Sep.22

electoral-vote.com

Dem 53

Ties 3

GOP 44

Trump Lists His Accomplishments

Over the weekend, Donald Trump—who really thinks the key to holding the Congress is making the midterms a referendum on him—posted to social media a list of what he describes as the "TOP 25 TRUMP ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF TERM THREE." That's right, he's still stuck on the notion that he won the election of 2020. And if he's now serving term three, then he reaches the Constitutional limit on January 21, 2027. J.D. Vance better get on that.

Readers can read through the list by clicking on the link, if that is really what you want to do with your time. For our part, we'll just talk about the groups into which the 25 "accomplishments" fit:

• Gross exaggerations of real policy impacts, like claiming that ZERO undocumented immigrants have entered the U.S. since he became president (again). It is certainly true that illegal border crossings are way down, but they certainly aren't zero.
  
  
• Meaningless show-horse stuff, like the Laken Riley Act.
  
  
• "Accomplishments" that are only accomplishments if you omit context. For example, it is true that the stock market has set new highs many times during Trump v2.0. It is also true that, because of the nature of the stock market, every president since Herbert Hoover can make the same claim.
  
  
• "Accomplishments" that are mostly or entirely false, like "$19.2 trillion in new investment in the United States" or "obliterated Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity" or "banned transgender ideology in schools."
  
  
• Dog-whistle racism, like "made English the official language of the United States." He did issue an XO, but that, of course, does not change federal law. And federal law does not specify an official language for the country.
  
  
• "Accomplishments" that aren't accomplishments, as far as most people are concerned, like the tariffs and the Iran War.

Most presidents issue forth with something like this, at around this time on the electoral calendar. Actually, the presidents themselves don't usually promulgate the list; someone outside the administration does it for them (perhaps with encouragement, perhaps not). But Donald Trump is crass, so he has no problem polishing his own apple.

It is a shockingly meager list, one that depends on a well-above-average amount of spin and fantasy. Further, there are very few things on the list that will actually impress non-MAGA voters. On the other hand, there are a number of things on the list that will turn voters off. And if Trump really and truly believes, in particular, that Iran and the tariffs are "accomplishments," he is not likely to back down, or to stop talking about those subjects. Yet another reason it's a bad time to be a Republican running for office. (Z)