Between those worshipping President Donald Trump and those cursing his existence lies the truth.
The first four months of Mr. Trump’s second term have been deeply consequential. It is far too early to put him in the pantheon of greatness reserved for George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.
Conversely, those declaring him worse than James Buchanan or Andrew Johnson have jumped the shark. An honest analysis brings some legitimate successes, some potential, and areas of concern.
Trump-haters cannot admit an obvious truth. Trump got some big things right.
America is far safer than it was under former President Joe Biden. The Southern border was a sieve. Trump turned the spigot off.
Border Czar Tom Homan is carrying out raids and mass deportations of illegal immigrants. Trump's team has cracked down hard on sex trafficking, human trafficking and drug trafficking.
While activist liberal judges attempt to sand the gears, Trumpworld for the most part has been steamrolling along.
Trump also had significant success with the Department of Government Efficiency. Led by Elon Musk, DOGE has exposed government waste and corruption that is staggering in breadth, width and depth.
Trump has painted Democrats into a corner. Fighting the popular movement to reduce government exposes them as the failed status quo’s defenders.
Republican cutters may still lose their nerve when midterm election attack ads come. Trump has a steel spine. If Republicans implement DOGE cuts, Trump and America will have a major victory.
Trump conquered the left on divisive social issues. By eschewing the abortion fight, Trump removed the left’s best weapon.
Trump’s focus on banning men from competing in women’s sports is a popular stand. Leftists have doubled down in the face of voter disgust.
Trump is successfully leading the push to gut the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion movement from government. DEI bureaucrats are being fired en masse. Corporate America is following Trump’s lead.
More and more companies are abandoning the failed DEI experiment.
Ironically, Trump’s obsession with creating a meritocracy created a diverse cabinet without sacrificing excellence. Marco Rubio is the first Cuban Secretary of State. Scott Bessent is the first openly gay Treasury Secretary.
The crowd obsessing over the Black Indigenous People of Color acronym should celebrate. Kash Patel is the first Indian-American FBI Director. Tulsi Gabbard is the first Indian-American DNI Director, the first female DNI Director, and the first Hindu (Bahai) FBI Director.
Tammy Bruce is the first openly lesbian State Department Spokeswoman. Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem and Brooke Rollins are all the first Republican women to lead their respective departments.
Trump’s tariffs are his riskiest gamble. Trump-haters already declared this a policy failure, but that is short-sighted partisan hyperbole. Policies take time to develop. Trump is governing exactly as he promised.
The stock market tumbled but has already recovered a significant portion of those losses. Great trade deals will vindicate Trump. If such deals fail to materialize, his presidency will suffer.
Trump’s attempt to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine is in limbo. Whether he can deliver remains an open question.
On Israel, Trump succeeded. He allowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finish the job. Arab nations are fed up with the Palestinians, creating an opening for more Middle East peace deals.
Trump’s recent Middle East trip garnered over $1 trillion in foreign investment into America. More nations are on the verge of joining the Abraham Accords.
Domestically, Trump is taking on Harvard and other universities that keep defending virulent antisemitism. Trump has the morally correct and highly popular stand in what remains a largely pro-Israel nation. Universities rant, rave, and eventually cave.
Trump’s deeds have been largely successful, but his words still get him into trouble. His talk about annexing Canada as the 51st state was a blunder. The backlash allowed Canada’s horrific liberal government to win reelection.
Canada’s conservatives were cruising to victory until Trump allowed liberals to tap into Canadian nationalism.
Trump’s biggest political success so far has been in neutering his opposition. Even many Americans who disagree with Trump on significant issues find the alternative to him unacceptable.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris remains the Queen of Nonsenseistan. Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker and Gretchen Whitmer are punch lines.
Democrats are in such dire straits that sports commentator Stephen A. Smith is being touted for president. Democrats have been reduced to defending terrorists including Mahmoud Khalil and Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Leftist judges tried to lead the resistance only to find themselves being arrested for violating laws they swore to uphold.
Trump’s biggest policy hurdle is the battle to make his 2017 tax cuts permanent. Those tax cuts made his first term successful.
Barring a horrific September 11th style attack, the success or failure of Trump’s second term will hinge largely on his ability to ram those tax cuts permanently into law.
Eric Golub is a comedian, author and retired stockbrokerage and oil professional living in Los Angeles. His interests include football, politics, Judaism, the stock market, and Angela Lansbury's "Murder, She Wrote." He has written for the Jewish Journal, The Daily Caller, and Breitbart's Big Hollywood. Read More of Eric Golub's Reports — Here.
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