Dear Mr. President/President-elect:
Congratulations! You're the Comeback Kid! Not many 78-year-olds win that title.
In my Washington Times column last week – which I'm sure you read! – I offered President Biden a to-do list for his lame-duck days. Will he take my advice? Stranger things have happened.
I'm not going to advise you today. Instead, I'm going to remind you of something Clare Boothe Luce, a 20th century journalist, diplomat, congresswoman, and playwright, told John F. Kennedy. (Credit where credit is due: I learned this from a column Peggy Noonan wrote 15 years ago.)
In 1962, Ms. Luce told President Kennedy that "a great man is one sentence." The idea, Ms. Noonan explained, is that the work of a successful leader "can be so well summed up in a single sentence that you don't have to hear his name to know who's being talked about."
An obvious example: "He preserved the union and freed the slaves."
What should your sentence be? Maybe: "He made America great again by increasing its military strength, securing its borders, restoring law and order in its cities, rightsizing the government, and boosting prosperity."
Too wordy? Okay, I'll work on it.
Meanwhile, I want to say a few words about your nominees for national security and foreign policy posts since that's the business I'm in.
It appears they all understand why "peace through strength" is preferable to "war through weakness." That contrast has been vividly demonstrated over the past four years.
Another way to say this: We won't need to go to war with an enemy that we've managed to deter. And if we do get into a fight, our enemies shouldn't have a chance.
Rep. Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret, will serve you well as National Security Advisor. He has said: "We are in a Cold War with the Chinese Communist Party." That's the reality. We're not just in a "competition" like the Olympics and may the best team win. But recognizing this reality has huge policy implications. Mike can explain.
Marco Rubio for Secretary of State is another solid choice. He, too, understands that Xi Jinping means to replace American leadership in the world with a neo-Maoist international order.
I'm sure you noticed that, while you were not in the White House, Mr. Xi formed extensive military and economic partnerships with the dictators of Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
At my think tank, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, we call this the "Axis of Aggressors" because all four regimes are determined to conquer other lands, and either subjugate or genocide other peoples.
Given that lineup, it's clear that Cold War II will be more challenging than Cold War I. What to do? Again: Effective deterrence requires more military might than we have now, following the Obama and Biden years.
You're right to insist that America's allies do their part. The corollary is that when America's friends fight defensive wars against America's enemies, we support them.
Can I mention something that worries me a little? Elon Musk is a great American. I'm confident he'll be an amazing asset to your administration.
It's been reported (though Tehran disputes this) that Musk had a meeting with Amir Saeid Iravani, Tehran's ambassador to the UN. Be careful: Iran's ruling mullahs and their envoys are devious.
They'll talk about "defusing tensions" and "win-win" outcomes. But these guys tried to assassinate you and other Americans. For 45 years, they've been chanting "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!" They've killed and maimed thousands of Iranian dissidents – many of them young women. They're fueling conflicts across the Middle East.
You will deserve (but will probably not receive) a Nobel Peace Prize if you arrange for the destruction of Tehran's program to develop nuclear weapons along with missiles that can deliver those weapons not just to Tel Aviv but also to Palm Beach. Don't want to do this job yourself? Talk to the Israelis. They'll have ideas.
Listen, you're a busy guy, so just a few more notes on nominees.
Elise Stefanik is a superb choice for U.S. ambassador to the UN. Her sentence should be: "She told the truth about the dictator-dominated, globalist swamp on Turtle Bay and, working with you and Congress, ended American taxpayer funding for its most anti-American, antisemitic, and terrorist-supporting agencies and officials."
Pete Hegseth, a purposefully disruptive choice for Secretary of Defense, will need lots of help if he is to make the military all that it can be.
Mr. Hegseth is adamantly anti-woke and rightly so. But if you simply repeal President Biden's Executive Order 14035 mandating "Diversity, Equity, Inclusion," the heavy lifting will be done.
Mike Huckabee is a brilliant choice for ambassador to Israel. There are tens of millions of American Zionists. Most are Christians.
Your nominee for Director of National Intelligence, former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, will have to answer some tough questions to win Senate confirmation.
About what? In 2017, she defended Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. In 2019, she said your tough policies toward Tehran were "starting a war." And in 2020, she called your decision to eliminate Qassem Soleimani, Tehran's chief terrorist, a violation of the U.S. Constitution. Inquiring minds will want to know how much her views have changed.
Over the weekend, you nominated Chris Wright for Secretary of Energy. The CEO of Liberty Energy, he's a self-described "tech nerd" who understands that energy security is national security. An inspired pick!
Okay, I've come up with a simpler sentence for how you might want history to remember you and the Trump 2.0 presidency: "He empowered Americans to make America great again."
Like it? Ask Ivanka and Jared what they think!