Top 10 Trump achievements make for an impressive list

As we approach the end of President Donald Trump’s first year in office, the list of extraordinary things he has done is nothing short of remarkable. Some are so blinded by their hatred of Trump they refuse to acknowledge the good he has done, while others are so blinded by devotion they overlook almost any transgression.

Here is my list of the 10 best things Trump has done in his first 11 months.

10. He enforced President Barack Obama’s red line against Syria’s use of chemical weapons. He acted decisively, restoring America’s credibility on the world stage that Obama squandered.

9. He has taken a surprisingly tough line with Russia. Trump approved a $47 million arms package for Ukraine, sent troops to Poland’s border with Russia and imposed new sanctions on Moscow for violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

8. He recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Four American presidents promised to do it. This is why the American people elected Trump. He does what he promises to do, for better or for worse — in this case, for the better.

7. He withdrew from the Paris climate agreement. After George W. Bush pulled out of the Kyoto treaty, U.S. emissions went down faster than much of Europe. The same will be true for Trump’s departure from the Paris accord. Combined with his approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, and opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to exploration, Trump is helping usher in a new age of U.S. energy development.

6. He got NATO allies to kick in $12 billion more toward our collective security. Decades of pleading by the Bush and Obama administrations failed to get NATO allies to meet their financial commitments, but Trump’s tough talk did the trick. NATO is stronger as a result.

5. He has virtually eliminated the Islamic State’s caliphate. Trump removed the constraints Obama placed on our military and let it drive the terrorists from their strongholds.

4. He admitted he was wrong on Afghanistan and reversed Obama’s disastrous withdrawal. In a rare admission, Trump declared: “My original instinct was to pull out ... But all my life, I’ve heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office ... . A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum for terrorists.”

3. He enacted historic tax and regulatory reform that has unleashed economic growth. Trump signed the first comprehensive tax reform in three decades and removed the wet blanket of Obama-era regulations smothering our economy. We are now heading into our third consecutive quarter of above3-percent growth.

2. He is installing conservative judges who will preside for decades. With his appointment of Neil M. Gorsuch, Trump secured a conservative majority on the Supreme Court, and he is moving at record pace to fill the federal appeals courts with young conservative judges.

1. He, not Hillary Clinton, was inaugurated as president. Trump delivered the coup de grace that ended the corrupt, dishonest Clinton political machine.

Also, Trump has made clear he is willing to use force to stop North Korea from deploying nuclear missiles capable of destroying U.S. cities — prompting China to finally put real pressure on Pyongyang.

The record of achievement suggests that, despite the noxious tweets and self-inflicted wounds emanating from the White House, Trump has the potential to become one of the most consequential conservative presidents in modern American history.