President Donald Trump give remarks at the Unleashing American Energy event at Energy Department headquarters.
June 29, 2017 Photo Simon Edelman, Energy Department
President Donald Trump’s governance this year–especially the last three weeks–has been more conservative than that of George W. Bush or even Ronald Reagan, notes Ben Shapiro in NRO. Echoing Mr. Shapiro in the WSJ, William McGurn writes that Trump, despite being elected on a wave of populism, has not pandered to public appetites at the expense of sound policy.
Trump’s achievements in his 11 months in office:
- Put Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court.
- Inserted constitutionalist appellate judges at a historic rate (four times as many judges as Barack Obama inserted in his first year).
- Slashed the bureaucracy, cutting regulations at a maniacal clip.
- Ended the individual mandate and cut taxes.
- Withdrew from the Paris climate accord.
- Rolled back the mandate that forced Catholic nuns to provide employees with contraception.
- Recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
- Signed legislation to open drilling for oil in the Arctic National Refuge.
All this is now topped off with the first major overhaul of the tax code in more than 30 years.
Yet there is no guarantee Trumpism is sustainable, Mr. McGurn warns. If the promised economic growth doesn’t materialize, or if the public feels that Trump’s inability to ignore slights on Twitter is getting the best of his presidency, or if Democrats can leverage his low approval ratings and polarizing personality into a recapture of the House and Senate this coming November, the Trump presidency could go poof.
But at the moment, Ben Shapiro reminds readers, Trump’s governing philosophy looks almost exactly like Ted Cruz’s.
If you’re willing to fight for Main Street America, click here to sign up for the Richardcyoung.com free weekly email.
