President Trump offered a cogent reminder about world affairs at the Values Voters Summit on Saturday. He reminded them about the nature of long-term conflicts in the Middle East, and the toll they take on the U.S. military and American civilians as well.

“These wars, they never end. And we have to bring our great soldiers back from the never-ending wars,” Mr. Trump told the audience, citing the current disagreement between Turkey and Syria over a 22-mile stretch of land between the two nations.

“Let them have their borders. But I don’t think that our soldiers should be there for the next 50 years guarding a border between Turkey and Syria when we can’t guard our own borders at home,” Mr. Trump advised.

Which makes some wonder if securing the border will be yet another “endless war” for the Trump administration to address. Numbers suggest this could be a possibility.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform now says there are 14.3 million people living illegally in the U.S. — up 2 million people since 2017. The organization blames it on “coordinated surges of migrant crossing our southern border illegally” plus Obama-era policies that expanded the grounds for seeking political asylum and sanctuary policies that shield immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally from federal enforcement.

“Migrants from just about everywhere on Earth are crossing the border and staying put. Without action in Washington to secure the border and curb the abuses of our humanitarian policies, the dramatic increase in the illegal alien population and the commensurate dramatic increases in costs to U.S. taxpayers will continue unabated,” warns Dan Stein, president of the nonpartisan interest group.

FOR THE LEXICON

“Billionaires should not exist.”

Yes, well. This is a new slogan from Sen. Bernard Sanders‘ campaign, which is using it as a fundraising tool for donations as high as $1,000 and up.

“Not a single billionaire has donated to our campaign. That’s because our political revolution is powered by the working class. And when we’re in the White House, we’re going to pass a wealth tax that will finally make the billionaire class pay their fair share,” the campaign reasons.

SAVE THE DATE

It is a reality check of sorts. There really is a presidential election on the way despite shrill, inconclusive, biased and often erroneous media coverage of the event. Now we have something tangible to go on. The Commission on Presidential Debates has revealed the schedule for 2020 debates, all destined to run 90 minutes without commercials.

The first presidential debate is Sept. 29, 2020, at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, the second on Oct. 15 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and the third on Oct. 22 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. The running mates will duke it out Oct. 7 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

A FEW MORE ‘GUTSY WOMEN’

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton have a new book out titled “The Book of Gutsy Women,” which lists a hundred women who have inspired them — a roster that includes former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and former Democratic congresswoman Bella Abzug.

“There are no conservative or libertarian women on the list because they don’t embody the identity politics on which Clinton’s failed campaigns have been based,” writes American Thinker columnist Nicholas J. Kaster.

“To be ‘gutsy,’ according to the Clintons, is ‘about never giving up — and working to pave the way for the next generation.’ With that in mind, here are the profiles of five gutsy women who didn’t make the list because they don’t fit Hillary’s politically correct narrative,” Mr. Kaster says — listing British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, ambassador Clare Boothe Luce, Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly, free market icon Ayn Rand and author Laura Ingalls Wilder.

“There are of course many more women of accomplishment who don’t fit the feminist agenda. More importantly, there are millions of ordinary women who don’t aspire to leadership or fame, but do the vital work that sustains the nation, working and raising families, serving their churches, volunteering in their communities, and homeschooling their children. In 2016, Hillary had a word for those women — deplorables,” Mr. Kaster concludes.

‘PARTISAN POLITICAL THEATER’

White House counsel Pat Cipollone recently sent a detailed, eight-page letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi regarding the ongoing “impeachment inquiry.” The White House also issued a helpful public statement which translates the legal phrases and cuts to the heart of the matter.

“The president has done nothing wrong, and the Democrats know it. For purely political reasons, the Democrats have decided their desire to overturn the outcome of the 2016 election allows them to conduct a so-called impeachment inquiry that ignores the fundamental rights guaranteed to every American. These partisan proceedings are an affront to the Constitution — as they are being held behind closed doors and deny the President the right to call witnesses, to cross-examine witnesses, to have access to evidence, and many other basic rights,” the statement said.

The statement summed it up this way: “In the process, they are violating civil liberties and the separation of powers, threatening Executive Branch officials with punishment simply for exercising their constitutional rights and prerogatives. All of this violates the Constitution, the rule of law, and every past precedent. For these reasons, the Executive Branch cannot be expected to, and will not participate in, this exercise of partisan political theater.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 84% of Republicans would vote for President Trump if the GOP primary election was today; 88% of GOP men and 81% of GOP women agree.

• 8% are not sure which candidate they would choose in the primary; 6% of men and 10% of women agree.

• 3% would vote for former Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois; 3% of men and 3% of women agree.

• 3% would vote for former Gov. William Weld of Massachusetts; 2% of men and 4% of women agree.

• 1% would vote for former Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina; 1% of men and 1% of women agree.

Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 468 adult Republicans conducted Oct. 6-8.

• Helpful information to [email protected]

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.