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This little ditty is about four major achievements of the Trump administration that were unique and innovative. I'm not going to talk about the booming economy or energy independence. Those matters will be denigrated by Trump haters as follow on items to existing accomplishments. Nor an I going to defend Trump the man. I personally found Donald Trump to be distasteful in the extreme. He is petty, vindictive and at times needlessly cruel. Cross him and he'll get you no matter how long it takes, just ask Jeff Sessions. However his effectiveness as President is such that his enemies, where possible, are undoing his accomplishments for the sake of undoing them.
Here we go in order of importance:
1. "Operation Warp Speed:" the corona virus vaccine. When Trump said we'd have a vaccine for the corona virus in months but not years he was ridiculed. With a combination of waiver of regulations, cajolery, spending a lot of money and pitting the big pharma companies against each other dangling the carrot of not only being the first to benefit financially and by reputation his policies did, in fact, produce vaccines in a few months. There is no understating what a massive achievement this is. Vaccines, in the best of circumstances have taken years to develop, often lots of years. I wonder if this kind of effort had been put into an AIDS vaccine we'd have one by now instead of relying on theraputics, very effective theraputics but theraputics none the less.
2. "The Second Chance Act:" When Kim Kadashian told Ivanka Trump the story of a woman who had been in prison for decades after having been convicted for a minor drug offense she had her father (Trump) meet with her (Ivanka Trump,) Kardashian and Kanye West. Trump granted the woman a clemency. Then he proposed a bill that would amend the penalty provisions of the crime control act of 1993. Black activists have been complaining about people, especially black people serving extremely long sentences for offenses like "possession with intent to distribute" after being caught with amounts of illegal drugs just slightly over the personal use limit. Especially onerous were the geometrically higher penalties for the possession or distribution of crack cocaine vis powder cocaine. The Obama administration equalized the penalties for crack and powder cocaine crimes but did nothing about the penalty situation for those locked up. "The First Step Act" not only drastically reduced the penalties for minor drug offenses, it retroactively reduced the prison sentences for thousands of people serving terms of 20 to 40+ year terms for those offenses. This law alone surely had a lot to do with Trump not only cracking 11% - 13% of the black vote (depending on your exit poll) in this last election but getting the votes of as much as one out of five black men. If a Republican gets much more of the black vote than that they'd be almost unbeatable.
3. "Operation Abraham:" At some point the inner circle of the Trump Administration decided that the policy that making peace in the Middle East was only possible with the co-operation of the Palestinian organizations was wrong headed. All of these are radically militant and often supported by state actors with an interest in continued conflict in the region. Trump decided, rather, that getting the individual Islamic Countries to make peace with Israel and doing an end around the Palestinians and their state supporters, especially Iran was a viable way to go. The Trump administration realized that working on the fear these states felt for Iran could be useful in this. Jared Kushner, Trumps main Ambassador Without Portfolio was tasked with the job and within a few months had convinced the United Arab Emirates, The Sudan, and Morocco to open diplomatic relations and exchange ambassadors with Israel. Almost unbelievably Saudi Arabia authorized Israeli airliners access to Saudi air space. When Trump left office a similar agreement with Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world when it comes to population was "on the one yard line." Trump was nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on this, which of course he will never receive (see first paragraph.)
Unfortunately not only has the Biden Administration failed to follow up on the progress the Trump Administration made it seems to be undercutting the results. As an incentive to make peace with Israel the UAE was guaranteed the sale (not gift, sale) of some F35 fighters. The Biden Administration has but a hold on that sale, hopefully they'll let it go through.
4. Border control: As a candidate Trump not only promised to build a wall but to make Mexico pay for it. Most doubted he'd get a wall built and no one with active neurons and any understanding of the world situation thought Mexico would pay for it. In reality the wall, while useful was more of a symbol. What did the trick and cut illegal immigration was hard nosed carrot and stick bargaining with Mexico and the Central American Countries, especially Guatemala. Trump exacted promises from them which they kept that they would no longer waive aliens through their country on their way to the United States, and even more importantly got a promise from Mexico, which the government of Mexico kept, that applicants for asylum would wait their turn in Mexico. The result was much reduced border activity and a more regular and orderly processing system.
On "stick" diplomacy - when those Mormons were murdered in Mexico a couple of years ago the Trump administration advised the Lopez-Obrador administration that any more mass slaughters of Americans would result in the Cartels being classified as terrorist organizations with all that entailed.
The Biden Administration has totally dismantled the Trump policy with potentially catastrophic results. In fact, Democrat politicians on the border, are running for cover on this, Henry Cuellar "D" Texas being the most vocal.
Here we go in order of importance:
1. "Operation Warp Speed:" the corona virus vaccine. When Trump said we'd have a vaccine for the corona virus in months but not years he was ridiculed. With a combination of waiver of regulations, cajolery, spending a lot of money and pitting the big pharma companies against each other dangling the carrot of not only being the first to benefit financially and by reputation his policies did, in fact, produce vaccines in a few months. There is no understating what a massive achievement this is. Vaccines, in the best of circumstances have taken years to develop, often lots of years. I wonder if this kind of effort had been put into an AIDS vaccine we'd have one by now instead of relying on theraputics, very effective theraputics but theraputics none the less.
2. "The Second Chance Act:" When Kim Kadashian told Ivanka Trump the story of a woman who had been in prison for decades after having been convicted for a minor drug offense she had her father (Trump) meet with her (Ivanka Trump,) Kardashian and Kanye West. Trump granted the woman a clemency. Then he proposed a bill that would amend the penalty provisions of the crime control act of 1993. Black activists have been complaining about people, especially black people serving extremely long sentences for offenses like "possession with intent to distribute" after being caught with amounts of illegal drugs just slightly over the personal use limit. Especially onerous were the geometrically higher penalties for the possession or distribution of crack cocaine vis powder cocaine. The Obama administration equalized the penalties for crack and powder cocaine crimes but did nothing about the penalty situation for those locked up. "The First Step Act" not only drastically reduced the penalties for minor drug offenses, it retroactively reduced the prison sentences for thousands of people serving terms of 20 to 40+ year terms for those offenses. This law alone surely had a lot to do with Trump not only cracking 11% - 13% of the black vote (depending on your exit poll) in this last election but getting the votes of as much as one out of five black men. If a Republican gets much more of the black vote than that they'd be almost unbeatable.
3. "Operation Abraham:" At some point the inner circle of the Trump Administration decided that the policy that making peace in the Middle East was only possible with the co-operation of the Palestinian organizations was wrong headed. All of these are radically militant and often supported by state actors with an interest in continued conflict in the region. Trump decided, rather, that getting the individual Islamic Countries to make peace with Israel and doing an end around the Palestinians and their state supporters, especially Iran was a viable way to go. The Trump administration realized that working on the fear these states felt for Iran could be useful in this. Jared Kushner, Trumps main Ambassador Without Portfolio was tasked with the job and within a few months had convinced the United Arab Emirates, The Sudan, and Morocco to open diplomatic relations and exchange ambassadors with Israel. Almost unbelievably Saudi Arabia authorized Israeli airliners access to Saudi air space. When Trump left office a similar agreement with Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world when it comes to population was "on the one yard line." Trump was nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on this, which of course he will never receive (see first paragraph.)
Unfortunately not only has the Biden Administration failed to follow up on the progress the Trump Administration made it seems to be undercutting the results. As an incentive to make peace with Israel the UAE was guaranteed the sale (not gift, sale) of some F35 fighters. The Biden Administration has but a hold on that sale, hopefully they'll let it go through.
4. Border control: As a candidate Trump not only promised to build a wall but to make Mexico pay for it. Most doubted he'd get a wall built and no one with active neurons and any understanding of the world situation thought Mexico would pay for it. In reality the wall, while useful was more of a symbol. What did the trick and cut illegal immigration was hard nosed carrot and stick bargaining with Mexico and the Central American Countries, especially Guatemala. Trump exacted promises from them which they kept that they would no longer waive aliens through their country on their way to the United States, and even more importantly got a promise from Mexico, which the government of Mexico kept, that applicants for asylum would wait their turn in Mexico. The result was much reduced border activity and a more regular and orderly processing system.
On "stick" diplomacy - when those Mormons were murdered in Mexico a couple of years ago the Trump administration advised the Lopez-Obrador administration that any more mass slaughters of Americans would result in the Cartels being classified as terrorist organizations with all that entailed.
The Biden Administration has totally dismantled the Trump policy with potentially catastrophic results. In fact, Democrat politicians on the border, are running for cover on this, Henry Cuellar "D" Texas being the most vocal.
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