RE-ELECT DONALD TRUMP – PT I

by David Schnittger

We are now in June, 2019. This month is generally recognized as the beginning of the primary season for the 2020 presidential election. It is my hope that the Front Line article today and next week will encourage you, not only to vote for Donald Trump’s reelection, but also to give and work for his reelection as well.

It was on June 16, 2015 when Donald Trump descended the escalator at Trump Tower in New York City to announce his candidacy for President of the United States. The news media erupted in howls of laughter and derision at the prospect of a scandal ridden real estate developer from Manhattan mounting a serious challenge to multiple establishment politicians from both political parties. Not only did Trump dispatch 15 other Republican candidates during his self-funded primary campaign, he then went on beat Hillary Clinton, despite her two-billion dollar campaign.

This outsider, who had never held any previous political office, shocked the world and rocked the establishment with a decisive electoral college victory.

Let’s consider for a moment the monumental nature of Trump’s victory:

First, he defeated two political dynasties. On the Republican side, was the Bush dynasty. On the Democrat side, was the Clinton dynasty.  He defeated Jeb Bush, the heir apparent to daddy Bush and brother Bush, who collectively served as president or vice president for 20 years. At the beginning of the primary season four years ago, Jeb Bush was the presumptive Republican nominee. With a war chest of 150 million dollars and the might of the Republican establishment machine at his disposal, Jeb was the man to beat. Within a fairly short period of time “low energy Jeb” dropped out of the race. One by one the other candidates dropped out and by the end of April 2016, Trump had sewn up the Republican nomination.

When the general election campaign began in September 2016, Trump faced Hillary Clinton, who had stolen the Democrat nomination from Bernie Sanders. Facing a former first lady, senator and secretary of state, with vast financial resources and all the power of the Democrat political machine, the mainstream media was united in declaring that Donald Trump did not have a chance to beat Hillary. This is when the forgotten men and women of America stood up and spoke out. While Hillary coughed, sputtered and stumbled to poorly attended rallies a couple times a week, Trump was barn storming the country, often speaking at two or three jampacked rallies a day. Often, he would pull up his Trump plane to the tarmac and walk to a packed hanger with standing room only crowds. After electrifying the audience with an “America First” message, he would get back on his plane and fly to the next rally. By the end of the general election campaign, Trump had honed his message down to a few simple thoughts: “Build The Wall,” “Drain the Swamp,” and “Lock Her Up.”

Trump’s brilliant campaign strategists insisted that the Trump campaign had to expand the map into Wisconsin and Michigan, while doubling down on Pennsylvania. Election night, November 8, 2016 started out as a real nail biter. Clinton jumped out to an early electoral advantage, but as the evening melted into the early morning hours, Trump pulled ahead, winning all the critical swing states, scoring an electoral college victory of 312 votes, well above the required number.

Trump was inaugurated in January 2017, and we are now nearly 2 ½ years into his presidency. During this time, he has been hamstrung by the 35 million-dollar witch hunt known as the Mueller investigation. This exhaustive investigation, which sought to pressure Trump associates into lying about the president, eventuated in exonerating Trump from charges of colluding with Russia. He has also endured constant criticism by the mainstream press, and unending obstruction and investigation by the Democrats in Congress. Despite these mammoth obstacles, consider just a few of Trump’s accomplishments in office:

THE TRUMP ECONOMIC RECORD:President Trump pushed Congress to enact the largest tax cuts for the American people since President Reagan. He cut the top tax rate on businesses from 35% to 21% – to make America an attractive place to build a business again. He has also slashed tax rates for citizens, as well as doubling the standard deduction as well as exemptions for dependents.

President Trump has signed more laws to slash unnecessary federal regulations and bureaucratic red tape than any President in American history. This slashing of regulations is saving American businesses more than $18 billion a year in costs.

• President Trump is accomplishing what no modern American president has been able to do, that of making America energy-independent. For the first time, America is meeting all of its own energy needs and is an exporter of American energy. He has approved the building of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.
• President Trump has saved the American people $3 TRILLION DOLLARS over the next 10 years by withdrawing from the Paris climate accord.
• The economy under President Trump is growing twice as fast as it was under Barack Obama, and we have seen GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT grow at a rate of 3% during 2018.

The U.S. economy has created more than three million new jobs under President Trump, and unemployment in the manufacturing sector has dropped to a record low of just 2.6%.

• More than $8 TRILLION DOLLARS in new wealth has been created under president Trump.
• Average hourly wages are up. As a result, welfare rolls are decreasing as more Americans are going back to work. Food stamp use has plunged to an 8- year low under President Trump.
• Consumer confidence, which drives economic growth, is at an 18 year high under president Trump.

ENDING OBAMACARE

When Congress was unable to get the votes to completely end ObamaCare, President Trump canceled much of ObamaCare on his own. Specifically, President Trump . . .

• Ended the billions of dollars in illegal taxpayer subsidies for insurance companies.
• Made it easier for lower and middle income citizens to buy plans off the exhanges that are half the cost of the ObamaCare plans.
• Announced that the IRS will no longer fine people who don’t have health insurance.
• Ended the outrageous Obama requirement that you must purchase health insurance that includes coverage for abortion.

FOREIGN POLICY VICTORIES

• He successfully moved the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14, 2018, Israel’s 70^th birthday.
• At his urging, NATO countries radically increased their defense spending.
• He has defused tensions with North Korea
• He dismantled NAFTA, and is negotiating trade deals with Mexico and Canada that are more favorable to America
• He is renegotiating trade policies with China to mitigate our trade deficit.

Space fails me to catalog other victories Donald Trump has won on behalf of the American people. In my next article, I will deal with the Democratic challenger Trump will most likely face in winning reelection in 2020.