Talking Points Memo.
So the president remains the most controversial figure in U.S. History. There has never been another president. And that includes Nixon, Bill Clinton, the whole crew, that has come close to President Trump in controversy. And he is the most famous human being in the world and the most dominant force in the world. It's a lot to lay on one human being. I don't even know if he sees himself as a human being. The guy works nonstop; he's got a pretty good vision in my opinion, but then he's prone to outbursts. And he does things that millions of Americans find objectionable. I don't. And it must be a gene I have. I am more interested in accomplishments than demeanor. But I understand those who disagree with me. I understand that you want a president to behave a certain way, and often, Donald Trump goes against that. Now, he believes it works for him. So he believes that his blunt assessment of the world mobilizes his supporters, and that's why he does it. There's a method to the madness, to use a cliche.
So let's examine this in a very methodical way, all right? No emotion. Here are Trump's main accomplishments in his first year. Sealed border, criminal alien crackdown, Gaza ceasefire, lower gasoline prices, crime suppression in Washington, D.C., Stable unemployment, inflation, high military recruitment, lower taxes for workers, higher defense spending from NATO, robust attempt to stop drug smuggling into the United States. Now, there are others, but I don't think anybody could quibble with that, all right? Those are accomplishments. And the criminal alien crackdown is the most controversial because non-criminal aliens get caught up in those sweeps. And we're gonna have a segment on it in a little while. Now, still unresolved, and this is vexing for President Trump, are the following. Tariffs. We just don't know whether his vision of a brand new manufacturing economy is gonna come true. Ukraine, that's Putin, and we have no power over Putin at this point. National debt continues to rise. China trade undefined. Chicago murder rate, that is the fault of the governor and the mayor out there. High beef prices, now that's a big one, because a lot of people like their steak and burgers, and high insurance rates. And that's even bigger than the high meat prices because it's draining working Americans. So those are unresolved. Now, I believe that Donald Trump knows about them all. He's trying, but they have not been rectified.
Now, I think that's a fairly honest assessment. I get emails every day from friends and people around the world, and they just don't understand Donald Trump. And I do. I understand him. I try my best. I'm not in business to defend the president. That's not what I do, all right? I watch him like I watch all powerful people. And he's not a perfect man, come on. Everybody knows that. But again, it's just constant drumbeat. Oh, he did this. He's so terrible. He did that. Boring. It's boring. He is not going to change. Now, if you believe that demeanor should be placed above accomplishments, that's your right as a voter and an American. Absolutely. Now, because he doesn't have to run again, Donald Trump's governing as a strong man, less compromised than he had the first time around. Again, he wants things done. He wants them done quick. And he's willing to go into court and he is willing to slug it out. Don't have any problems with that as long as you can justify your position. And then there is the revenge factor. Yeah, these people tried to destroy his life, Comey, Letitia James. And now he says, all right, you're going to go after me. You did this wrong, I'm going to go after you. People go, oh, it's revenge or revenge or, ah, retribution's a better word than that, in my opinion.
So the final thing, and I know, and I've actually said this, going back to Joe Biden is useless. However, it is perspective, and Biden didn't say much in his four years. I mean, very rarely, you know, he wrote, he read what they wrote for him, but he wasn't having a gaggle or answering questions. He wasn't doing any of that. And he didn't have any accomplishments. You know, I've said this time and time and time again, give me one. You know, a couple of things dribbling, you know, he lowered drug prices, and Friday, Trump announced a deal that, but we have to see it first, that drug prices will come down. And Biden did that a little bit, but that's it. It was ridiculous, really was absurd. What a waste of four years. Summing up, I think Donald Trump is now going to pivot to his legacy. He wants to be recognized as one of the great presidents. In order to make that happen, he's got to do two things: he has got to tamp down the controversial statements, has to. I don't know if he can. I don't know if he can. Okay? And then he's got to tamp up and explain to we the people why he does what he's doing. So, for example, Venezuela, Maduro's done. It's a matter of when he's out of there. And, but why? You know, I submit to you that most Americans have no idea who Nicolas Maduro is. I'd like to see more explanation. We talked about it last weekend, that rapid response team. Because if you're gonna go after a presidential legacy, you have to get on the record why you're doing what you're doing. Ronald Reagan was very good at that. For the last three years in his second term, that's what they were concentrating on. Reagan's legacy, they did a very good job. Very, very, and when I say they, he had a bunch of guys that he depended on. And if you read my book, Killing Reagan, we walk you right through it. But Reagan was very, very interested in going down in history as a successful president, so is Donald Trump. And that's the memo.
