Trump due credit for strong performance

WITH his speech to Congress, President Trump hit a “reset” button of sorts — delivering a positive, measured message that touched on points important to his supporters while seeking to bring some unity to the country.

As usual, members of the opposition party remained seated during most of the occasions Tuesday night when members of the president’s party stood to applaud throughout the hour-long speech. An exception was a lengthy, full-throated ovation for the widow of a Navy SEAL killed during a recent mission.

Respect for and appreciation of the military is generally bipartisan, and that was reflected in this most emotional moment of the night. The arguments arise over how much to spend on defense. Trump’s budget, which calls for elimination of the sequester and seeks “one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history,” is sure to produce heated debate.

Trump noted some of his moves since taking office — clearing the way for completion of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, establishing a deregulation task force for each government agency, nominating Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, etc. — but spent the bulk of his time pitching plans for the future.

He vowed again to build a wall along the border with Mexico, and to better enforce immigration laws. “We must restore integrity and the rule of law to our borders,” he said. We were glad to see him mention the need to reform the system of legal immigration, something that often gets lost in this debate.

Touching on the fight against radical Islamist terrorism — his deliberate delivery of that phrase a clear departure from his predecessor in the White House — Trump restated his goal of improving vetting procedures for immigrants. His initial effort to do so was mishandled, but it remains a priority.

The president promised tax reform that will allow U.S. companies to better compete across the globe, and tax relief for the middle class. He said he wants fair trade, not just free trade. He wants to spend $1 trillion to improve the country’s infrastructure. He also wants to repeal and replace Obamacare, but had Democrats applauding when he said any new plan should, among other things, ensure that those with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage.

We liked Trump’s call for speedier work at the Food and Drug Administration, where current practices in approving new drugs only drive up costs and hurt those who might benefit. His call to support law enforcement, and his push to fund school choice opportunities for lowincome kids — “Education is the civil rights issue of our time,” he said —were other winning moments.

The president laid out a broad plan, one that will require considerable work (and money) to implement. It’s sure to be picked apart by opponents — that goes with the territory — and will require Trump to give ground at times, something he alluded to when he said solving America’s problems “will require us to work past the differences of party.”

The speech was well delivered and thoughtful — presidential. Here’s hoping for more of the same from Trump in the future.