During the 2016 election, the “Never Trump” conservative critics of Donald Trump predicted a catastrophe for the country if he was elected President. Well, as we approach the six-month anniversary, America is witnessing our most successful presidency since Ronald Reagan.
Contrary to worries from movement conservatives, the President assembled a stellar cabinet and appointed a solid strict constructionist, Justice Neil Gorsuch, to the Supreme Court.
He instituted a travel ban, upheld by the Supreme Court, on six majority Muslim countries that harbor terrorists and cannot provide adequate vetting of their citizens who want to visit the United States. While we await construction of the border wall, deportations of illegal aliens have increased and the flow of undocumented immigrants across the southern border has dropped dramatically.
The President is currently enjoying his second successful foreign trip. On his first overseas visit, he was greeted as a hero in Saudi Arabia and sternly warned Muslim leaders about the threat of radical Islamic terrorism. Fortunately, America now has a President who will speak the truth about the jihadist threat to civilization. In addition, Americans now can feel comfortable that their President will no longer apologize for their country, but will extol our virtues on foreign soil.
After his successful visit to the Middle East and the reestablishment of a close relationship with our biggest ally in the region, Israel, President Trump admonished our NATO allies to pay their fair share in military expenditures. This stern lecture was not well received by some NATO countries, but it was appreciated by leaders in Poland and other countries who are fulfilling their defense obligations.
As he embarked on his second foreign trip, it was quite fitting that the President’s first stop was in Poland, where he was given an enthusiastic welcome. At the G-20 summit, he finally met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and successfully negotiated a cease fire in Syria, while discussing other important topics such as the North Korean threat and cyber warfare. While the biased media focused on Russian interference in the 2016 election, President Trump focused on delivering results for the American people.
His significant foreign policy accomplishments notwithstanding, the biggest impact of President Trump has been on the nation’s economy. On Friday, the federal government announced another positive economic report. Last month, 222,000 jobs were created, significantly higher than economic forecasts. This year, the country is averaging 180,000 new jobs each month, much better than the average during the Obama years.
Last month, the unemployment rate held steady at a remarkable 4.4%. Wage growth edged upward 2.5% annually with the average work week increasing to 34.5 hours. In June, there were 160.1 million Americans in the labor force, an increase of 361,000 from the May report. Overall, the labor force participation rate improved to 62.8% as 94.8 million Americans are outside of the workforce, a decrease of 170,000 from last month.
While these job numbers are impressive, it will take time for the full Trump economic plan to take full effect. First the GOP Congress needs to pass a healthcare plan that will cut taxes, lower premiums and remove the individual mandate. Then, a tax cut plan needs to be passed that will provide relief to millions of Americans and give businesses an incentive to grow their operations in our country. Cutting the top corporate tax rate will also lure companies that have left the country back to the United States. The President will also create more jobs in the economy as he rebuilds our crumbling infrastructure and boosts our military spending as we follow the Reagan maxim of peace through strength.
While we await some action from the slow-moving GOP Congress, the President has been aggressively signing executive orders to improve our economy. One major step was removing the United States from the Paris Climate Accord. This treaty was never ratified by the United States Senate and would have unfairly penalized American businesses. By approving the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines, President Trump has not only guaranteed more job creation, but he also helped ensure that our country will become energy independent.
In his first few months, the President has also cut harmful government regulations, unburdened the coal industry, and turned the EPA into an agency determined to improve the environment, not harm our economy. Furthermore, the falling gas prices are giving economic relief to millions of Americans. In the critical area of trade, the President removed our country from the terrible Trans Pacific Partnership and will rework NAFTA and other trade deals to make them more beneficial for our country.
Last week, the President revived the National Space Council as he displayed a renewed vigor to rebuild our space industry and reorient NASA toward human spaceflight. As America once again reaches for the stars, so has our stock market, which has reached an all-time high during the Trump administration. At the same time, consumer confidence has skyrocketed. Despite the constant media criticism, it seems clear the American people have confidence that President Trump and his team are skilled at handling our economy.
With the dizzying pace of triumphs, the “Never Trump” critics of the President look foolish today. These so-called Republican conservatives said that Trump would be a disaster for the economy. They claimed he was just a liberal masquerading as a conservative.
At this point, the evidence is clear that these critics were embarrassingly wrong and that Donald Trump has not only restored faith in American leadership around the world, but he has also restored faith in the American economy at home.
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