By Dominic Gismondi
With President Joe Biden now a reality, it is important to remember his call for unity at the inauguration. He said, “With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation… It’s time for America to unite. And to heal.” And so, in the same spirit of healing, I believe it is time to acknowledge the many profound successes of the Trump administration. While certainly among the most controversial presidents in history, this should not prevent discussion and acknowledgment of the major victories over the past four years.
First, thank you for the sweeping tax and economic reform. These reforms brought millions of jobs to the US pre-COVID, especially among small businesses. While the benefits were cut short by a global pandemic, there was major growth in American economic opportunity, especially among minority communities, and this booming economy allowed us to persist as long as we have in the devastating modern world of lockdowns and quarantines. Coupling major gains in employment with such strides as the First Step Act, more people were out in the public world, able to secure a job that can support the cost of living. And these developments were astonishingly clear pre-COVID-19, where we saw record drops in unemployment among all people. This economic revitalization also allowed for a massive resurgence of space exploration, as private companies like Space-X were able to grow and fund the advancement of technology in pursuit of new missions beyond Earth.
Thank you for making incredible judiciary appointments. Over his four years in office, President Trump nominated three Supreme Court justices and 226 federal judges overall, which includes 54 circuit judges. These judges are instrumental in legal decision making, and Trump made incredible choices. Many of the picks for judge were textualists, originalists, or follow some policy close to textualism or originalism. Their decisions are not informed by politics, but rather the Constitution and the law alone. His Supreme Court choices, though mired in some controversy, such as false allegations of past criminal behavior, have proven effective at the bench.
Thank you for making incredible advancements with foreign policy. President Trump ended the Obama-era policy of putting illegal immigrant children into cages, a practice that was falsely ascribed to him over most of his term in office. Trump also refused to bow to authoritarian regimes such as China and North Korea, taking long strides with the latter towards peacefully demilitarizing the nation. While these steps were not as extensive as the Trump administration had hoped, it is a staunch improvement over past precedent, where the country was mostly left to its own devices.
In what is perhaps the largest accomplishment of the administration, thank you for advancing the fight against terrorism. Over President Trump’s four years in office, the United States managed to drive ISIS out of most of its territory and scatter its troops. The military also managed to neutralize several key members of the regime, crippling their remaining fighters. While some small vestiges remain, the threat they once posed is history thanks to the efforts of the military under the commander in chief.
And finally, thank you for proving that most people do not know what the word “fascist” means.
