By The Signal Editorial Board
When trying to decide who to vote for in the next election, ask yourself what has President Donald Trump accomplished in office during his first four years. Has he been working for the American people? What has he accomplished?
Here is a partial list:
He has created the greatest economy we’ve ever had prior to being hit with COVID-19.
Record low unemployment for women at 3.2%. The number of women in poverty fell by nearly 600,000. The unemployment rate for Black Americans, Latino Americans and Asian Americans hit all-time lows. The poverty rate among Black Americans is at its lowest level in history. The median income for Latino Americans hit its highest ever recorded at $50,486 and Latino Americans are experiencing an all-time record of home ownership.
The president enacted a tax decrease that amounted to an average of $4,000 a year in tax savings to the average American taxpayer.
He created 9,000 Opportunity Zones in all 50 states, D.C. and five territories, which have created jobs and spurred $75 billion in private investment in disadvantaged communities. He eliminated countless regulations across every federal agency, saving millions of dollars in time and fees and promoting business growth and jobs. Trump made the U.S. energy-independent for the first time ever by approving the Keystone XL and Dakota access pipelines, creating 45,000 jobs.
The president promised to build a border wall with Mexico and the wall has been started with almost 400 miles completed.
There has been a sharp decrease in illegal crossings since the president took office and also a decrease in illegal drugs crossing the border. He ended the NAFTA trade deal and negotiated a much better trade deal with Canada and Mexico called the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Trump also negotiated a trade deal with China and ended the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Trump restored American military strength by spending more than $3 trillion to replace outdated and non-working equipment. He secured $73 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the most in history. He gave the military a 3.1% pay raise and established the U.S. Space Force to evolve in the future. He signed the V.A. Choice and Quality Employment Act to authorize $2.1 billion in additional funds for the Veteran’s Choice Program and created a new White House V.A. Hotline. Trump forced NATO nations to pay their fair share of dues to NATO, bringing in billions of dollars those countries owed.
Trump moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem as he promised and the past three presidents promised but never did. He negotiated a series of successful peace agreements in the Middle East, first between Israel and Bahrain, then with Israel and the United Arab Emirates and then again between Israel and Sudan. He also negotiated a peace agreement between Serbia and Kosovo.
Trump wiped out ISIS, eliminated the No. 1 terrorist leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and killed Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and one of the world’s most dangerous terrorists, responsible for killing many Americans.
Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement that has allowed Iran a legal way to achieve nuclear power and imposed sanctions on Russians for interfering in our elections.
Trump enacted prison reform, which released more than 3,000 inmates who had served lengthy sentences for minor infractions because of the 1994 Criminal Reform Act, which resulted in tougher sentencing for minor crimes, and he doubled the amount of sex trafficking convictions. Trump nominated three Supreme Court justices and more than 300 federal judges to sit on the bench.
Trump eliminated the individual mandate penalty from Obamacare. He lowered prescription drug costs, installing favored nation status, which means U.S. citizens will not pay more then citizens in other countries.
He is working for school choice so every parent can decide where to send their child to school, and ended Common Core.
Trump has fought against drug and opioid abuse and expanded treatment options for those with HIV/AIDS, kidney disease, pediatric cancer and Alzheimer’s. He raised the legal age to buy tobacco and vape products to 21 and fought against flavored products aimed at kids. He allowed a free marketplace for insurance, greatly reducing insurance costs, and passed right-to-try legislation allowing terminally ill patients to try experimental treatment that wasn’t previously allowed.
Trump signed an executive order to increase responsible forest management and coordinate federal, state, tribal and local assets to prevent and combat wildfires. He signed the Agriculture Improvement Act and gave $100 million to fix water infrastructure in Flint, Michigan. He signed the Save our Seas Act, which funds $10 million per year to clean plastic and garbage from the ocean, a new farm bill that provides to farmers and helps open new markets, and eliminated tariffs on U.S. products and agriculture.
Trump signed an executive order that promotes and protects free speech on college campuses and appropriated the most money ever given in one year to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He signed the Future Act into law, which permanently funds HBCUs and simplifies the application process. He granted $200 million per year to technology education grants for women and programs that encourage participation in STEM careers and also signed a memorandum that eliminates 100% of student loan debt for permanently disabled veterans.
Trump passed a child tax credit, which doubled it to $2,000 per child, and included paid family leave policies in budget proposals and paid parental leave for federal workers. He also created the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative to help 50 million women in 22 developing countries realize their economic potential by 2025.
For this, Trump donates 100% of his salary as president to charities.
