The single greatest responsibility for public officials is the safety and security of the people they represent. In the 500 days that President Trump has occupied the Oval Office, he has been hard at work to make America a more secure country. He has reasserted American leadership on the world stage, his policies have created a secure economy, and he is standing up to threats to our country at the border and across the globe.
In order to have a secure America, you need to secure the country from threats across the border. President Trump has ended the Obama-era policy of catch and release, ramped up border patrols, and his administration charged more than 4,000 MS-13 gang members last year for their crimes. Liberals will tell you securing our borders is somehow wrong, but fentanyl seizures at the Mexican border have jumped 750 percent. As of April, Border Patrol agents have seized close to three hundred pounds of this powerful deadly substance being pushed on the vulnerable in our country and fueling the opioid epidemic.
The U.S. faces threats across the globe, not just when they come to our door at the southern border. Vicious terrorist groups like ISIS behead Christians and want to destroy everything about the American way of life. While the United States was facing more growing threats worldwide, the Obama Administration chose to slash defense funding in favor of new social programs. But now, ISIS is on the run. Since President Trump has taken the reins as Commander in Chief, ISIS has lost close to 90 percent of the territory they occupied on his first day. He has empowered officials on the ground to make quicker decisions and installed qualified and respected leaders like General Mattis to lead the military to wipe out these terrorists.
The most public threat facing the United States has been North Korea’s pursuit of nuclearized weapons. The issue has been a thorn in the side of every modern president, but I’m optimistic about the historic North Korean peace talks that took place this week. President Trump negotiated from a place of strength and laid out a possible path to peace. It is up to Kim Jong Un now to decide if he will take it. We can’t forget who we’re dealing with here: We have to remember North Korea’s threats against our people, its human rights violations, and its support for international terrorism. Until there is complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the maximum amount of pressure and sanctions should remain on this hostile regime.
Here at home, President Trump’s policies have led to economic security and optimism for the future. Three million jobs have been created since the President took over, and the unemployment rate has dropped to 3.8 percent, the lowest rate in almost five decades. A record number of Americans believe now is a good time to find a quality job and consumers are extremely confident in the economy.
The border is more secure, and our economy within it is stronger. Our international threats are on the run, and President Trump is standing up for America on the world stage. Any way you look at it America is more secure after President Trump’s first 500 days in the White House.
