Trump: More Than Tweets, Bathrobes And Soda

The New York Times, The Washington Post and establishment media have conjured the image of President Trump spending his days tweeting, guzzling Diet Cokes and stumbling through the White House in his bathrobe.  This burlesque portrayal is a deliberate attempt to demean his presidency.

In particular, the Times and the Post have used anonymous sources for the most scandalous, outrageous stories lampooning Mr. Trump.  To be clear: this is not a blanket endorsement of everything Mr. Trump has uttered or tweeted, but the media has painted a one-sided picture.   

Consumers of exclusively mainstream news have become so biased by this reporting, many refuse to believe the president has any redeeming qualities.  Viewed through their prejudiced lens, Mr. Trump's achievements include dividing America, throttling minorities, suppressing females and immigrants.

However, facts have a stubborn way of interfering with this deceptive narrative.  The president has spurred economic growth, created record numbers of jobs, boosted median income, slashed red-tape regulations, improved security at the border and raised America's foreign policy prestige.

For the skeptics, here is a list of accomplishments in just 20 months for the Trump Administration supported by facts and figures, most of which were gleaned from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Internal Revenue Service, Council of Economic Advisers and Commerce Department:

The Economy

Four million new jobs have been created since the presidential election.  More Americans are now employed than ever before in our history.  Unemployment claims are at a 50 year low. African-American and Hispanic unemployment rates have reached historic troughs.  Female unemployment has plunged to its lowest level since 1953.  Median household income has risen to $61,372, a post-recession high water mark.  American workers enjoyed the biggest leap in pay since 2009 as the average hourly earnings for private workers advanced 3.1 percent this quarter, compared to 2017. Nearly four million Americans dropped off the food stamps rolls. In the latest quarter ended in September, the American economy grew a robust 3.5 percent, exceeding analysts projections.  Most economists credit the Trump tax cuts for the boom.

Business

Investment is flooding into the U.S. after Congress lowered tax rates for businesses.  America's corporate tax rate was the highest in the developed world.  More than $450 billion has pored into the country from overseas businesses owned by American companies. Manufacturing has bounced back after decades of decline, reaching its highest level in 14 years.  More than 400,000 manufacturing jobs have been added since the election. Retail sales have surged 6.4 percent since July of 2017, reflecting rising consumer confidence and increased disposable income.  Last year job satisfaction among American workers hit its peak since 2005. Real wage compensation paid by businesses has risen 1.4 percent over the past year after eight years of stagnation.

Health Care

This ranks as the most under reported area of improvement for Americans.  Mr. Trump enacted changes to the Medicare program, saving seniors an estimated $320 million on drugs this year.  The Federal Drug Administration, under prodding from the president, set a record for generic drug approvals, saving consumers an estimated $9 billion. The administration enabled small businesses to join together to offer affordable health insurance to their employees by removing restrictions to form Association Health Plans.  Legislation signed by the president repealed the infamous "death panels" created by Obamacare.  The Department of Agriculture funded more than $1 billion in initiatives to improve access to health care in rural areas for 2.5 million people.

Border Security

Stopping drugs, human trafficking and violent gang members from flowing into the country has been a priority of the administration.  Statistics document the success: Arrests of 796 members of the Central American gang MS-13 in 2017, an 83 percent increase from 2016. ICE rescued or identified more than 500 human trafficking victims in 2017 and more than 900 child exploitation victims.  ICE agents seized more than 980,000 pounds of narcotics in 2017, including 2,370 pounds of fentanyl and 6,967 pounds of heroin. In a related area, the administration secured $6 billion in new funding to fight the opioid epidemic, arrested 28 medical professionals and revoked 147 registrations for physicians over prescribing opioids.

Foreign Policy

President Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and imposed tough sanctions on the rogue regime.  In the wake of sanctions, Iran's currency has plummeted, international companies have pulled out of the country and the Treasury Department has levied sanctions against key regime individuals.  The president opened negotiations with North Korea in an effort to denuclearize the totalitarian nation. Despite the media influenced image of Russian coddling, the administration has expelled dozens of Russian intelligence officers, sanctioned oligarchs and their companies and enhanced support for Ukraine's Armed Forces to defend against Russian aggression.  In addition, Mr. Trump demanded European countries increase financial support for NATO, the military alliance between Europe and North America.  The result was a hike in 2017 of 4.8 percent in defense spending by member states, amounting to $42 billion. Of course, the piece de resistance was the renegotiation of the flawed NAFTA agreement.

Mr. Trump is constantly savaged because he doesn't stick to the script of past presidents.  The media and Democrats are aghast at his nonconformity.  Many elitists believe a president should be measured on style not substance.  Being "presidential" matters more than getting things done for Americans.

The U.S. had eight years of presidential style.  The country was hungry for  change.  The media has never gotten over the fact American voters chose an outsider over its favored career politician.  Irregardless, the media has an ethical obligation to report good news along with the bad.