Donald Trump enters his ‘Golden Age' as bill passage caps long list of ‘remarkable' accomplishments
Trump, 79, will sign the bill fulfilling his major campaign pledges – including to cut taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security benefits – at a pre-fireworks Independence Day party on the White House lawn.
B-2 stealth bombers will fly over the celebration in recognition of their role in the Trump-ordered June 21 US airstrikes on Iran's nuclear program, which was followed two days later by an equally unprecedented Trump-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Iran.
The commander in chief, riding high on that diplomatic coup, strong-armed NATO nations at the alliance's annual conference to boost military spending to 5% of their GDP by 2035, after complaining for years that US allies were freeloading off American taxpayers.
He returned home to good news from the Supreme Court, which handed him wins on deporting illegal immigrants to third countries and restricting nationwide injunctions by district court judges — while CBS's parent company agreed to fork over $16 million for deceptively editing an interview last year with Trump's election rival, then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Over the weekend, Canada scrapped a digital services tax against US internet giants under pressure from Trump, followed days later by the University of Pennsylvania stripping honors from transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and the announcement of a pending trade deal with Vietnam – as major stock market indices notched record highs and illegal border crossings hit new record lows.
The Big Beautiful Bill Act also includes $25 billion in funding for Trump's 'Golden Dome' missile defense program, spends more on immigration enforcement, allows tax deductions for domestic car loan interest and — in a major win for New York and New Jersey Republicans — lifts the cap on the amount of state and local taxes that can be deducted from federal returns to $40,000 from the prior $10,000.
'I didn't vote for him and I'm not always aligned with his approach, but his success on the domestic and international front in such a compressed period of time is nothing short of remarkable and it's all due to his impressive use of political and executive power,' Michael LaRosa, a former Biden White House spokesman, told The Post.
'The last two weeks of his presidency are a throwback to the strong leadership styles reminiscent of LBJ or Reagan, both of whom engendered such personal and political loyalty within their parties, that they could muscle through historic success out of sheer goodwill.'
A different Biden White House official, who served all four years in the Democratic administration, said Trump has 'hit a stride' and marveled at his ability to pressure holdout Republicans into voting for the major legislation despite centrist reluctance over Medicaid and SNAP cuts and conservative demands for deeper spending reductions.
'You voted for it because you're scared of the guy. And frankly, that's impressive, given that Biden never invoked fear in anyone,' the former Biden aide said of the GOP holdouts, all but two of whom eventually backed the bill.
'Successful campaigns and successful operations excel when they are provided clarity in mission from their leader — in this case President Trump,' said Chris LaCivita, who ran Trump's 2024 campaign alongside current White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
'Elections matter because you now have one of the greatest realignments in political history happening and being backed up by policy. If you work, pay taxes and aspire for a better tomorrow, you are voting Republican,' LaCivita said, describing the working-class reforms encompassed in the bill, which also made permanent Trump's 2017 tax cuts to all brackets.
'If you're dour, rich and generally hold people that don't agree with [you] in contempt – and you don't know what a woman is – you're a Democrat. This transformation in political power is because of the leadership and determination of one person — President Trump.'
Kellyanne Conway, senior counselor to Trump during his first term, declared 'these have been the most consequential two weeks of Trump's second term, as he makes peace deals, trade deals and tax deals, everywhere all at once.'
'And he's just getting started. America is in its Golden Age,' Conway said.
'The snark and bark of his petty critics is muted and meaningless. If you can't beat him, join him. Sit back and enjoy a nation that is sovereign, secure and prosperous. We are the envy of the world and Trump is just getting started.'
'President Trump is on a roll,' said Vivek Ramaswamy, the former Republican presidential candidate and current contender for Ohio governor. 'By 2026, it will be up to the states to lead the way on other critical fronts, like solving the educational achievement crisis in our country.'
Trump's trail of triumphs precedes a significant deadline next week for the sealing of bilateral trade deals to avert 'reciprocal' levies on foreign countries — which could dramatically increase US consumer costs and drive up inflation, which has cooled this year.
Trump has given countries until July 9 to reach agreements to avert high rates, but thus far has only announced the outlines of deals with China, the UK and Vietnam, along with a 'roadmap' with India.
Publicly, the president has brushed off concern about the rate of dealmaking and said he will decree new rates when next week instead of pushing the deadline.
Trump also has thus far failed to cajole Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell into lowering interest rates — causing the cost of homes, credit card balances and loans to remain high despite inflation nearing the Fed's target of 2%.
Trump has said he will allow Powell to remain in his role until his term expires next May, and that he intends to appoint a replacement who will promptly drop rates by at least 2 percentage points.
But for now, Trump's series of successes offer momentum – with polling showing he's getting credit for a strong economy, typically a top concern of voters, ahead of next year's midterm election, which will determine whether the later half of his term is plagued by probes by congressional Democrats.
'It's becoming increasingly evident that Donald Trump is the dominant political figure so far of the 21st Century,' said American University professor Leonard Steinhorn, who teaches public communication and history courses.
But Steinhorn added that Trump's administration contrasts with other powerful American presidents who – at least fleetingly – held broad-based national support.
'As dominant as Donald Trump is today, he's especially dominant over the Republican Party … But let's not forget that he presides over half a country that believes that he is taking us on a very bad path, and to many people on a path to authoritarian or autocratic rule.'
LaRosa, the former Biden White House aide, said he hopes that fellow Democrats will learn from Trump's unexpected political abilities.
'Even though I may disagree with him substantively, his effective use of power as an executive and party leader, despite congressional margins or ideological diversity, is something to admire for those of us who are practitioners of politics,' LaRosa said.
'Instead of reflexively ridiculing his style and the fact that he uses the latitude he's been afforded so skillfully, Democrats should learn from him and replicate it the next time we have the keys.'
Originally published as Donald Trump enters his 'Golden Age' as bill passage caps long list of 'remarkable' accomplishments - wowing even critics
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Picture: AFP Masad responded: 'Yeah, I don't know what you think of the new administration. Certainly, there are things that I like about it, some of their pro-tech posture and things like that. But what's happening now is — it's kind of disappointing.' Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin refuted their assertions. 'The official data tells the real story: an overwhelming majority of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens with criminal convictions or pending criminal charges. Further, many illegal aliens categorised as 'non-criminals' are actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gang members and worse — they just don't have a rap sheet in the US. This deceptive 'non-criminal' categorisation is devoid of reality and misleads the American public. Police deploy tear gas while clearing a street in front of City Hall. Picture: AFP 'Secretary (Kristi) Noem has unleashed the U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) to target the worst of the worst — including gang members, murderers, and rapists. We are putting the American people first by removing illegal aliens who pose a threat to our communities.' Masad, a Jordanian-born software engineer and CEO of coding platform Replit, went on to slam immigration enforcement actions on college campuses against anti-Israel protesters. 'Did you see this video of this Turkish student at Tufts University that wrote an essay and then there's video of like, ICE agents, like –' Rogan interjected, 'Is that the woman?' Masad replied, 'Yeah, yeah.' Rogan asked, 'Yeah. What was her essay about? It was just critical of Israel, right?' 'Just critical of Israel, yeah,' Masad confirmed. Rogan responded, 'And that's enough to get you kicked out of the country.' Rumeysa Öztürk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, was detained by federal officials in Massachusetts in March and held in a Louisiana facility for weeks after the Department of Homeland Security claimed she supported Hamas in an op-ed for the campus newspaper. Rogan was conversing with tech entrepreneur Amjad Masad. Picture: YouTube In May, a federal judge blocked her deportation, calling the detention baseless. She was released and allowed to return to Tufts while her deportation case proceeds in the courts. Rogan also referenced the case of Mahmoud Khalil, the Syrian-born Palestinian and US permanent resident and graduate student at Columbia University. Khalil, who was a leader of pro-Palestinian protests on Columbia's campus, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March after the Trump administration cited alleged false information on his green card application. The administration, which alleged that Khalil's campus activities posed a threat to US foreign policy, also invoked a rarely used immigration law to cite as the basis for his deportation. Khalil was held for more than 100 days at a Louisiana detention facility before he was released on June 20. A White House rep defended the administration's actions pertaining to Khalil and Ozturk. 'Receiving a visa to study in the United States is a privilege not a right. The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to fight to remove dangerous aliens who pose a risk to American security and interests, and have no right to be in this country,' White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told The Post. A law enforcement officer fires a less-lethal projectile during a protest in Los Angeles. Picture: AFP Rogan, who commands an audience of roughly 10 million listeners — most of whom are young men — publicly endorsed Trump for president on the eve of the 2024 election, calling Elon Musk's case for Trump 'the most persuasive argument' and stating, 'I concur with him at every turn.' Though once a vocal critic of Trump, Rogan's support marked a major shift that the Trump campaign touted as a significant win with young male voters. Last month, Rogan advocated for a path to citizenship for undocumented migrants who live and work in the US without breaking the law. 'Yeah maybe you shouldn't have snuck in,' Rogan said at the time. 'But you did it, and you're not breaking any laws and you're a hardworking person. Those people need a path to citizenship, man. Because if you don't, then they're just preyed upon.' This story first appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission. Originally published as 'Insane': Joe Rogan turns on Donald Trump over immigration raids
