In an op-ed published today in the Washington Examiner, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) declared President Donald Trump’s second term a historic overhaul of American governance, spotlighting the administration’s breakneck achievements just 45 days in.
Titled “Trump Is Rewriting the Governing Playbook,” Donalds’ piece frames Trump’s March 4 address to Congress as a “booming celebration” of an unprecedented first month, blending economic wins, border security triumphs, and bold social policy shifts into a narrative of national renewal.
Donalds, representing Florida’s 19th District, lauded Trump’s team for hitting the ground at a “record clip,” with Cabinet confirmations outpacing recent administrations. “Trump has set a pace so brisk that beltway journalists are scrambling to keep up,” he wrote, pointing to weekly White House updates as a lifeline for a dazed press corps. The address, he argued, was less a speech and more a preview of “bigger victories ahead.”
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Economically, Donalds highlighted nearly $3 trillion in private-sector investments, from Saudi Arabia’s $600 billion pledge to Apple’s $500 billion promise of 20,000 jobs. Tariffs, he said, are “turbocharging” this influx while shielding U.S. workers, with the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia revising Q1 2025 growth to 2.5% from 1.9%. “This isn’t just growth; it’s an economic renaissance,” he proclaimed, noting 60% of CEOs plan pay raises amid the surge.
On border security, Donalds credited Trump with a stunning turnaround: a 93% drop in migrant encounters within 11 days of inauguration, thanks to a national emergency declaration, 5,000 troop deployment, and the revival of “Remain in Mexico.” ICE arrests soared to 20,000 in a month—627% above Biden-era averages—snagging “child rapists and murderers,” he wrote. Mexico’s 10,000 soldiers and Colombia’s planes bolstered the effort, slashing February crossings by 94% from last year. “Remember Biden saying he couldn’t do it? Neither does he,” Donalds quipped.
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Social policy got a nod too. Trump’s executive order banning men from women’s sports spurred the NCAA and Virginia High School League to follow suit, while pediatric hospitals like Chicago’s Lurie scaled back sex-change procedures for minors. Over $1 billion in DEI contracts vanished, alongside programs like the Army’s transgender policies, signaling what Donalds called a return to “fairness and accountability.”
Diplomacy, per Donalds, is now a “masterclass of deal-making.” Japan’s Shigeru Ishiba doubled defense spending and opened U.S. auto plants, India’s Narendra Modi eyed $500 billion in trade, and the UK’s Keir Starmer locked in 2.5% GDP defense spending by 2027. “These aren’t just photo ops—they’re power plays,” he wrote.
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Closing with Trump’s 53% approval rating from a February CBS poll—70% saying he’s keeping promises—Donalds dismissed media skeptics. “Tuesday night wasn’t just a recap of victories but a promise,” he concluded. “Trump’s not just governing; he’s rewriting the playbook … and the best is yet to come.” As the administration charges toward its next milestones, Donalds’s op-ed casts Trump as a transformative force, leaving no doubt where this congressman stands.
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