In his previous tenure in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump was given to overstatements, exaggerations and outright lies. Unfortunately, he still is. He entered his second term on a wave of sympathy and a modicum of enthusiasm after the torpid disgrace of the Biden/Harris debacle. Mr. Trump appears to have surrounded himself with a cabinet and staff of creative doers and a couple of question marks. So be it, there are clinkers in every administration.

Taken in isolation, his accomplishments to date are at best mixed. The border is now under control, presidential orders around Energy and climate change are helpful and the concept of DOGE was a positive at the outset. However, the optics, the bloviating and the total absence circumspection and finesse are weighing heavily on prospects for sustained positive impacts across the board. Lose the invective, lose the chainsaw and deep six all the theatrics! To wit:

CANADA — Derogation of a key trading partner and political ally is smarmy and highly offensive to residents on both sides of the 49th parallel. If there is imbalance in tariffs and trade, with a more conservative administration about to assume office in Ottawa, such imbalances would be ripe for negotiation. As would whatever responsibility our northern neighbor has for illicit drugs crossing into the US. To insult them as a nation and their PM as “Governor” is beneath the office of US President. So, it’s a new low…

TIMEOUT FOR A REALITY CHECK ON DRUGS — The demand for illicit drugs in the US is solely due to demand and consumption by its citizens. It’s a choice. Cartels, fentanyl suppliers and the underworld at large would be a minor sideshow were it not for the weakness of users. Certainly addictive personalities are at the mercy of their illness, but for many its recreation akin to Russian roulette. The choice to use is a heavy burden for a free society. War on drugs and “just say no” found no footing. Suppliers can be hunted down and prosecuted, but until demand recedes, we’ll have to endure the savages who deliver them.

GREENLAND/DENMARK — Like Canada, the public display on “taking” Greenland is another kick in the shins, this one to the free state of Greenland and Denmark, another ally and NATO member. Of course our interests, strategic and economic, make Greenland an attractive partner. Partner! That means no strong arm, bully-boy bragadoccio. How much better to invite interested parties to the White House for a reasoned examination how such a partnership might function. No sledgehammers allowed!

IRAN/ISRAEL/GAZA — It’s a given that the word “hostage” equates with religious zealots, claiming in name of their religon that it is “God’s work” to imprison/torture/murder women and children civilians. The vision of a non-existent Israel along with a Middle East caliphate centered in Tehran is a fantasy of the execrable terrorist funders and would-be nuclear threat. The reality of a long-term Israeli state in its present configuration has not and apparently will not penetrate the thick skulls of the Ayatollahs. Their funding of the Houthis in Yemen, Hamas, Hezbollah and their ilk was enabled by the administration previous to Mr. Trump’s first term. Cash payments in the vicinity of $2 billion were sent to Iran, though “tough economic sanctions” were said to be in place at the time. That administration’s tip of the spear in Iran negotiations was none other than Joe Biden. As President four years later he took another run at an Iran deal to slow nuclear weapons development. That failed as Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman bluntly put it, “Now is not a good time for a meeting.” No kidding. They had US cash, for four years they were selling oil to China and had money to burn on killing “the infidels” and tweaking the Great Satan. Antisemitic campus activities are a subject for another day…

NATO/UKRAINE/PUTIN — Thorny and ugly, this one. And on multiple levels. It’s difficult to rank the level of US loathing for Putin, XI and Kim. Suffice to say they rank within an eyelash of each other and its anybody’s guess who is #1. All three: cold blooded murderers, lying provocateurs. Mr. Trump’s admiration for the Russian pipsqueak is an anethema to US citizens. Calling him a smart guy and a tough leader is into 3-D chess, it’s an embarassment to the nation. And, not having the Ukraine agreement locked up before that humiliation of pulling down of Zelensky’s pants in public is inexcusable. Yes. Zelensky admitted he did not know where much of US aid had gone, bad news there. But he and his nation have suffered massive losses in life and treasure fighting a proxy war for the US. Taking down Zelensky in public aided only Putin. The price for that carnival sideshow with lead barker Vance shouting at our ally will be paid long into the future. Too boot Zelesnsky was played by the D caucus –Trump and Vance should have known and adjusted. Sad!

CHINA/TARIFFS — This scribbler is neither qualified for nor desireous of the pros and cons of tariffs. Announcements of new manufacturing and domestic expansion by foreign entities are welcome. We’ve not seen side-by-sides of tariffs imposed on US goods versus US tariffs on foreign goods. Whatever imbalances exist it would seem Mr. Trump is on solid ground to level the playing field with the goal of lowering them on both sides in pursuit of freer trade. To that end, Congress must act to assure the President has the ability to lower tariffs as well as raise them. Certainly China will take a hard line on tariffs imposed by the US, and it will cost the US consumer in higher prices. Other economic measures under consideration or those touted by the administration could well lessen the tariffs’ impacts. Elsewhere the thunder and lightning around the Panama Canal reaped a bit of progress when BlackRock acquired entities with major interests on both ends of the canal. But another misstep on “taking it back” earned the enmity of the Panamanians, regardless of the conditions under which it was given over by the Carter administration.

ENERGY & THE GREEN NEW DEAL — Some no-brainers here. Out of the Paris Climate Accords, good. Drilll, Baby Drill — a euphemism for killing duplicative bureaucracy, good, As a booster for the rig count, that ship has sailed. It’s now about investment returns. As for other domestic ticking clocks — deporting criminal aliens, safer streets are good. Likely it will never be publicized, but Americans can hope that the foreign agents for Iran, China, Russia, North Korea, assorted antisemites and anarchists will be found and deported as well.

DOGE/MUSK — The missteps here are deep and wide. With a new set of Cabinet secretaries, why not begin their tenures by having the DOGE staff meet with agency leadership and coordinate an audit and talent assessment first? Then move to buy out or terminate those deemed non-mission critical/expendable. Americans do not enjoy seeing theri fellow citizens turned onto the street with little notice. At Interior, Secretary Burghum equated the existing process of cleaning out an old barn — take everything out, then return what’s needed. That may work in a North Dakota barn, but when it’s people’s lives, livelihoods, health insurance and multiple other factors, it is senseless dislocation. We should be better than that! And one post script for the Musk haters…the previous administration declined to return two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station. Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule brought them home unscathed. Torching electric cars previously embraced by Greenies is nothing more than anarchy.

None of the above missteps is helped by the relentless barking about setting new records, something no one’s ever seen before, the biggest/best/greatest in history, ad nauseum. Add to those Trump’s cringeworthy assertions that “I think/he/she likes me.” No one, happily, can recall a sitting President nor any head of state make such vapid, silly assertions. It sounds like it’s coming from a third grader. Grow up — PLEASE!!

A kicker — Trump supporters advocating for a third term should stop the texts, promos, fund-seeking and all related BS. A third term is not going to happen and such talk flurther diminishes the administration.