Below are President Trump’s top 10 achievements for 2017 according to RealClearPolitics.
The Economy
Trump triumphed in 2016 primarily because he spoke to the angst of the average American worker who felt – correctly – forgotten and exploited by a crony globalist system that benefited only the connected few. In 2017, the real economy accelerated, as opposed to just asset prices. Worker productivity ramped up to 3 percent in the third quarter, far above the scant 1.2 percent average of the Obama years. Truck orders surged this fall and manufacturing jobs jumped higher, as November recorded the highest gains in 15 years, according to the payroll firm ADP. Reflecting this growth, small business confidence soared as National Federation of Independent Business CEO Juanita Duggan declared, “We haven’t seen this kind of optimism in 34 years.”
ISIS
Just months into the Trump presidency, their so-called caliphate has been crushed by a coalition organized and supported by the U.S. military. What a joy to see some of the world’s oldest Christian communities in the Mideast again worship freely at Christmas.
The Border
Illegal crossings have plunged as much as 60 percent vs. pre-Trump levels. Clear-eyed rhetoric and an invigorated ICE show immediate results as we reclaim control from human and drug smugglers. ICE Director Thomas Homan recently said that “the president has done more for border security and public safety than any of the six presidents I’ve worked for.”
Judges
Perhaps the longest legacy of Trump will be in the judiciary. In 2017, he fulfilled a campaign promise by getting conservative judges seated, including Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court and a record pace of 12 Circuit Court confirmations.
Taxes
Trump did what hasn’t been done in Washington since the top movie was “Top Gun”: He signed comprehensive tax reform. I believe that immediate business expensing will become the most potent of these improvements as companies large and small will finally invest aggressively in capital expenditures – new software, plants, equipment.
Regulation
The administrative state empowered the bureaucratic swamp at the expense of American entrepreneurs. By one key measure of regulatory growth — the page count of the Federal Register, which lists all new rules — Trump reduced regulation by almost 50 percent in 2017.
Religious liberty
Trump ended the government war on groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor, and ordered exemptions for religious groups that cannot, by conscience, pay for practices they reject such as abortion-inducing medications.
Trade agreements
Trump’s put the world on notice that America will no longer be exploited at the bargaining table with pacts that may benefit U.S. corporate chieftains but not American workers. Exiting TPP and demanding a re-negotiation of NAFTA represent important achievements for economic nationalism.
Military Buildup
Trump signed a 2018 defense budget that features — pending congressional rollback of the 2011 budget sequester — large increases overall, including for troop salaries and missile defense. The president also finally demanded that our wealthy NATO allies pay their fair share for defense of the West.
Russia
Contrary to the unceasing mainstream media narrative, Trump pursued tough policies against Vladimir Putin and Russia. He armed the Ukraine, denounced Russian aggression in his historic Warsaw speech, and slapped serious new sanctions on Moscow. So much for being Putin’s “puppet.”