In our weekly White House Report Card, President Trump is capping another “dizzying” period that included settling war fears with Iran, a continuing improving jobs record, a strike at Obama-era regulations, and the approval of border wall spending.
On the other side is the likelihood that the Senate will begin his impeachment trial this month now that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has decided to stop holding up the process.
Democratic pollster John Zogby, who this week began a new weekly podcast with his son and business partner Jeremy, called it “dizzying” and graded a ‘C-.’
National security analyst Jed Babbin gave the president an ‘A’ and said that against the president’s success this week it was the Democrats who were left “dizzy.”
John Zogby
Grade C-
President Trump is the disruptor in chief. He is actually redefining the meaning of polling numbers. At the beginning of the week, he turned trash talk about Iran into an act of war. Trump apparently doesn’t even need ‘maximum deniability.’ The assassination of a terror leader was supported by only 41% but opposed by 37% — with the rest not sure.
However, the president’s approval rating average is at 45%, which is just one point less than the percentage of the vote he received in 2016. Horse race matchups nationally and in some key states this week show him losing to at least the major contenders for the Democratic nomination — but the Democrats are still far away from choosing a nominee, and perhaps even further away from uniting the party against Trump.
An act of war against war scared a lot of folks, but new numbers from the Labor Department gave people something to cheer about: 145,000 new jobs and an unemployment rate holding at just 3.5%. There is plenty of steam in this economy.
My job here is not moralizing, just to assess the numbers. And his numbers in polling and on the economy are in his favor and keep him competitive. Meanwhile, he may very well go trial in the Senate this month. Dizzying.
Jed Babbin
Grade A
President Trump had another terrific week with wins on Iran, building his long-promised border wall and the start of a regulatory war to limit the impact of environmental laws on economic growth.
After last week’s drone strike that killed Iran’s chief terrorist, the ayatollahs were making nearly hysterical threats of revenge. In what was little more than a face-saving move, after warning us of an impending attack on bases in Iraq, the Iranians launched about 15 short-range ballistic missiles that, as the Iranians said, were aimed carefully to not kill any U.S. or Iraqi troops. Trump, sticking with his “red line” that no Americans can be killed without a U.S. military response, wisely didn’t order a response to that attack.
The Iranians are still very dangerous and will soon resume their attacks. But for now, they stood down.
The Democrats are still dizzy, trying to figure out how to oppose Trump on Iran without sounding sympathetic to terrorists. They’d apparently be happy if World War III erupted if it were enough to remove Trump. Some, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wanted to brand Trump’s action in killing Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani a war crime, which it obviously wasn’t. In a meek harrumph, Pelosi obtained passage of a congressional resolution purporting to limit any other military action on Iran. It will be ignored by the Senate.
Amid calls in Iraq to withdraw troops, Trump said the United States will not leave until the Iraqis pay for the cost of building the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and U.S. military bases. They don’t have enough money to do that. Trump should just pull out the troops and send them a bill.
In a huge win for Trump, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals freed $3.6 billion in military money for the border wall. There probably will be other attempts at legal obstruction, but it looks like wall construction will go forward quickly.
In another great move, the president announced reforms to environmental regulations to make the dreaded environmental impact statements easier and quicker to obtain. The process has taken years in many cases, and the president wants to limit both the time it takes and the volume of paperwork. There will be lawsuits to tie up the regulatory effort, but the president’s move is a good start.
John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Poll and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His weekly podcast with son and partner Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on Twitter @TheJohnZogby
Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin
