"Thank goodness that man is gone." "He's such a dangerous man." In recent days I heard such statements from patients. Now, I don't I like discussing politics with patients; however, it appears that many want to let me know what they think of Donald Trump.
It made me realize that many people in Australia have a very biased view of Mr Trump due to a very slanted media. I remember the 1980s when there were similar tirades against President Reagan. We must use some critical thinking rather than emotion in our assessments.
How do you measure success? Is it by words or deeds? What matters more, symbolism or substance? The best way to assess success is by what a person sets out as a goal and how close they come to achieving it.
There have been great Presidents: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and I contend Donald Trump. Now before you hit the delete button, let me explain.
But you say, Trump lies, he's this, and he's that. Need I remind people how many times President Obama lied; "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor", he stated concerning Obamacare. That was untrue. Another Obama misstatement which resulted in race riots was when Michael Brown was shot in Missouri by a police officer in self-defence, as determined by a Grand Jury. Obama denounced the police and bought into the whole "hands-off don't shoot" meme.
Joe Biden lied when he said he had no ties to China. That is patently false as confirmed by emails and text communications with his son, Hunter Biden. So let's understand that all Presidents have flaws.
Foreign Policy
Trump's successes in foreign policy have been unconventional, dramatic and yet successful. ISIS, the worst of the worst, terror group, established a caliphate equal to the size of the state of New Jersey while Barack Obama was President. Obama discounted them as a JV (Junior Varsity) Team as they pillage their way across the Middle East and elsewhere. Trump led the team to effect its destruction.
One of the most questionable foreign policy decisions was when Obama signed on to the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal which effectively, gave Iran––the leading terror state in the world–– a path to a nuclear weapon within ten years. They also received an immediate cash boost of $150 billion to foment more terrorism. Fortunately, Trump cancelled the deal and imposed restrictive sanctions. Trump did the world a favour when he ordered the assassination of Iran's Qassem Suleimani, the world's leading terrorist.
In the last few months, Trump negotiated the first peace deal between Israel and its Arab neighbours in 26 years. Bahrain, UAE and Sudan now recognize Israel and others look to follow suit based on the Trump doctrine, although with a new President it may not happen.
Trump was the first President to stand up to the sinister intentions of China; for its unfair trade practices and theft of highly technical intellectual property. President Trump set in motion both through sanctions and encouragement, the repatriation of American industry back to the U.S. We should all have such patriotic leaders.
Despite people claiming that Trump was a war hawk, Trump did the opposite. He didn't start a war but built up America's military with a "Peace through strength" philosophy after Barack Obama had decimated much of the military. Even North Korea, which had been very belligerent, toned down its aggression. Trump's contact with Kim Jong Un, resulted in the regime reducing its aggressiveness.
Trump's negotiating skills in business led him to reset NATO whose countries were not paying their fair share into the organization. He got the European countries to raise their level of financial contribution rather than relying overwhelmingly on the United States.
Domestic Policy
Domestically, Trump implemented a policy of aggressively making America an economic powerhouse again. Within three years, he made America energy-free through his deregulatory systems. The policy had significant foreign affair ramifications.
By deregulating and lowering income taxes, Trump boosted the U.S. economy, and by 2019, the country had virtually full employment with the lowest rates of black and Hispanic unemployment in history. By meeting with industry leaders, his negotiating skills led to industry leaders bringing companies back to the U.S., which of course led to more jobs.
Donald Trump, in 2017, set up Opportunity Zones in poor black city neighbourhoods to shunt funds for investment in black inner cities. He also helped pass the Criminal Reform Bill, which allowed blacks who were put in prison for non-violent crimes to be released. One of these, Alice Johnson, was jailed, coincidentally by a bill that Joe Biden had sponsored. https://nypost.com/2020/08/27/ex-con-pardoned-by-trump-was-put-away-by-bidens-crime-bill/
Since the U.S. economy was healthy and vibrant, the stock market, which many have for saving into retirement was also booming. Retirement fund accumulation was a reflection of the favourable Trump policies.
One of the items on Trump's agenda was to stem the tide of illegal immigrants flooding through the southern U.S. border. Paramount was the construction of a new virtually impenetrable wall which by the time of the election had reached a distance of 400 miles. Under this Presidency there was an 80% drop in the number of illegals entering the country. Uncontrolled illegal immigration poses national security, criminal and health threats.
In March––early in the pandemic––, Trump stated that Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) could be useful in the early stages of Covid. Both established research and doctors' experiences in the field showed this to be true. Trump was right; the media and medical bureaucrats turned out to be wrong.
As pandemic progressed, Trump announced Operation Warp Speed which was to fast-track a vaccine. Trump claimed that they would have a vaccine done by the end of the year. For his claim, Trump was mocked and derided by the media and opposition party. Even Anthony Fauci, the supposed guru of infectious diseases, said it was not possible. Well, Trump was right, and they were wrong, the vaccine is ready for distribution in December.
Now I am not a fan of this vaccine; however, what I see is that Trump implemented a plan, and he got it done. In other words, President Trump is a doer on many levels, as opposed to the previous President Obama, who displayed more symbolism than substance.
So is Donald Trump, the most successful U.S. President? I would put him up there in the top half dozen based on what he was able to achieve, despite incredible opposition not seen by any previous President. Imagine what Trump could get done with another four years.
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