Rep. Cole: A First Week’s Report

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 -- Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. (4th CD), issued the following column:

Just a little more than a week after being sworn in, President Trump has proven he is a man of action. He has set a dizzying pace and shown that what he promised on the campaign trail is precisely what he intends to deliver as President. He has also demonstrated that his will be an unorthodox Presidency that will have bipartisan support, and bipartisan opposition.

In his first week President Trump has announced a federal hiring freeze, canceled the Trans-Pacific Partnership, resurrected the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines, announced significant federal regulatory reform, placed a moratorium on federal funding of abortion, began the process of repealing Obamacare, temporarily suspended the visas of citizens of seven different countries and placed telephone calls to dozens of world leaders. Regardless of what one may think about the merits of his actions, he is undeniably a man uncomfortable with idleness.

He has also made it abundantly clear that he will not allow the media to dictate the terms of their coverage of him. As he did throughout the campaign, Trump continues to effectively use social media to talk directly to the people. The print and broadcast media that he deems as friendly get relatively unfettered access and plenty of it. Those media outlets which are critical of Trump and his administration are ignored.

The base of his constituency is diverse and includes the traditional Republican business community as well as the social conservatives, even though Trump has never been considered a social conservative himself. But it also includes traditional Democratic voters who have historically been against free trade and lean towards a more isolationist foreign policy. Trump has also exploited a division in the Democratic Party between environmentalists and blue collar labor union members. Last week after meeting with labor union leaders, Trump invited them into the Oval Office for a tour. One leader even declared that in the eight years of President Obama, they had never been in the Oval Office.

The 2016 election broke the mold and resulted in a campaign that longtime students of American politics never dreamed was possible. At this juncture, slightly more than one week into his presidency, it appears that President Trump is going to continue his unconventional approach. I'm sure this will result in some spectacular triumphs and accomplishments. I'm equally sure it will result in some bitter disappointments. So while the Donald Trump presidency is going to be different than anything we've seen before, in some ways it's going to be just like all presidencies. There will be ups and downs, wins and losses, but at the end of the day The United States and the American people will survive, prosper and be great again.

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