Trump seeks a new strategy for dealing with Iran
President declines to recertify rogue regime's compliance with 2015 nuclear deal; Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Mark Dubowitz reacts.
Editor's Note: This first appeared on The Resurgent.
I know how this works. Say something unfavorable to the president and you’ve never gotten over being Never Trump. Say something kind and you’ve sold out. Trump Derangement Syndrome works both ways. There are those who can never, ever commend the actions of the president and there are those who can never, ever find fault. Both are apologists to a particularly partisan madness. Many times this president does dumb things, mean things, and wrong things. But sometimes he gets things right. Rarely does this president get so much right over a couple of weeks. This is one of those times.
For those keeping score at home, President Trump has kicked the immigration ball back to Congress where the Constitution says it belongs. His staff may be working to sabotage any deal, but the deal should be structured in Congress, not the White House, according to the Constitution.
President Trump has also refused to certify the deal with Iran. It is particularly bemusing to watch many vocal opponents of the Iran Deal decry the president’s actions given how long they’ve wanted the deal scrapped. But because it was President Trump doing it, suddenly they oppose the very thing they have long wanted. Despite the cry from the left, President Trump did a great thing here.
He has also scrapped the ObamaCare birth control mandate that penalized Christians and others. Republicans have supported a plan to allow birth control over the counter, without a prescription, but the left is opposed to that. The president’s actions expose how the left is really not concerned with access to birth control and is really in the pocket of the abortion lobby.
Much of the criticism of President Trump over the ObamaCare subsidies has everything to do with preserving Obama’s legacy and nothing to do with the substance of what President Trump did or why.
Last, but certainly not least, President Trump ended the ObamaCare subsidies for insurance companies. Almost every media outlet except Fox has badly misreported the facts. Federal courts had already determined President Obama had no power to issue those subsidies. Congress had sued. So two out of three branches of government said the president had no power to do that and President Trump has now conceded the fight instead of defying a court order.
These are all good and commendable things and the president deserves praise for them. Many on the right who hate him will not give him the thanks he deserves, but he’s done great on these issues.
Most notable, I think, is what Stephen Miller (not the president’s advisor) noted on Twitter. Much of the criticism of President Trump over the ObamaCare subsidies has everything to do with preserving Obama’s legacy and nothing to do with the substance of what President Trump did or why. I would say this extends to the other issues as well. President Obama’s legacy can be so easily undone because he did it all without congressional legislation. President Trump should pay attention to that.