JANUARY 20, 2025

January 20, 2025 cannot come fast enough. January 20, 2025 is just a tad over seven weeks away, but it seems like a lifetime. I can’t wait.

On January 20, 2025 we, the people, will take back our country, which has been hijacked by the small, but vociferous, Socialist wing of the Democrat Party. We will take it back from the haters, the bigots, the special interests, the self-styled elitists, the “wokers,” and the crazy extremists aided and abetted by their allies in the mainstream media who, either intentionally or through stupidity, have created and sustained a national nightmare for four years. In my opinion and that of many others this country has been damaged almost to the breaking point, but on January 20, 2025 the nightmare will end, and the healing will begin.

On January 20, 2025 Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, and the draining of the Washington swamp will begin. There is a massive amount of work ahead of us, and it will take time to complete America’s transformation. Hopefully, the public will exercise some patience.

As I said in an earlier blog Trump has already hit the ground running. He knows what needs to be done; he knows what the voters have mandated him to do; and he is not wasting any time to do it.

For example:

1. He has already nominated most of his cabinet, subcabinet, and key advisors. Most of them are already at work. A few of his picks have generated some controversy, and the Dems may try to block or delay them, but historically the Senate has tended to approve Presidential appointments.
2. The notion of a presidential cabinet dates back to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. At the time, some delegates favored a system whereby the president, rather than exercising sole executive authority, should collaborate with a “cabinet of ministers.” Incidentally, the derivation of the term “cabinet” is somewhat convoluted. According to Wikipedia it is derived from the Italian word “gabinetto,” which, in turn, is derived from the Latin word “capanna,” which dates back to the 16th century. The word denotes a closet or a small room. In the 1600s it morphed into the English word “cabinet,” which referred to a small room found in the houses of royalty and nobility.
3. George Washington was the first president to employ a cabinet. It included four members – the Secretaries of State, Treasury, and War, plus the Attorney General. Over the years the presidential cabinet has grown to 15 members plus a plethora of assistants.
4. Members of the cabinet are in the line of succession. First in line is the VP followed by the Speaker of the House, then the various members of the cabinet beginning with the Secretary of State.
5. As we know, cabinet members must be approved by the Senate. As I said, historically, the Senate has generally acceded to the president’s choices regardless of politics. Hopefully, that tradition will continue.
6. The voters identified the massive flow of illegals across our borders as one of our major problems along with the economy/inflation. For four years the Dems insisted that the border was secure, but anyone with a pair of eyes could see that was a blatant lie. The situation reminded me of the old Harpo Marx line: “Who ya gonna believe, me or your lying eyes?” Records indicate that in the last four years there have been 10.6 million “encounters” between illegals and the Border Patrol plus an additional 1.7 million “gotaways.” But most people believe that that number is considerably understated. It has been estimated that the real number is as high as 20 million. No one really knows for sure. Even worse, it is estimated that there are hundreds of thousands of children that Homeland Security has simply “lost.” No one knows where they are, but it is a good bet that they have been “trafficked” and are being sexually abused.
7. Trump has commenced negotiations with the presidents of Canada and Mexico to reinstate the “remain in Mexico/Canada” policy to prevent illegals from entering the US. One of his primary tactics will be to threaten them with 25% tariffs on goods exported into the US if they fail to cooperate. Historically, tariffs have been somewhat controversial, but in this case the threat of them is a shrewd negotiating tactic. Many others, including incoming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent agree. It behooves Mexico and Canada to maintain good relations with the US for various reasons, and their leaders know it. Just tonight Fox News reported that the President of Mexico had agreed to reinstate the “remain in Mexico” policy.
8. Tom Homan, the tough new Border Czar has already begun to organize procedures to identify and deport illegals beginning with the criminals, drug dealers, known terrorists, and other undesirables. He has already proclaimed that political leaders who resist will be prosecuted as felons under federal law. The feds also have the option to withhold funding for noncompliance. A few politicians have been claiming they will not comply, but in my view that is just bluster. For instance, the mayor of Denver has blustered that he is “willing to go to jail,” if necessary. Homan’s response: “I’m willing to put him [there].” The laws are clearly on Homan’s side, and he fully intends to enforce them, and they know it. Some countries like Venezuela have refused to accept back migrants, but I believe Trump will “convince” them to do so.
9. Trump has threatened China with a 10% tariff if it fails to curb the exporting of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the US. Fentanyl is extremely deadly, and its widespread use has created an epidemic. According to the CDC during 2022 and 2023 there were an average of 75,000 deaths per year attributable to it.
10. With respect to the economy, the other primary concern of voters, Trump has reiterated that on day one he will tackle inflation and authorize drilling for fossil fuels. This will moderate price increases, make us energy independent again, and put a “big hurt” on Iran and Russia economically and financially.
11. He has created a new Department of Accountability under the leadership of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy that will target the federal government’s fraud, waste and mismanagement. Everyone knows that there is a cornucopia of fat to trim.
12. He has pledged to retain the so-called “Trump tax cuts,” which are slated to expire in 2025.
13. He has pledged to eliminate federal taxes on social security income, overtime and tips to help seniors and middle-class workers.
14. He will roll back Biden’s ill-advised, unconstitutional and fatuous student loan forgiveness program.

Conclusion

So far, polls published by Harvard-CAPS/Harris and Emerson, among others, have indicated that 59% of the public likes what Trump has accomplished, and they have the confidence that he will fix what he has been mandated to do. His overall favorability rating has jumped to 54%, an unusually high number. Moreover, his favorability ratings among all subgroups, including whites, Hispanics, blacks and youths have remained high or increased as well.

Most Americans are very optimistic about the future, but Trump will have to move with alacrity and demonstrate real progress in order to retain their support. Hopefully, he will do so.