OPINION:
When President Trump threatened to slap tariffs on Colombia if President Gustavo Petro did not accept criminal migrants deported from the U.S., he did not get the initial response he expected. Instead of immediately caving to Mr. Trump, Mr. Petro countered with plans for his own tariffs on U.S. goods coming into Colombia and then issued a fiery statement in which he called the U.S. president a “White slaver” who is trying to “wipe out the human species because of greed.”
In a category of over-the-top statements, that one is currently in the lead. After a tense back-and-forth, Colombia has reportedly agreed to accept migrant flights, a decision that averts a trade war and ends, at least for now, a high-stakes game of chicken.
The standard by which modern presidents have been judged is the first 100 days. Forget that. Mr. Trump has done more for good, and some will argue for the ill, than any recent president or maybe any president in his first week in office.
First, the good. In addition to his initial deportation action (according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 538 illegal migrants fit these categories, with likely many more to come, assuming the president gets cooperation from their countries of origin), Mr. Trump ordered the end of diversity, equity and inclusion programs throughout the federal government, promising that “merit” would be the standard for hiring and promotions. He placed all DEI heads on paid leave.
The president received promises of substantial investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure of $500 billion from SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Open AI CEO Sam Altman. After speaking on the phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Mr. Trump said the country “wants to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years.”
Mr. Trump signed an executive order designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations and another declaring there are only two sexes, which ought to help keep women’s sports and locker rooms transgender-free. He eliminated President Biden’s electric vehicle mandate and paved the way for oil drilling in Alaska, which could bring gas prices down and lower the cost of groceries, as so many are delivered by trucks powered by diesel or gasoline.
Mr. Trump is dominating the news, making multiple appearances almost daily. This has effectively limited Democrats’ opportunities to respond. Some Democrats are now working with Republicans in Congress. The press should be happy because Mr. Trump has spent more time answering their questions in seven days than Mr. Biden did in four years.
There was more good in his first week, but these are some highlights.
Now for the bad. The president ended federal security protection for Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Adviser John Bolton and Mr. Trump’s former envoy on Iran, Brian Hook. He said they could “afford” their own protection. In Mr. Fauci’s case, that smells like retribution for the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases because of his criticism of some of Mr. Trump’s statements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Same with Mr. Bolton, who has been highly critical of Mr. Trump but has also praised him for some of his actions. Whatever one thinks of Dr. Fauci, the ending of protection for Messrs. Pompeo, Bolton and Hook exposes them to possible assassination. Mr. Pompeo has been on Iran’s hit list since he took hard-line positions against Tehran in the first Trump administration.
Mr. Trump fired the highest-ranking woman in the military, Coast Guard Commandant and Adm. Linda L. Fagan. He did it during the inaugural balls. Among the reasons given for Adm. Fagan’s dismissal was “excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion,” said a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.
There will likely be more good and possibly some bad in the days to come. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 47% of Americans approve of Mr. Trump’s presidency, though 58% disapprove of his Jan. 6 pardons. Mr. Trump is moving at warp speed, which also seems to delight his supporters. Will it last, and will some of it survive court challenges? Another challenge will be trying to keep up with him.
• Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book, “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).
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