As 2018 comes to a close, it is important for America to take a step back and do a “progress report” on the events of the year. Some moments were funny, others were sad, but none were or will be more controversial than this year’s political events. And fresh off the steps of the midterm elections, the situation is more heated than ever. More than anything, it is important for citizens of the United States to appreciate the successes Donald Trump has given to the country, including a thriving economy, fair taxes, and fulfilled promises.

Though swamped in media coverage, it is hard for anyone to understand what the economy is like, even for those studying it. While many analysts say that the economic powerhouse is China or Germany, it is America who leads the world’s economy, and it has been that way since the Second World War. Yes, this fluctuates, but the fact is that America is consistently on top. With only 4.5 percent of the world’s population, America generates 25 percent of the world’s GDP, ranking it at number one.

The reason for the debate, as of late, has been caused by economic socialist reform in Europe and Asia. Germany is currently playing catch-up after being the “poor man” of Europe for the past ten years. The capitalist economy of America, on the other hand, has only been improved by President Trump, who has worked to cut taxes for the middle class, and worked towards more progressive flat taxes for citizens of the United States along with higher tax rates to companies outsourcing to different countries.

Taking a deeper look into tax cuts for the middle class, Trump passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act back in 2017, increasing the tax deduction for everyday citizens, as well as increasing the number of jobs being brought back from outsourcing. In 2016, this number averaged at 12,000, while in 2017 (Trump’s early presidency), it averaged at about 50,000 jobs.

Admittedly, it’s hard for high school students to sift through so much media to really understand politics. That is not an insult to their knowledge, but a criticism on the dramatic effect media seems to sap from every source that is labeled “politics”. However, one of the things a president should be judged on is how much he accomplishes in comparison to how much he promised. President Trump, though bold in his claims, has completed several of his goals already, with two years still left to finish those he has not. Some goals that have been accomplished that Americans may have not heard of are:

• record-breaking tax cuts to the middle class
• a partnership with the department of homeland security to protect American schools
• welfare reform
• ceasing of the North Korean nuclear missile program
• the placement of the Israeli embassy in Jerusalem.

The Israeli embassy conflict — an extension of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict — is an issue presidents of the United States have been attempting to extinguish since the conclusion of the Second World War, and while the embassy movement did not solve the conflict between the two nations, it accomplished a feat that presidents since Clinton have been attempting to accomplish, thus showing how much initiative the president truly has.

Granted, President Trump is to no extent perfect. But the job of the president is not to be nice, it is to get the job done. While his character may be flawed, citizens must not forget that this is politics. There are a lot of lies, and a lot of less-than-perfect events that occur, but if the economy is animate and the promises are met, the president, no matter what party he comes from, is doing an adequate job — and Trump has proven that to America.

The midterm elections resulted in a Democratic majority in the House, and a Republican majority remains in the Senate. Congress is now properly balanced, but with President Donald J. Trump in office, America will never be restored to greatness. In order to prevent another President Trump in office, the citizens of the United States must do their research and vote for a true man of the people, and not a pretender raised in mansions.

Three score and twelve years ago, Fred Trump brought forth on this continent, a young child, conceived in prosperity, and dedicated to the proposition that money is power. This child was heir to millions, raised in the Jamaica Estates of Queens, not as an American among Americans, but a millionaire among Americans. He grew up not knowing the struggles of the everyman. He wasn’t raised in the urban slums nor a rural farm, he was born free of the chains of scarcity.

Despite being given all the resources for success, time and again the spawn of Fred Trump has proven his inability to run his own businesses, declaring bankruptcy time and time again. Until elected president, the failures of his past soley affected his fortune and his fortune. Now, armed with 280 characters, this same substandard tycoon has the ability to run all of America bankrupt. President Trump isn’t going to make America great again; he’s going to fail again, with America’s free people his catalyst.

President Trump’s influence on the country can best be judged by the American people. One year into his term, he was the first President in history to have a negative net approval (approval rating minus disapproval rating).  Even conservative Republicans such as George W. Bush and his late father voted against their own party in the 2016 presidential elections.

After the midterm elections, voters identified as Democrats had an approval of 5% for the president, and weekly averages from Gallup Daily Tracking see President Trump’s national disapproval rate to be consistently above 50% for all of 2018. How else can one interpret this but as negative influence on the morale of America’s people?

President Trump’s negative influence is not restricted to this great country. He has affected the entire world sitting as executive of his “idiocracy”, such as when he gave his speech given at the NATO summit back in July. European leaders expected the President to pledge the country’s commitment to Article 5, calling for collective defense if any one NATO country is attacked. Instead they were met with uneducated rambling on an imaginary amount owed to the U.S. by NATO allies. President Trump completely missed the point of the summit and instead instilled doubt in our foreign allies.

We cannot silence the supporters of President Trump, for they are American citizens. They see a boldness in him, a boldness not seen in President Barack Obama during his two terms in office. President Trump appeals because he appears tough on America’s enemies and to be using his power for America’s own good. But the truth is that President Trump is not tough; he doesn’t work half as hard as his average blue collar supporter. President Trump works “executive time”, which means he does work when he feels like it and spends a majority of his time using Twitter to spread his voice rather than a podium.

President Trump has been in office for two years. He has served half of his term. Yet the number of controversies coming out of the White House would give the impression he is in the middle of his second term. This is not a biased rant against the “orange man”, it is a call for the American people to unite and vote for a real everyman — not Donald J. Trump, the failed businessman, the golfer, the candidate who won because of a flawed Electoral College system. After all, what has his influence been other than negative?