Trump finally acted like a president

If disciplined Trump sticks around, Democrats better worry

Trump acts like a president.
(Image credit: Pool/Getty Images)

Donald Trump did himself a world of good Tuesday night. After a nasty 17-month campaign for the White House, a rocky two-and-a-half-month transition, and an often alarming first month in office, Trump finally managed to sound like a president. If this disciplined, focused Trump sticks around, his approval rating will soon rebound, getting him within striking distance of 50 percent — and Democrats will find themselves in a terrible bind.

This isn't about a "pivot." On substance, Trump was very much himself. He hit all of his usual themes. In addition to the standard Republican promises — to repeal and replace ObamaCare, to increase defense spending and defeat "radical Islamic terrorism" — he vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, stop unfair trade practices, fight crime, and pursue massive infrastructure projects, with all of it backed up by generous dollops of demagoguery. There was plenty for liberals, libertarians, and "conservative movement" Republicans to object to.

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Damon Linker

Damon Linker is a senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also a former contributing editor at The New Republic and the author of The Theocons and The Religious Test.