January 2018
Very early on in the presidential campaign it became evident that Donald Trump was the antithesis of the typical focused- grouped politician. Yet after each tweet or statement deemed not to comport with proper presidential discourse the reaction by many is apoplectic. Trump’s detractors are so vehement in their abhorrence that they have even taken to questioning his mental stability. Shockingly, a Yale University psychiatrist, Bandy Lee, is leading a campaign to convince the country that Trump is dangerous and mentally unfit. Notwithstanding, she has never even met Trump, much less personally examined him. Joe Scarborough, a well-known cable host, on his morning show routinely states that he believes that Trump is suffering from dementia. A democratic lawmaker has even introduced legislation with the mocking name the “Stable Genius Act”, in reference to a tweet by Trump, which would require presidential candidates to submit to the Federal Election Commission a medical certification of health.
Unfortunately, Michael Wolff’s book “Fire and Fury” has given the “resistance” faction among us ammunition. Never mind that a significant number of purported anecdotes and quotes have been disputed, and some out- right disproven, Wolff’s gossip tome has dominated the airwaves. Many have acknowledged that the book is rife with errors, but as CNN’s Brian Stelter stated, that even though there may be some inaccuracies “ the story he’s telling rings true”. Is that really the standard now? If it feeds into your confirmation bias it must be true? How can those among the Never –Trump sect possibly square Wolff’s claim that Trump was “horrified” on election night when he won, with their accusation that he colluded with the Russians to handicap the election in his favor? Actual answer to that question is that both contentions are false. If there’s one thing most can agree on about Trump is that he likes to win. He would never enter the highest profile race in the world with the intention of losing. And after a year and a half of investigations there is still no public evidence of collusion.
Trump’s Tweets and name-calling are certainly a distraction, and only serve to provide fodder for the many that would love nothing more than to see his presidency end in impeachment or some variant of disgrace. In spite of the barrage of hatred and the cloud of the Russia investigation, Trump’s first year in office has been nothing like the many predictions of his detractors. Looking at a couple of them now makes for amusing reading. The day after the presidential election, economist Paul Krugman of the N.Y. Times prognosticated that markets would never recover, and that “we are looking at a global recession with no end in sight.” Larry Summers, former President Obama ‘s chief economist, a few months before the election predicted that a Trump presidency would create a protracted recession, and the damage would be felt far beyond the U.S.
The reality is under Trump the economy has created 2 million jobs, and is growing faster than it has in almost 20 years. The N.Y. Federal Reserve estimates that GDP is predicted to reach 4% growth. The DOW has had one of the greatest bull-market runs in history, creating trillions of dollars of wealth. Consumer confidence is at a 17 year high. Unemployment is at a 17- year low. According to the Bureau of Labor statistics unemployment for black workers is the lowest in the 45 years the data has been tracked. For the naysayers that are disinclined to give Trump any credit for the fire driving the economic growth, Trump’s accomplishments also include cutting 22 new regulations for every new one enacted. His administration withdrew or delayed 1579 planned regulatory actions in 2017, according to a publication in the White House office of Management and Budget. Most assuredly this has helped pump up growth. Trump also recently signed the most significant tax legislation in three decades, which should be an additional catalyst to further heat the economy. Millions of Americans are already feeling the positive economic effects of this legislation. To date approximately 160 companies have offered their employees a combination of bonuses, additional benefits, and pay increases as a direct result of the tax reform.
It strains credulity that a mentally disturbed, or cognitively impaired individual could accomplish all that Donald Trump has before and during his presidency. The trajectory that our country is on, by many accounts is better than it has been in years. The left and the Never- Trump crowd are so blinded by their utter disbelief that Hillary lost to the loathed Trump that they are incapable of seeing that after more than a year of a Trump presidency that our country is actually better off now than the year prior. Hopefully with the results of the president’s extensive physical exam, which included a perfect score on a cognitive assessment, his detractors will stop questioning his mental competence. If not, perhaps those who continue to question his mental fitness need to look inward.
