounded by his family — everything that America was built on and stands for: resilience, family, and the promise of a better future.

Hope.

That’s what it all comes down to. The four-letter word that carried me through the darkest days of my health struggles. The four-letter word that carried conservatives through the fog of political turmoil. Hope is what enables us to keep moving forward when the odds are stacked against us. It’s what pushes us to stand up when we’ve been knocked down, to speak when we’ve been silenced, and to fight when it feels like everything is falling apart.

The Waldorf Astoria ballroom was nothing short of breathtaking — the high ceilings, sparkling chandeliers, and the energy of the room all contributing to the night’s undeniable glamour. Everywhere I looked, guests were dressed to the nines.

As I stood there, talking to people who had once been lone voices in the wilderness, I realized just how much had changed in four short years — and how much more was on the brink of change. Mom was right — the pendulum has indeed swung. We are now on the verge of something extraordinary: a nation on its way to healing, a nation united, a nation full of hope.

Caitlin Sinclair is the newly-appointed spokeswoman for the super PAC, American Values PAC, which continues to publish The Kennedy Beacon. Follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/caitlinsinclair/?hl=en