Guy Ciarrocchi: Trump’s successes — what we voted for, what America needed

President Donald Trump has actually fulfilled many of his campaign promises and made a positive difference.

With all the noise, the relentless negative news coverage from legacy and new media, the orchestrated protests, even those who voted for him might not have taken inventory. His administration has made significant progress on actual problems — things that we talk about at our kitchen tables. 

Just consider the border and illegal immigration, which many considered problem number one.

During the Biden/Harris administration, the only debate was whether the number of undocumented (illegal) border crossings was 10 million or 20 million. Senator John Fetterman recently repeated his description: “a Pittsburgh every month.” National suicide.

That number of crossings is now almost zero.

The Biden/Harris policy was “catch and release” — an Orwellian term meaning they found them, took down their information, assigned them a court date (a year later), then released them into our communities — with a “promise” to show up in court. They either disappeared to parts unknown, or taxpayers housed, fed, medicated and educated them — states like California and Minnesota even gave them ATM cards. Heck, Kamala wanted us to pay for “gender” surgeries, too.

The number of “catch and release” is now zero.

As has been detailed, in places like Minneapolis, Portland and Los Angles, Billions of our taxpayer dollars were wasted at best (stolen) with no government oversight, robbing taxpayers and denying services to Americans actually needing care.

Billions of dollars have now been saved.

Of the millions illegally here — sneaking in, using fake names or identification, falsely claiming “amnesty” — many were never going to be tracked down. And, far too many are children, lost in the “system.” Or used fraudulently to allow non-related criminals to have safe harbor. Abused or even raped.

While folks of goodwill — and not goodwill —  debate the numbers, it is crystal clear that thousands of children that were being trafficked and raped have been rescued. They’re now safe from the predators that would attack them. Plus, tens of thousands of children that were “lost” have been found.

If the “anti-ICE” protestors had their way, those children might never be saved.

Plus, it’s indisputable that six figures worth of law-breaking immigrants have been captured and deported, or are now in jail. (The legacy media grumbles that “only” 20-30 percent of those departed had committed “violent” crimes.) We also know that at least six figures worth of illegal immigrants self-deported.

In Minnesota alone, 4,000 violent illegal immigrants have been captured, according to Tom Homan — the Border Czar, who held a similar position for Obama, who awarded him a medal.

If all the Trump administration had done in year one was secure the border, stop releasing people we didn’t vet into our nation, stop wasting billions on fraudulent schemes, deport thousands of violent criminals and rescue thousands of children from rape — that would be worth a standing ovation.

But our economy was in shambles. Inflation was robbing our paychecks and savings — gasoline prices made everything more expensive. Mortgage rates were soaring higher, making first-time home ownership impossible. Our manufacturing base was shrinking and our dependence on China increasing. And Biden/Harris was threatening to ban fossil fuels.

We were suffering real harm, with policies that were going to make recovery impossible — and put our economy and way of life in danger.

Then, the folks who created inflation — and denied it existed — suddenly started screaming about “affordability” once Trump took office.

“Affordability” — the ability to buy food, clothes and medicine, and to heat our homes.

Trump’s tax cuts increased our paychecks — plus, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime. Now, our incomes are rising faster than inflation — so we’re catching up. Gasoline is down about fifteen percent. Mortgage rates are down by more than a percentage point. We are experiencing the lowest inflation rates in years. Not solved, but getting better.

Trump-negotiated deals to build steel in America — cars and microchips, too — and revived and expanded the research and production of American energy. To lower costs, create jobs and improve our national security.

More buying power. More jobs. Growing economy. Improving national security.

But, there’s more: confronting China, removing the illegally elected, narco-terrorist leader of Venezuela (where they stole American energy companies), and securing the border has led to a decrease of nearly 25 percent in fentanyl deaths. Still too many deaths, but lives are being saved.

To help our economy and national security long-term, the Trump administration has repealed anti-commonsense, anti-science, and economically suicidal regulations that kept access to our own minerals and precious metals out of reach, they’ve advanced “Project Vault.” The things we need to build microchips, satellites — and even solar panels. Plus, the deal with Greenland will help us access their minerals that we need to build those very things — and stop unprovoked missile attacks from China or Russia.

He’s brash. He has an ego. He sometimes makes us cringe or scream. He tweets too much, too fast.

But on the other hand…

Securing our border…removing illegal criminals…rescuing children…making life more affordable…stopping fentanyl…standing-up to our enemies…making us energy independent…laying the groundwork for future economic growth…making America safer.

And his opponents in Congress, governors’ mansions, and legacy media fought him. On every single issue. In court rooms. In Congress. On the evening news. Every. Single. Day.

And, don’t forget: all hostages are out of Gaza; the ceasefire in the Middle East; and, seven other wars were ended, avoided or in a ceasefire.

The 2026 election is about one question. Putting aside personalities, tweets and protests: 

Do we vote to continue the policies making things better — for us and our children? Or do we hand back power to a party that created these problems, ignored our pleas for help, and then belligerently worked to stop them from being fixed?

Guy Ciarrocchi writes for Broad + Liberty and RealClear Pennsylvania. Follow Guy at @PaSuburbsGuy.