Trump’s HR performance review.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
About a thousand years ago when I was getting started in the radio business, the station in Dallas at which I was a baby advertising salesman did something radical and abandoned music programming for a format no one knew about called “News & Talk.” We were the first station in the market to go all talk and among the first in the country.
There was no template. (At the time, Rush Limbaugh was a 25-year-old Top 40-disc jockey at KUDL Radio in Kansas City.)
We didn’t know what we were doing, and it showed.
But about three years in, the company – totally by accident – hired a program director named George who “got it.”
The company was then owned by proper, button down Dallas blue bloods. The execs were impeccably mannered and impeccably dressed.
George was none of that. He would come to work in an orange shirt, a green tie, and brown pants. He smoked these godawful little cigars. And he was amazingly profane.
But he got results. The station popped. Ratings jumped. Revenue, too. And the air staff started sounding like they knew they were on to something.
Who cared that George stunk, dressed terribly and swore a lot?
As it turned out the blue bloods running the company cared. And at the dawn of victory, they abruptly gave up on the station and ultimately sold it.
I offer this story for you folks who call yourselves conservatives and Republicans but who still haven’t fully bought in to Donald Trump.
If you were an HR manager sitting President Trump down for his annual performance review, here’s what you’d have to cover.
The border: Trump got hired based largely on this issue. Rather than the 10,000 encounters per day under Biden by which Customs & Border Patrol paroled migrants into the country in anticipation of judicial reviews to come years later (read: never), zero migrants per day are now being paroled into the country.
Gasoline prices: Average national gas prices are below $3.00 per gallon and falling, down from north of $4.00 when Trump took office.
The broader energy front: U.S. oil production now leads the world at 20 to 22 million barrels per day.
Inflation: Under Trump’s predecessor it peaked at nine percent. It stands now at 2.7 percent and is also falling.
The market: The Dow recently topped 50,000, up 15 percent since Trump took office.
Jobs: January jobs figures crushed expectations, coming in at 130,000 vs. the 55,000 that the “experts” predicted.
The recession: What recession? Precisely.
National security and the world stage: Iran has been neutralized as a nuclear threat and the regime is on the verge of collapse. So, too, the regime in Cuba.
Here’s where this all ties together. George did exactly what he was hired to do but the company didn’t stand behind him and his efforts came to naught.
Trump is doing what he was hired to do. But if voters don’t stand behind him in November’s midterm elections, that same fate will befall the country.
Wait a minute. Just a few months ago you were yammering on about how the ADP data is more reliable. And now here you are touting the BLS numbers.
Mr. von Neumann: First, I never “yammer.” Second, ADP data and BLS data are different proxies for the same thing. I cited ADP data in the post to which you appear to refer because by its very nature, ADP data is more immediate and is, in many cases, a better leading indicator. Third, I cited BLS numbers in this case purely for the apples to apples comparison. The “experts” (as to things having to do with the economy and government, I almost always put “experts” in quotes for a reason), predicted that the January BLS figures would come in with the economy adding 55,000 jobs. Those BLS figures came in with the economy adding 130,000 jobs — a delta of 136 percent. (See why I put “experts” in quotes?)
I stand by this column.
If I were giving Trump a performance review and evaluating him on his attainment of the stated goals when he was hired, he would get a very favorable review. If I didn’t happen to like his personal style, I’d get over it. Speaking as a man who has had the responsibility for hiring and firing people for more than 40 years, I can tell you that high performing people are damned hard to find.
Amen!! Now we just need to know the “right” Trump Reds to vote for in the upcoming Primaries and mid terms.
All things considered, he’s doing more to fulfill my goals than the last four Republican presidents. His staffing is still hit or miss (think “Pam”), but he learned a fair amount from his first term. He’s gleefully sprinkling the salt onto all the right slugs, and I applaud it.
People! If your mouths are full of criticism of this president and his cabinet, shut your mouths and get behind this administration with everything you have. We do not know all the details and decisions that are leading to the success of our great Land. We just stand here now and begin to look to the future with hope that we can get back to where America should be. Use all that anger and frustration toward the ones that are fighting against our “America”. Yes, our “America”.
Whatever your home looks like, the job you have, or the financial help you get from “America”, you have the FREEDOM to decide these things. These things are your life.
President Trump is working and sacrificing for the American people, you! We owe it to each other to Fight, Fight, Fight!
Well said Ms. Lambert. It is very easy for the sidelines to criticize, condemn and complain about DJT. We have not had a Republican President with this type of backbone since Lincoln. Trump is right, however the problem is most GOP leaders, the Bush’s, McCain, Romney, McConnell, and other RINO’s have neither the ability to recognize much less fight the problems, (Democrats). Now Trump is here. I wish more Republicans would forget about reaching across the aisle with an olive branch. Take that same branch and beat them all democrats over the head with it!
Go back to 2016 and use what brain cells you have that still operate. Remember what almost happened? I used what little brain cells I’ve managed to keep and WATCHED Trump because I was on the fence about him! Didn’t listen to people about he was this or that…just watched. Main reason was he was at events that the clintons were until it finally dawned on me what he was doing! Sly old fox was sizing them up…just what I had been doing to him. He found out things he knew people would not tell him if asked. So he just watched and waited. What I learned from President Trump is he is way smarter than people gave and even now give him credit for!
I am 1000% FOR President Trump because he IS doing what we expected of him. Maybe not how people have expected him to. There are many sides to President Trump and it could be some sides you don’t understand. I didn’t until I calmed down and WATCHED him! Somethings take time to bear fruit!
Republicans will very likely lose the mid-terms because Republicans and conservative independents just can’t seem to figure out it takes more than Trump to make lasting changes. Executive orders by Republicans last four years.
SOTU Address: Bases loaded, home run by President Trump. Thank you God for your protection of our president. Pray for him daily for he is in great peril everyday. I’ll be 77 this year and I enjoy each day knowing our “David” is in the White House.
Aren’t we all in love with “truth” nowadays. Consequences! Decisions made today have consequences. President Trump proved that last night and I loved, loved, loved it when he talked to those in his speech. Their guilt was all over their faces.
Diane Lambert//Still a MAGA girl 100%