By Ada Fisher

Love him or hate him, President Donald John Trump’s administration from 2016-2020 was one littered with achievements that Trump detractor suppression efforts are cloaking to ensure that his political ambitions don’t rise again.

The kernels of truth for many of the Trump policies are being overlooked in the media’s portrayal of him, the Democratic Party’s leftist platform expressing a desire to become even more appealing to everyone on every issue and a Republican Party cowering in submission for Trump’s approval even at the expense of its Republican pledge, which isn’t as far afield of the U.S. Constitution as its leaders often haphazardly veer.

First came the call for a wall along portions of the southern U.S. border. The influx of illegal immigrants was and is a concern of many, but the reasons espoused went beyond humanitarian to political. Evidence strongly suggests that the wall has stemmed the flow of those coming from across the Mexican border, but at what cost was it done? The surge of illegal, unaccompanied minors into this nation should give us all cause to pause in seeking to undo the Trump administration edict that those seeking entrance had to have papers from appropriate governments through which they have passed. Though stances to let more in and granting a pathway to citizenship for those here illegally still resounds, downplayed are those who are here with a significant criminal past and involved in trafficking people without regard to their health and safety. There’s also what should be a primary concern — screening for illnesses such as the coronavirus, tuberculosis and other public health issues. The rule of law should prevail.

The persistent cry about the legality of the 2020 U.S. presidential elections misses the need to refocus the message on election integrity issues, which have been at stake and could probably significantly alter future outcomes. The U.S. Constitution is clear in making sure that voting is only a right for citizens whereby the Republican-influenced 15^th Amendment expanded to ensure such for Black Americans. The Constitution says voting is a right which should not be abridged, but it doesn’t say it must be made perpetually more convenient beyond reason.

We have entered an age where IDs are required for everything — from driving to flying, hailing an Uber, acquiring utilities and property, enrolling in school or entering those premises on behalf of one’s child. It is ludicrous to assume that checking one’s ID is symbolic for harassment or voter suppression. Mail-in-ballots are not the issue as much as certifying in some consistent manner that legitimate voters are so involved. Ballot harvesting should not be allowed. North Carolina lost a 9th District Republican congressmen when this happened. Why Democrats insist on this remains an enigma.

President Trump did not cause the coronavirus and should not be blamed for its tragic outcomes. As of late, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has publicly acknowledged Trump’s executive order on Operation Warp Speed was crucial in getting the vaccine research, ventilators and other equipment in a responsive pipeline after years of neglect for such among other presidents.  The rhetoric was in defiance of the best medical opinions and sometimes ignored or not always made as transparent as the public would like. However, the positive COVID-19 test for President Trump and his subsequent treatment at the Walter Reed Hospital for the illness was the best advocate for advances in medical science. He looked better after treatment than he had often during his administration. Sadly, the slowness in publicly demonstrating leadership by acknowledging he had been vaccinated or wearing a mask would have served to advocate public safety and public health as indicated.

The need to restart schools and the economy espoused by Trump truly appreciated the damage to the economy and the Treasury Department’s lack of gold to back the stimulus payments going to citizens. The signature of the president on the initial checks, though criticized, resulted in the Biden administration issuing a letter acknowledging his efforts for this as well.

But the untold and more likely to be appreciated story in the near future was the creation of the U.S. Space Force and requirement in Trump’s stimulus proposal that a disclosure of the scope of understanding of our federal agencies in regard to unidentified aerial phenomena occur by the end of June. The 1947 report from Roswell, New Mexico, encounters relative to an alleged captured UFO hinted at a bendable metal which would return to its previous shape, defied belief for many. Steven Spielberg’s preoccupation in Star Wars with cloaking of stealth bombers is seen in today’s Nighthawk and Raptors and alludes to the reengineering of a possible unknown space vehicle.

As annoyed as many can get with Trump, in many respects he may have been on to something. Don’t count Trump out, but hope that we can identify many leaders who will stand up to advocate what is right rather than buckle to what may be politically convenient.

Salisbury’s Ada Fisher is a licensed teacher, retired physician, former school board member and former N.C. Republican national committeewoman.