Longtime CNN and nationally syndicated radio host Michael Smerconish acknowledged that President Trump is “on a roll” during a glowing monologue analyzing the president’s recent accomplishments in both domestic and foreign policy.
“The first five months of Trump 2.0, they’re in the books. I’m not shy about voicing my disagreement here with President Trump. We’re doing so on radio often, whether it’s trade, border control, Iran, I find myself agreeing with the goal, but not the approach,” Smerconish said. “But viewed objectively, I have to say that Donald Trump has just had the best week or best 10 days of his second term.”
He went on to note that while he had doubts about the need for strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, “but the mission was carried out with stealth and with precision,” the longtime CNN host added.
“There were no American casualties. And while Congress is divided after receiving briefings on the extent of the damage, I’m sure that we’ve derailed Iran’s nuclear program, at least temporarily. And there’s some valuable deterrent effect for America’s adversaries who witnessed last week’s exercise,” he continued.
Smerconish went on to commend Trump’s recent visit to the NATO summit in the Netherlands, where the president engaged in focused discussions with allies on trade and defense cooperation. By the conclusion of the summit, NATO member states had committed to raising their defense spending to five percent of GDP.
“Back at home, Trump claimed that he’s reached a trade deal with China and soon expects the same with India. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg that the deal was signed earlier this week. China’s Commerce Ministry said Friday the two sides had further confirmed the details of the framework,” the CNN host went on to say.
“Of course, Trump’s initial imposition of tariffs wreaked havoc on American markets back in the spring, but now the markets have rebounded and grown. The S&P 500, Nasdaq, hit record highs just yesterday. And it’s not just the stock market. Inflation, the great economic fear of recent times, seems to be tamed,” Smerconish continued.
“The rate is now reported at 2.4 percent, down from a high of 7 percent just four years ago. Meanwhile, blue-collar workers have seen real wage growth of 1.7 percent in Trump’s first five months. This is the largest such increase in nearly three generations,” he said.
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Smerconish even acknowledged that the Trump-backed “Big Beautiful Bill,” which advanced to the debate stage following a marathon vote, could offer additional relief to working-class Americans if ultimately passed.
“And then there’s the border. Crossings have slowed to a trickle. According to CBP’s May update, Southwest border encounters have fallen to about 282 a day, a drop of 93% from last year and the lowest since the early 1960s,” he continued, noting that Trump’s border security initiatives have been quite popular among Latino voters as well.
