Exaggerating Trumps record

RE: TRUMP IS GETTING THINGS DONE (JAN. 23)

I’ll give Jaime Watt one point. The media does focus too much on the inane and superficial of the Trump presidency. The man continually demeans his office, there’s no need to wallow in it.

As far as his accomplishments go, though, I need to disagree.

The Republicans have passed tax reform. That’s a win for Trump, and for anyone who thinks America’s rich should be even richer. For the average person? We’ll see. Yes, Walmart is spending around $300 million of its $2.2 billion tax savings on wage increases. I suppose it’s nice when the master throws his dog the bone after he’s finished his steak.

Watt’s glowing review of Trump’s foreign policy is surprising. The fire and fury rhetoric has “spooked” North Korea, apparently. Of course, this ‘victory’ follows the DPRK launch of a missile capable of reaching the mainland United States and its testing of a hydrogen bomb.

There is little evidence that Trump’s rhetoric led to the Iranian protests. What’s very clear, however, is that it has not undermined the regime’s influence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar, or Yemen.

Watt mentions a few other vague wins, but leaves out U.S. support for the Saudis’ brutal war in Yemen, Turkey’s invasion of Kurdish Syria, Qatar’s conflict with its neighbours (with no U.S. ambassador appointed to any of the parties), and Russian troops’ continuing presence in Crimea and Syria.

Is this winning? Graeme Douglas, Hamilton