I would have preferred that, from the outset, President Donald Trump would have taken advantage of the fact that he is, as The Wall Street Journal’s Gerald Seib recently put it, “a radical centrist who should be able to create unconventional, bipartisan coalitions,” and that he would have opened with two big initiatives that at least some Democrats should have been able to support: rebuilding our infrastructure and changing our inefficient tax code. Having said that, despite the best efforts of most of the media (which really are like an opposition party) to discredit him, Trump is off to a pretty good start.
First, obviously, is the confirmation of the 49-year-old Neil Gorsuch. Nothing Barack Obama did in his first 100 days — yeah, I know, he signed the pork barrel and labor union friendly “stimulus” with its false promise of “shovel-ready” jobs, but the reality is that George W. Bush’s TARP did much more to rescue the economy from an economic crisis caused by the Bill Clinton-era push to loosen lending standards — will have the lasting impact of the Gorsuch confirmation.
Second, Trump enforced the red line against Syria’s use of chemical weapons, something Obama could not bring himself to do in the four years after he made the promise. Trump acted decisively, restoring the country’s credibility that Obama had squandered. He underscored the message by dropping the “Mother of All Bombs” on the Islamic State and sending notice to North Korea and Iran that the U.S. will act against them if necessary.
Third, he already has provided an economic stimulus of sorts by revoking a number of job-killing regulations imposed by the Obama administration. The economy is growing and the stock market is booming.
Finally, he has made a number of solid appointments, including Nikki Haley, our outstanding U.N. ambassador, who may just turn out to be our first female president.
Not bad for only 100 days, with plenty of time to get more done.
— Josh M. Kantrow, Chicago
