Wildly polarizing, Trump’s four years as president will not
soon be forgotten. Although consistently maligned, his lack
of political acumen did at times enable him to accomplish
feats that may have eluded established politicians. That’s
mostly because he typically substituted diplomacy for
action. It also helped that he was not a career politician;
he owed favors to no one. Still, these same novel qualities
prompted robust condemnation by his critics.
Although characteristic of disrupters, his White House also
seemed to be in constant tumult. Sacrificing protocols,
Trump and his administration could appear rash and
unorganized. Standard procedures (red tape) and subtlety
often flew out the window.
Trump’s modus operandi did not incite harmony with the legislators across the aisle. If anything, his methods and
rhetoric roused them to be even more contentious. Maintaining party lines is one thing, but striking accords with
your opposition is another.
In the plus column, during his tenure, Trump gave great tax breaks to the working class, stimulated the economy,
revived Wall Street and hence, boosted 401k accounts. Pre-COVID, he had unemployment down to an all-time
low. Companies and jobs were brought back from overseas. Trade deals were made with China, Mexico, and
Canada. The U.S. embassy in Israel was moved to Jerusalem. He signed a $738 billion defense spending bill to
officially established the sixth branch of the U.S. Armed Forces – the Space Force. And after a five-year effort led
by the United States, ISIS’s caliphate was finally defeated in March of 2019.
President Trump has consented to a peaceful transition of power and with his financial means and political clout,
he probably will be welcomed as a staunch supporter of his party in multiple capacities. His ability to raise funds
and stump for conservative goals will go a long way toward the GOP’s future efforts.
It is apparent he took this loss quite personally and will doubtless be talking about how the election was stolen
from him for the rest of his days, but it is time for Trump and those of us in this magnificent country to turn our
collective attention toward the greater good.
– 4 –
Life and Liberty
We are a melting pot of people who have
faced deprivation and plagues and fascism
and prejudice and other unholy horrors, but
somehow, we’ve persevered – for a couple
centuries now.
In my opinion, whatever you believe about the
outcome of the 2020 election, it is time to put
down the fiery torches. None of us are promised
any length of time on this earth, but as long as
we’re here, we need to come together and work
to keep this amazing nation amazing. Because
divided we fall.
(Continued on Page 43)