I’ve seen the whole gamut of reports and analysis of Trump 47’s first 100 days.  The left are apoplectic and describe it in Machiavellian terms: Trump is an authoritarian, Elon Musk is a Nazi, economic Armageddon, a constitutional crisis.  The right and middle America are more sober, giving the administration a solid passing grade while expressing some discomfort with the period of uncertainty associated with the future impact of tariffs on the economy.

One thing that both should agree on, whether you like what the president has done or loathe him — he has taken on big things, reminiscent of JFK’s proclamation:

We choose to go to the moon in this decade, and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

Donald Trump ran on a “big agenda” campaign: Bring down inflation; renegotiate our trade relationships; rebuild our industrial base; root out government waste, fraud, and abuse and purge the bureaucratic “Deep State”; stop the invasion on the southern border; deport those who came here illegally, starting with violent criminals and terrorists; and stop the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.  He didn’t pursue these things because they were easy.  Other presidents have claimed to want to do these things but never did.  Donald Trump promised these things and is actively pursuing them.

On the border, the administration has shut down 99% of illegal crossings, after the DNC and the, ahem, news media implored us that legislation was necessary in order to act.  They’ve strategically (as much as possible) targeted, captured, and deported many of the worst of the worst illegal alien murderers, rapists, traffickers, and gang-affiliated terrorists, against the backdrop of resistance from radical Democrats and far-left district court judges.

On inflation, Donald Trump acted swiftly in rectifying the cost of energy, particularly oil and gas, and the artificially inflated cost of eggs.  Mortgage rates have come down.  The president has implored Jerome Powell, the Fed chairman, to lower rates to help spur home investment.

On tariffs, Donald Trump has pursued a bold, worldwide reset of the global economic order, insisting on reciprocal trade arrangements with our trading partners and actively decoupling much of our economic future from the Chinese Communist Party.  The jury is still out on his tariff strategy, but no one could diminish its boldness of scope.  Anticipatorily, dozens of trade deals are in process, and evidence is starting to expose the weakness of the Chinese position.

Through DOGE and the placement of “change agents” in Cabinet positions, Donald Trump is attempting to change the whole of government.  The DoD is increasing lethality and efficiency.  The functions once served by the DoE are being pushed out to the states.  Homeland Security is stepping up its efforts to lower crime and enhance security.  The Deep State is being exposed and rooted out.

On war, President Trump has found entrenched interests who don’t appear to want resolution, both here and abroad.  He boldly stated that he’d end the war on day one.  Though hyperbolic, certainly, I think he would be the first to tell you that breaking through the entrenched interests is proving to be more difficult than he might have originally calculated.

The border, the economy, worldwide economic trade, reforming government, and ending wars — many have spoken of wanting to do these “hard things.”  Donald Trump is doing them.  Many critics will Monday-morning quarterback on how they would have done things differently.  Donald Trump understands that “if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Donald Trump is doing these things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

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