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Love him or hate him, Trump ended up accomplishing quite a lot in his first year despite Democrat and mainstream media efforts to trip him up every step of the way. The White has released a list of 81 accomplishments in 12 major categories. Space limitations preclude a complete listing here, but consider the following few samples, submitted for your perusal: Jobs and the economy
• Passage of the tax reform bill providing $5.5 billion in cuts and repealing the Obamacare mandate.
• Increase of the GDP above 3 percent.
• Creation of 1.7 million new jobs, cutting unemployment to 4.1 percent, a 17 year low.
• Prioritizing women-owned businesses for some $500 million in SBA loans.
Killing job-stifling regulations
• Signed 15 congressional regulatory cuts.
• Withdrew from the Obama-era Paris Climate Agreement, ending the threat of environmental regulations.
• Eliminated an Obama rule on streams that Trump felt unfairly targeted the coal industry.
Fair trade
• Made good on his campaign promise to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
• Opened up the North American Free Trade Agreement for talks to better the deal for the U.S.
• Worked to bring companies back to the U.S., and companies like Toyota, Mazda, Broadcom Limited, and Foxconn announced plans to open U.S. plants.
• Worked to promote the sale of U.S products abroad.
• Ended Obama's deal with Cuba.
Boosting U.S. energy dominance
• The Department of Interior opened plans to lease 77 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling.
• Expanded energy infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL Pipeline.
• Ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to kill Obama's Clean Power Plan.
Protecting the U.S. homeland
• Laid out new principles for reforming immigration and announced plan to end "chain migration," which lets one legal immigrant bring in dozens of family members.
• Made progress to build the border wall with Mexico.
• Ended the Obama-era "catch and release" of illegal immigrants.
• Removed 36 percent more criminal gang members than in fiscal 2016.
• Cracking down on some 300 sanctuary cities that defy ICE but still get federal dollars.
Protecting communities
• New grants of $98 million to fund 802 new cops.
• Homeland rounded up nearly 800 MS-13 members, an 83 percent one-year increase.
• Signed three executive orders aimed at cracking down on international criminal organizations.
Accountability
• Trump has nominated 73 federal judges and won his nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
• Ordered ethical standards including a lobbying ban.
• Called for a full audit of the Pentagon and its spending.
Combatting opioids
• The Department of Health and Human Services laid out a new five-point strategy to fight the crisis.
• Justice announced it was scheduling fentanyl substances as a drug class under the Controlled Substances Act.
• The administration added $500 million to fight the crisis.
• On National Drug Take Back Day, the Drug Enforcement Agency collected 456 tons.
Protecting life
• Reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy that blocks some $9 billion in foreign aid being used for abortions.
• Worked with Congress on a bill overturning an Obama regulation that blocked states from defunding abortion providers.
• Published guidance to block Obamacare money from supporting abortion.
Helping veterans
• Signed the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act to allow senior officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs to fire failing employees and establish safeguards to protect whistleblowers.
• Signed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act.
• Signed the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, to provide support.
• Signed the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 to authorize $2.1 billion in additional funds for the Veterans Choice Program.
• Created a VA hotline.
Promoting peace through strength
• Directed the rebuilding of the military and ordered a new national strategy and nuclear posture review.
• Worked to increase defense spending.
• Empowered military leaders to "seize the initiative and win," reducing the need for a White House sign off on every mission.
• Imposed a travel ban on nations that lack border and anti-terrorism security.
• Saw ISIS lose virtually all of its territory.
• Pushed for strong action against global outlaw North Korea and its development of nuclear weapons.
• Announced a new Afghanistan strategy that strengthens support for U.S. forces at war with terrorism.
• Ordered missile strikes against a Syrian airbase used in a chemical weapons attack.
• Ordered new sanctions on the dictatorship in Venezuela.
Restoring confidence in and respect for America
• Trump won the release of Americans held abroad.
• Made good on a campaign promise to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
• He traveled to the Middle East, Asia and Europe to build new relationships with leaders. Now imagine what could be done if Democrats worked with Trump instead of against him and the media were supportive and honest in their reporting.
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JWR contributor Greg Crosby, former creative head for Walt Disney publications, has written thousands of comics, hundreds of children's books, dozens of essays, and a letter to his congressman. He's been a JWR contributor since 1999.