OPINION:
Lately, I’ve written a few columns critical of President Trump. There was “Trump did not bring down grocery costs,” “Trump’s making China great again — with your money” and “‘Teflon Don’ finally feels the heat in Minneapolis.”
Some readers vented their anger at me. “Drivel! As usual, Mr. Curl is wrong. It takes time for the economy to recover from the poison pills of the previous administration,” “Skepticool” wrote in the comment section of one column.
“Another pile of tripe from RINO TDS patient Curl,” wrote “JamesEB.” “Stop being a moron and actually get out of the DC hyper-expensive bubble.”
“Smamori” wrote of the Teflon Don story, “I have to wonder how this guy remains in your stable of writers. Forever handwringing. Forever badmouthing whatever this administration does.”
Fair enough. I don’t know whether those same critics read some other recent pieces I wrote, such as “Congress officially broken; fire them all,” “Democrats immediately invent new ways to tax Virginians” and “Now we know: Democrats just wanted to cause pain with shutdown.”
Reader Doug Olwin took a calmer approach (he even signed it “respectfully”): “Quick question for you, Mister Curl, have you switched parties? Did Trump say something to hurt your feelings? The last two articles in The Washington Times, you bashed Trump pretty good,” Mr. Olwin wrote in an email.
“I will admit inflation is higher than most Americans would like,” he wrote, “but it is not nearly as high as the 9% when Biden was president. You also failed to mention Trump’s success, the stock market at record heights, secure borders, gas down to 2.34 per gallon, at least in MN, Iran’s nuclear program set back at least 10 years. And others.”
“And what was the alternative? Open borders, massive gun confiscation, massive new taxes, massive inflation, and one-party rule. Is this what you want? If so, you should come out and say it. This one-sided bashing of Trump is what the Dem mainstream media does, and now you’re jumping on their bandwagon,” Mr. Olwin wrote.
So I wrote back to Mr. Olwin. “I call ’em like I see ’em. In the past few months, I hit Dems for causing the shutdown, said they have losing ideas going into the midterm, and slapped both parties in Congress for being dysfunctional,” I wrote.
“I also hit Trump for his inhuman rant against Rob Reiner, his mendacity on tariffs (Americans paid 96% of their cost), and of course his failure to bring down grocery store prices. Now, I wrote that presidents can’t really do that, BUT HE PROMISED HE WOULD. That’s why millions voted for him,” I wrote (the all-caps was for emphasis, not shouting).
“I’m here to hold him to his promises,” I wrote. “I certainly wouldn’t choose to go back to the Biden days, but I’ll see if there’s a column on Trump’s successes. I’ll keep an open mind. Thanks for your note!”
That’s my job. When politicians make promises, I mark them down — and then follow up. Mr. Trump has failed on numerous accounts. But then on Tuesday came the president’s State of the Union, his chance to toot his own horn, so now is a perfect time to look at the successes the president has had in just over 13 months back in the White House.
During his term, Mr. Trump has achieved significant policy outcomes across multiple domains. His unilateral border security measures reduced illegal migration by over 90%, contradicting previous assertions that such results required legislative action.
Economic indicators show marked improvement, with inflation decreasing from 9.1% at one point under the previous administration to 2.7%. Tax reform legislation prevented rate increases while introducing exemptions for tips, overtime pay and many Social Security benefits, primarily benefiting working-class Americans.
Employment data has exceeded projections, with 7 million new jobs created, triple what experts forecast. Middle-class household income has increased by nearly $6,000, surpassing the previous administration’s gains by a factor of five. Unemployment has reached 3.5%, marking a 50-year low.
Energy policy initiatives have contributed to lower fuel costs and expanded domestic energy production capacity. Crime statistics show historic improvements, including the largest single-year decline in murder rates and the lowest homicide rate in 125 years.
Mr. Trump’s foreign policy achievements include brokering a Gaza ceasefire that facilitated the release of Israeli hostages, mediating resolutions to seven international conflicts and executing military action against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Additional accomplishments included the apprehension of Venezuela’s leader, Nicolas Maduro.
So there you have it. The president has had some successes. I’ll continue to tell you about those and detail his failures, too, as any reporter worth his shoe leather should do.
• Joseph Curl covered the White House and politics for a decade for The Washington Times. He can be reached at josephcurl@gmail.com and on Twitter @josephcurl.
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