I planned to write about other things today but the attempt on former President Trump’s life has made me reflect on his political career and why I have liked him almost from its beginning. I must confess that I am not one of those who have objected to Trump’s rhetoric and wished that he would “tone” it down. I was not originally a supporter but when he demolished a formidable field of Republican opponents back in 2016, I became a fan. Who will ever forget Jeb “low energy” Bush, or “Little” Marco Rubio? Perhaps it was my New York City origins that made me admire a man who could take the blows and not back down and give as good as he got.
I remember a speech Trump gave in Connecticut during his first Presidential campaign. In remarks that seemed to come out of the blue, Trump mentioned that when Hillary Clinton was asked what she thought of him, she replied that she didn’t like his “tone.” He replied, “in the Middle East Islamic radicals are cutting off the heads of people, mainly Christians, drowning others in steel cages, and burying others alive in the desert sand. Yet, she doesn’t like my “tone”. Subsequently, the Trump administration destroyed the ISIS terrorists in Iraq, something that today has largely been forgotten.
However, I like Trump mainly because he delivered the goods as President despite unrelenting opposition from Democratic politicians, high ranking government officials, the mainstream media, and even members of his own party. Here are some accomplishments that have also largely been forgotten.
The World was largely at peace during his administration. There was no Russian invasion of Ukraine, and there was no war in Gaza. He capped it off with the Abraham Accords, a peace agreement where for the first time some of Israel’s Arab neighbors recognized the legitimacy of the state of Israel.
At home his Tax Reform was a model of common sense and simplicity. It bolstered the economy and made the tax code fairer especially for those with incomes below $100,000, the great majority of the population. The standard deduction was raised for all, and tax rates were reduced. A family with less than $28000 per year of income would not pay any Federal Income tax.
Tax deductions like those for mortgage interest and state and local income taxes that mainly benefitted the well to do, were eliminated or capped. Renters, for example, did not benefit from deductions that only helped homeowners, or those who owned more than one home. Moreover, these deductions played a role in driving up the value of homes and pricing lower income people out of the market.
Even the lowering of tax rates on corporations was a matter of fairness. Why should American corporations be taxed at higher rates than corporations in other countries? Why were American corporations put at such a disadvantage that they had to build factories and transfer jobs overseas to compete? In addition, higher corporate rates forced these companies to keep their profits overseas to avoid excessive double taxation.
During the Trump administration America was energy independent and was actually exporting energy all over the world. Remember how low gas prices were at the pump. Salaries and real wages for all people were at record highs, and there was virtually no inflation to cruelly wipe away these gains.
Even during the pandemic I admired the fact that Trump was always out in front day after day taking the heat despite vicious opposition. In his almost daily press conferences, he made celebrities of government officials like the lady with the scarves, and the now famous or infamous Dr. Fauci. He was ridiculed for suggesting that the virus originated in China, and that hydroxychloroquine was an effective treatment, but now we know that he was right. He quickly offered help to blue state governors who only responded with ingratitude.
I admit that he was not a perfect President. He talked about “draining the swamp” but did not realize how tough it would be. He was the Captain of the Ship of State, but the crew was disobedient, and sometimes downright mutinous.
He should have left office more gracefully. He should have realized that he had been outsmarted by the Democrats and accepted the results despite evidence of fraud. I listened to his whole speech on January 6, and there was no call for violence or insurrection. Long suppressed videos now show peaceful citizens being calmly escorted through the Capitol by police. There was no insurrection. The protestors were unarmed. There was only one fatality, a female veteran shot in the back by a D.C. policeman while trying to enter a window.
The Republican National Convention begins tonight. Love him or hate him, we should all breathe a sigh of relief that Donald Trump will be there.
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