Hutchinson began college at Christopher Newport University (CNU) in the town of Newport News, Virginia. She majored in political science and took her studies seriously; while her parents helped her financially, she also had student loan debt and felt pressured to do well and get a good job after graduating. The 2016 presidential election occurred during Hutchinson’s second year in university, and she remembers that she liked Donald Trump’s “moderate” policies and voted for him on that basis. Her family members did the same, and Trump won the election against the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.

Several months into the Trump presidency, Hutchinson attended his 100-Day Rally, which celebrated his first 100 days in office. At this event, the author admits that she was “transfixed” by Trump, whose “magnetism electrified the crowd” (40). Any reservations that Hutchinson had about his more “controversial” policies became unimportant to her, as she was so affected by the “fervor” in the arena. At the time, Hutchinson had applied for various internship positions with Republican Senators and Representatives. She was hired for a summer internship with Steve Scalise, a Republican Representative from Louisiana.

Hutchinson helped Scalise, the House Majority Whip, persuade other Republican politicians to be unified in their voting on new legislation.