I am a firm believer in the concept of giving credit where it is due. It is in that spirit that I offer the words you will read today.

I’ve stated many times over the years that I am not a big fan of Donald Trump. I wasn’t a huge fan when he first ran back in 2016, and I’m not a huge fan here nearly 10 years after the fact in 2025. As stated many times, his narcissistic attitude simply strokes my fur the wrong way.

I have also been critical of his leadership style, which normally ends up in someone who doesn’t nod their head in full agreement with him being fired outright or simply disappearing into oblivion.

But, with all of that said, it is time to give credit where it is due.

The airstrike ordered by Trump last week to disable Iran’s nuclear capabilities – or at least set it back substantially – came pretty much out of nowhere. There was no hint of it anywhere, especially given the fact that Iran was at the negotiating table at basically the very moment the bombs were dropped.

I have to admit that I was pretty stunned when I heard about it. I am sure most of you were as well.

As I have heard many times over the years regarding military actions, decisive strategies, and their implementation are not for the faint of heart. Given the coordination of this particular effort, including flying our bombers literally 36 hours nonstop to and from the target areas, it is safe to say this was a very bold if not unprecedented effort indeed.

And despite much of the media trying to paint it as something less than effective, there is no way around the fact that within hours of it happening, Iran was eagerly talking about a truce with Israel and the United States. I don’t think there can be much doubt those bunker-busting bombs came into play with that fact.

Did we disable Iran‘s nuclear capabilities? To be honest with you, I’m not sure that in the broad context of everything in play that matters, at least nearly not as much as Iran realizing that even though it is on the other side of the planet, it is not immune to such actions even launched from the mainland of the United States. I have a little doubt that realization was a huge eye-opener for the leadership there.

In addition, several months ago when Trump announced his efforts regarding international tariffs, again much of the media and their “experts“ tried to paint a gloom and doom picture of what would happen as a result of them.

Most predictions from economists painted a very dire picture after Trump launched his tariff campaign right after he started his second term. There were guarantees of international chaos economically, with specific fear-mongering regarding inflation here in the United States.
The stated expectation was that prices would rise and not just a little bit. Many said that they would re-ignite the inflation crisis that many Americans elected Trump to solve.

So what happened? The predicted tariff-induced inflation spike didn’t come close to materializing.

Now admittedly, we still may see prices rise. The hard reality is that Trump has raised taxes on imported goods by well over 10 percentage points this year alone, so to say prices won’t rise at all would seem counterintuitive.

But as I stated at the beginning of this column, fair is fair, and credit should be given where it is due. So far, it is undeniable that some of the boldest moves made by Donald Trump have either been far more effective than most would’ve ever even thought possible, or they have been nowhere nearly as catastrophic as most believed likely.

While it is true that even blind pigs find acorns if they keep digging long enough, right now I simply have to tip my cap to President Trump in acknowledgment of some bold moves and strategies that I don’t know would have ever come about without him specifically doing the digging.

Two things can be true at once. While I still feel his leadership style flies in the face of conventional tactics, I also have to acknowledge that the very same unconventional style is exactly what allowed Donald Trump to do some of these things he has done. And, without his moxie and “buck the system” mode of operation probably would’ve never happened otherwise.

With all that said, it is entirely possible he may say or do something this week that completely negates everything I’ve said here today. In fact, something like that happening would not surprise me one bit.

But right now, even his most outspoken critics will be hard-pressed to minimize some of the boldest moves he has made in his second term as president that seem to be making a very positive difference here in the place we call home.

I believe that any American wishing failure on any president is either an idiot or a fool. While I realize we are overrun with idiots and fools overall, I would hope that President Trump will continue making believers out of many Americans who have been and still are skeptical of his abilities.

Including me.