Pollak: 11 Shining Successes of President Donald Trump’s First Term

President Donald Trump has had one of the most consequential first terms of any president in American history.

Presidential biographer Conrad Black has written that of America’ 45 presidents, only “three or four” of his predecessors could claim to have done more, among them Abraham Lincoln.

And aside from Lincoln, who faced the Civil War the moment he took office, no president has had to face more determined opposition, both from political opponents and the media, than Trump.

When he ran in 2016, critics predicted that Trump would cause a nuclear war; that he would cause stock markets to crash and “never” recover; that he would be the second coming of Adolf Hitler.

None of that came to pass — quite the opposite.

The list of Trump’s accomplishments would fill many pages. Our Hollywood editor, Jerome Hudson, has published a book about them, 50 Things They Don’t Want You to Know About Trump.

Here, summarized, are Trump’s top 11 achievements:

1. Fastest-growing economy in history. The U.S. economy grew at 33.1% in the third quarter of 2020, a record pace. The economy bounced back because Trump laid the foundation for growth with tax cuts, deregulation, and an emphasis on jobs.

2. Lowest unemployment in 50 years. The U.S. hit 3.5% unemployment, the lowest in 50 years. Black, Latino, and Asian American unemployment was the lowest on record. Poverty hit a record low — for minorities and for Americans in general.

3. Victory over ISIS and radical Islamic terror. The U.S. smashed the so-called “Islamic State” and killed its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Though recent events in France remind us of the need to be vigilant, Trump suppressed the terror threat.

4. A border wall and immigration enforcement. The Trump administration constructed 400 miles of new and replacement wall on the southern border. It also enforced immigration law, ended family separation, and stopped the migrant caravans.

5. Diplomatic opening with North Korea. Trump brought the U.S. back from the brink of war with North Korea, meeting with Kim Jong-un and laying the foundation for negotiations toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

6. Peace in the Middle East. Trump moved our embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights, ended the Iran deal, and killed Qasem Soleimani. He forged peace between Israel and Arab states, and kept us. out of war.

7. Three Supreme Court justices and record appointments. Trump put three originalist conservatives on the highest court and confirmed more federal judges in his first term than any president in four decades — most notably at the appellate level.

8. Historic achievements for black Americans. In addition to economic prosperity, Trump also created the Opportunity Zones, enacted prison reform, funded HBCUs, and ended funding restrictions for religious HBCUs and seminaries.

9. Creating USMCA to replace NAFTA. Trump created the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a free trade agreement with stronger protections for American workers than NAFTA, which had encouraged jobs to leave the country.

10. Standing up to China. On trade, on opioids, and on foreign policy, President Trump was the first in 50 years to stand up to China’s ambition to dominate the U.S. economy and the world. He also slowed the coronavirus with the China travel ban.

11. A stronger military, and Space Force. Trump restored U.S. dominance by rebuilding the military. He also created a new branch of the armed forces, the Space Force. And he launched Operation Warp Speed to deliver a coronavirus vaccine.

There is one overarching achievement: Trump stood up for the idea of America, its history, its heroes, its law enforcement, and its Constitution, against radical forces sowing destruction in the streets of our nation.

Only Trump could have done it.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His newest e-book is The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.