President Trump has re-energized the nation like no other

“There is a rank due to the United States among nations which will be withheld, if not absolutely lost, by the reputation of weakness. If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.”

President George Washington spoke those words on Dec. 3, 1793.

President Donald J. Trump has recovered the rank due to the American presidency. Our economy is booming, our enemies are on the run and our allies are standing strong. It’s been a successful year by all measure.

But how would he lead as president? It turned out to be a spectacle like we have never seen, too. This time, by tweets and by strategic silence, Trump has lifted America out of a malaise and energized our nation.

Gone is the cool, detached presidency of Barack Obama. In its place is the much more visible and energetic Donald Trump. At age 71, Trump’s remarkable stamina has just been validated by the White House physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson.

By his effective use of Twitter, Trump has made the White House more transparent and accessible than any previous president. Members of Congress and government officials have learned to check the president’s Twitter feed as they rise to face the day.

A good example occurred in November, when officials of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service traveled to Africa to announce that elephant hunters would soon be allowed to bring their trophies back to the United States. The bureaucratic decision had been years in the making and cleared with interest groups that care about the conservation of endangered species.

Three days later, Trump tweeted an instruction: “Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts. Under study for years. Will update soon with Secretary Zinke. Thank you!”

The president also knows when to keep silent in dealing with potential enemies overseas. Without revealing specific military action but giving full authority to our armed forces led by Defense Secretary James Mattis, Trump has virtually eliminated ISIS and is squeezing support for the “rocket man” in North Korea.

When the framers of our Constitution assembled in Philadelphia 230 years ago, one of their most important decisions was to vest the executive power in a single person who could act with energy and dispatch. Trump shows the wisdom of that decision.

The mainstream media claim Trump’s approval rating is low. A better measure is the index of small business optimism, which set a new all-time record in 2017.

“The 2016 election was like a dam breaking,” said Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist of the National Federation of Independent Business. “We’ve been doing this research for nearly half a century, and I’ve never seen anything like 2017.”

Just as the rise of candidate Donald J. Trump shattered the usual practices and some policies of the Republican Party and his victory shocked the elites who didn’t recognize his attraction to voters, the American presidency is undergoing an overhaul. More than the crackdown on immigration (and appointment of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General ), the historic tax cut, regulatory reform, the appointment of conservative judges like Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, or the hundreds of other “Trump wins,” the renewed presidency may be Trump’s greatest first-year success.

This story was originally published January 21, 2018 at 7:00 AM with the headline "President Trump has re-energized the nation like no other."