A year ago today, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton, winning a tax payer-funded extended trip to the White House.

As we do on such occasions, our authors have shared their thoughts and analysis on Trump’s first year. For some, today is a celebration of Trump’s victory. For others, it marks a most delicious moment in American political history — the day the Clintons were nationally rejected, embarrassed, and sent packing.

For those interested in tracking the evolution of thought on the matter, I refer you to the following posts:

Trump is the Nominee, What Now? Legal Insurrection Authors Debate

Legal Insurrection Authors Respond to Trump Victory

Legal Insurrection Authors React to Trump’s First 100 Days

Professor Jacobson

I remember staying up late Election night covering the results. At 11 p.m. a relative texted me about the strong indications Trump would win: “They’re just teasing us, right?” I responded, “Yup.” Even as midnight approached and beyond, I assumed Hillary would find votes in PA, WI and MI. There would be precincts in Philadelphia which miraculously reported late and threw enough votes to her to win the state. The Dems somehow would pull it out. I forget what time it was precisely, but I’m thinking something in the 2 a.m. time frame, when all the networks fell into line and declared Trump the winner. At 2:40 a.m. I posted President-Elect Donald Trump.

It was a very strange feeling. After 8 years of Obama, I just assumed we were destined to have Democrat presidents forever.

When Hillary refused to make a public concession statement that night, it was clear the nation had made the right choice. As I have stated many times in prior posts, Trump was an episodic threat to our liberty (though so far, much less of a threat than was feared.) Hillary was a systemic threat, someone who would have solidified the corrupt anti-democratic (small “d”) stranglehold on our nation by a permanent political class who saw politics as a path to riches at the expense of the rest of the country, and who did not hesitate to use the full force of the state to achieve their ends.

Everything we have learned about Hillary and the permanent bureaucracy since the election confirms my analysis that Hillary was by far the greater danger. And so too has #TheResistance proven that Trump was the right choice versus Clinton. I’m not going to belabor the point, see what I wrote for Legal Insurrection’s 9th Anniversary, Legal Insurrection is 9 years old, and filled with dread.

How has the first year since the election gone? A lot better than the first year of a Hillary presidency would have gone.

Kemberlee Kaye

I keep thinking the outrage machine will blow a gasket, but a year into Trump’s presidency and it’s still going strong. If it weren’t so destructive, it would be impressive.

As for Trump, I remain perfectly indifferent. I didn’t support him, nor did he receive my vote, but none of that changes that for better or worse, he is our president. If we’re assessing how well he’s done, there are things he’s done well and plenty he’s flubbed. He’s just…President. And thus far, a much less harmful one than I’d previously supposed.

I grow weary of the constancy of misquotes and all but intentional mischaracterization of Trump’s remarks and the remarks of his administrative officials. But just as the sun sets in the west, the modern media will continue to media. The fourth estate is increasingly concerning, fully believing they function as their own, separate government entity with the right to influence legislation and policy-making. The attempts to undermine the results of the election and the intentional omission of facts and stories from all networks and outlets makes finding actual news an increasingly difficult chore. On this and in other arenas I agree with Professor Jacobson’s assessment.

Both political parties are in full-blown upheaval. This is a good thing. There was far too much power consolidated not in locals, but in party machines that were increasingly alienating those they claimed to represent; an entirely separate, but equally as tone deaf political structure, essentially. It was time for those machines to be dismantled and Trump has been just the man for the job. I don’t expect the dust to settle here anytime soon.

If last night’s election results are an indicator, Trump may have the same electoral effect as Obama. By the numbers, disdain for Trump is driving Democrats to the polls. As it stands, 2018 does not bode well for Republicans, but that’s to be expected. The political pendulum continues its swing.

In a perfect world, the nationalization of elections that ought to be left to their local constituencies would end, not that this will happen anytime soon, but a girl can dream, right?

The political cluster aside, I’m more hopeful for our country than ever. For years (even into my days of grassroots work) I’ve preached that change comes not from electing the “right” people, but from the relationships we build in our own lives. After weathering Hurricane Harvey, my hope in the inherent goodness of the human heart was renewed. America is not the segmented, divided country the media pretends — we are as wholesome, caring, and good as ever. It takes no politician to help those in need or to listen to someone in desperate need of a confidant.

Mary Chastain

I don’t like Trump. I never have. I never will. I don’t think he’s as bad as everyone portrays him. But anyone who knows me knows that politicians in general disgust me and I hate government. That being said….HILLARY CLINTON IS NOT PRESIDENT!!!! I will never ever get tired of writing “FAILED Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.”

Mike LaChance

It still amazes me on a regular basis that Trump even won. He defeated the Clinton machine, the Democrats, the media, establishment Republicans, Hollywood and academia. He flipped blue states in the rust belt to red. That’s quite an accomplishment.

The second aspect of the election which immediately comes to mind is how unhinged the left has behaved ever since. Under George W. Bush, the left built its rage slowly over eight years. In the case of Trump, they dialed it up to ten within 24 hours of the election and haven’t backed off since. They also don’t seem to realize this ultimately helps Trump.

I never expected Trump to be perfect – no one is. However, I am pleased with his judicial appointments, as well as his handling of the economy and his commitment to defeating ISIS and other terror groups.

All in all, I’d say he’s doing a fantastic job of not being President Hillary Clinton.

Leslie Eastman

The night of Donald Trump’s upset victory of Hillary Clinton is truly one of the most memorable evenings I have ever had.

On Nov. 8, 2016, I came home after a long meeting, bringing take-out Chinese food for dinner. My husband and son raced to greet me with the news that Trump had taken Florida and North Carolina. He was winning. Then, my boy spent the entire evening watching the Blue Wall crumble, as he was monitoring the Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin county vote totals to keep me updated with Trump’s likely win in those states.

Meanwhile, I was channel surfing and treating myself to a historic media meltdown. One year later, I am struck with how truly execrable and contemptible the America media was in reporting this upset.

The press was so focused on their despair, it failed to cover the total joy that was being experienced by the millions of Trump supporters across the country. For me, I was so happy that I burst into tears. Then, I poured a craft beer and wrote my analysis for Legal Insurrection.

Today, I would like us to indulge in the joy of victory once more, in honor of the one year anniversary of that historic election. Let us also savor the magnificent media meltdown, which has continued to this day.

Perhaps one of my favorite compilations is this gem, which reviews the moment that ABC News realizes that Trump won the election.

There is so much misery to bask in, I hardly know where to begin!

When it becomes obvious that Clinton would not catch-up to Wisconsin, the ABC panel pulled out all the progressive stops. Rebecca Jarvis is the Chief Business, Economics and Technology Correspondent for ABC News. She predicted that the stock markets would plunge after Trump’s victory.

Stocks close at record highs as dealmaking is back on Wall Street U.S. equities hit record highs on Monday as sentiment on Wall Street was lifted by news of corporate dealmaking. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 9.23 points to 23,548.42, an all-time high. The Nasdaq composite also closed at an all-time high, rising 0.3 percent to 6,786.44. The S&P 500 managed a record high, finishing at 2,591.13, up 0.13 percent.

Byron Pitts, a panelist, waxed on and on about how the “brown people” he knew were afraid and inferred that Trump supporters were racist because most of the rally goers were white. Then, he used a race-based description of Trump: “White guy with a hair cut.”

But perhaps the best dramatic performance by a news analyst that night was given by Martha Raddatz, ABC’s Chief Global Affairs Correspondent. Raddatz, who was one of the worst presidential debate moderators ever selected, was clearly distraught. Perhaps the lowest point was when she listed all Trump’s media-determined sins, then essentially smeared his voters for not seeing that Trump is a cad and a reprobate.

Raddatz also indicated that world leaders were likely to be fearful, in the wake of the election result. Perhaps she meant fearful…that they couldn’t handle so much winning with Trump as the American President?

Sadly, the toxic media misrepresentations have continued. In fact, one reason that President Trump’s support remains rock solid is that his voters realize that they absolutely cannot trust anything the American press report on either his actions or his policies. CNN’s fishy koi story is the latest example of the media jumping the shark on its Trump coverage!

Liberal network CNN ran a ridiculous headline, “Trump feeds fish, winds up pouring entire box of food into Koi pond,” complete with a misleading tweet from reporter Veronica Rocha that only shows the Trump dumping the entire box of food. Her footage is conveniently edited to skip Abe doing the same thing.

So, today, I am going to celebrate the Trump win and media’s misery.

I am going to have a few laughs.

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I am going to hang out with friends, like conservative talkshow host Silvio Canto, Jr., and Terry Lee Ebert Mendoza (a founding member of the Trumpettes who was at Mar-a-lago on election night).

And, I am going to have a few drinks.

Vijeta Uniyal

On my side of the Atlantic, it has been a year of toxic anti-Trump coverage. Nowhere have the media hostilities been greater than in Germany. A Harvard study conducted after President Trump’s first hundred days concluded that while the mainstream media generally disapproved of him, “especially in Germany, his numbers are abysmal when it comes to positive media coverage.”

Take the top German public broadcaster ADR for example. Almost 98 percent of the ARD coverage of President Trump was negative. That’s higher than what CNN or NBC scored in the same study.

The constant barrage of anti-Trump rhetoric did have its impact on German public opinion. According to the Pew survey release in September, more Germans were “anti-Trump” than willing to oppose Chancellor Angela Merkel’s migrant policy.

But unlike Chancellor Merkel or former US President Obama, President Trump isn’t playing for the media. He won the presidency on promises of securing the borders, protecting American jobs, and combating Radical Islam. If he keeps delivering in those areas, we in European can look forward to seven more years to anti-Trump media hysteria. I don’t know about you, but I can live with that.

Miriam Elman

One year into his presidency, Donald Trump has very low approval ratings. This to my mind has a lot to do with the fact that so much of the media reinforces stereotypes about the President pretty much 24/7, spinning every word Trump utters, and every action he takes, as likely to cause some kind of colossal damage to the country. Consider this week’s anti-Trump pile-on over his alleged brutish and “extremely stupid” fish food dump in Japan. No, Trump didn’t act impatiently by impetuously dropping a container of fish food on top of his host’s Asian koi carp, but rather followed PM Shinzo Abe’s lead. Responsible journalists quickly corrected the public record (and even their own misinformed social media posts), but too many simply doubled-down. Remarking on the episode, Kellyanne Conway correctly noted that there’s a “presumptive negativity”—the media is always at the ready to pounce.

To read much of the MSM is to view Trump as destabilizing the world and tarnishing America’s global standing and reputation. But the reality is that all indicators suggest the very opposite. For all of Trump’s threats to unleash “fire and fury” and his undiplomatic language (e.g., calling Kim Jong-un ‘little rocket man’), he’s getting results and the tough talk seems to be paying off—consider that China has finally begun to tighten-up its sanctions on North Korea, and that some NATO allies are finally starting to spend more on their own defense, taking seriously Trump’s threat of reduced U.S. engagement.

Trump is the anti-Obama, but even some of his critics are grudgingly beginning to concede that there’s more to his foreign policy than that—and that his unpredictability may actually be a presidential style that works. It’s still hard to call is a strategic doctrine, but there’s clearly a Reagan-like quality to his foreign policy approach—Trump believes in keeping America’s enemies on their toes, and waving a big stick and telling everyone that he’s not afraid to use it. But, like Reagan, he’s also showing a willingness to strike a (hard) bargain that benefits U.S. national interests and those of our allies. Because of that, one year in Trump has already managed to reframe major foreign policy debates—on Iran, on NAFTA, on climate change, on free trade. He’s made some serious blunders (here’s a few, in no particular order of importance: the botched initial roll out of the travel ban; scuttling the TPP, which is simply a win for China; the decision to delay moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem; and expressing admiration for the President of the Philippines despite his atrocious human rights violations).

But on the positive side of the ledger there’s the decision to pull out of UNESCO, one of the most insanely anti-Israel and anti-Jewish organizations on the planet; ordering an airstrike in response to the butcher of Syria’s decision to once again use CBW against innocents; the labeling of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorists under a Treasury Department designation (the first time that the U.S. has deemed a military branch of another country as a terror organization); and the decertification of the JCPOA (he’s got Iran deal proponents at least acknowledging that the administration is right to raise serious concerns about Iran’s aggression and its ballistic missiles).

The problem with Obama and his foreign policy team is that they always appeared so eager to avoid confrontation that our foes invariably treated them as wimps and pushovers. You can’t say that about Trump and the officials that he’s now surrounded himself with—including the fabulous pick for UN ambassador Nikki Haley.

Maybe Trump won’t be the finest President, maybe he won’t be a roaring success, but considering his foreign policy record to date—he’s already done a lot of good.

David Gerstman

How do I feel about President Trump now? Well he still wouldn’t be my choice for president, but, in fact, he is my president. When I see the same folks who insisted he would lose savaging him, I wonder are they upset at his behavior or because he proved them wrong? I don’t much like his behavior either, but more and more I’m convinced that it’s an act, a distraction to keep his detractors from paying attention to what’s really going on.

The MSM used to say praise bipartisanship and the Constitution. But they ignored it when Barack Obama was president. His two signature achievements (or disasters) ObamaCare and the nuclear deal with Iran were passed with no (or virtually no) Republican support. But the MSM cheered them both on. So much for bipartisanship. In the case of the nuclear deal with Iran, Obama made a deal with an enemy state (codifying the deal through the UN Security Council was the result of an agreement with Iran, prior to the deal being completed) rather than try to get 2/3 of the Senate to approve the treaty as required by the Constitution. Again, so much for the Constitution.

So the same people who threw their principles to the wind to support Obama, now tell me that Trump is an unprecedented evil visited upon our nation. Why should I listen to them? Why should I respect their evaluations of Obama’s successor.

In terms of the nuclear deal, Trump demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of the Iranian threat in his October 13th speech, not the superficial “it was only about Iran’s nuclear program” rationale of the Obama administration. Unfortunately, for now he talks a better game than he’s been playing as Iran has been flexing its muscles across the Middle East (attacking the Kurds in Iraq, having proxies launch a rocket at Saudi Arabia and turn up the pressure on Saad Hariri, who quit as Lebanon’s prime minister), and Trump has not pushed back at all.

Of course a comprehensive plan to counter Iran can’t just be implemented on the spur of the moment, so I will give him a little time before I criticize him too much. Given how badly Obama messed up the Middle East, I’d rather that Trump, if, and when, he attempts to fix things, does it right. I just hope it won’t be too late by then.

Neo Neocon

In the year since Trump’s election, the nation hasn’t settled down. If anything it seems more divided than ever, and that’s saying something. The left refuses to reach the stage of acceptance, and fashions itself the brave Resistance, with the MSM its mouthpiece. The right is unhappy with the GOP Congress for not keeping its promises. Meanwhile, President Trump has weathered an enormous number of storms (both literal and metaphoric), including his very own special counsel Robert Mueller, who seems intent on charging Trump associates with process crimes that have nothing to do with their service in the Trump administration.

So far Trump has governed as a conservative—more conservative than I expected, which has been a pleasant surprise. Particularly laudable are his judicial appointments. The left keeps thinking they’ve got him cornered and that impeachment will happen any day now. But that still seems like wishful thinking on their part. Meanwhile, the Twitter wars continue, and it seems to me that Trump is winning those battles more often than he loses them. But the big changes—particularly ones for which legislative action are needed, such as repeal and replacement of Obamacare (remember that?)—so far have eluded the GOP, which better get cracking within the next year because in a year there will be another election. They seem to come around awfully fast, don’t they?

Marie Stroughter (AACONS)

Though I voted for Donald Trump with a tremendous amount of wariness, I did vote for him. Though initially a somewhat vocal #NeverTrump-er, and never truly *on* the #TrumpTrain, I had an eleventh hour epiphany that the election was bigger than two people (http://africanamericanconservatives.com/2016/10/27/election-2016-bigger-than-two-people/).

I held my nose, pulled the lever, and frankly, did a lot of praying. If Mr. Trump did only a couple of the things promised, I wouldn’t constantly grouse as I had for the previous eight years. And, if by some miracle, he actually made good on his promises around the issue of life (my big issue), then I’d be pretty happy with my vote.

So, how has that worked out for me?

Though I have — on more than one occasion — wished that his phone with Twitter app would mysteriously disappear, I do believe he has been much maligned by the press and should be able to refute much of what is said about him (though I might tone it down a bit and perhaps run it through a social media team with some serious filters!). Much has been cringeworthy, to be sure, but, he’s also been vindicated a few times, and does understand how to get his message directly to the people.

He *has* made good on much of his prolife message. If we could defund Planned Parenthood, I’d call it a day right there and hold no more expectations. But, he’s done a lot more than just deliver on the issue of life and religious liberty…and for that, I feel my vote has been justified.

But, really, it’s more than just Donald Trump: Hillary Clinton was a terrible candidate and would have been an even worse president. Look no further than current news coming to light about the DNC “rigging” and Russian interference — ironically, not stemming from the Right side of the aisle, as pitched to our biased media.

That isn’t to say I don’t still have some qualms. I’m beyond miffed that someone like LTC Allen West — who met with the Trump team on numerous occasions — was not selected as part of this administration. That Gerard Robinson — good enough to lead the Education transition team — wasn’t deemed “good enough” to keep the post, instead of a candidate who has so polarized the issue of school choice. As a homeschooling mother of three, this is another big issue for me, and one that has gotten lost in the baggage surrounding Secretary DeVos.

But, my broader issue is this: as the co-founder of a site addressing the impact of conservatism on the Black community, I work with a number of talented people on a daily basis, any number of whom could — and should — serve with distinction under this administration. If the Right is as diverse as we claim to be, shouldn’t our administration reflect that? For years, whenever I saw a commercial depicting an interracial couple, I did a double-take, because it was so rare to see. Now, I barely notice it, because I see it everywhere. Black conservatism should be the same. Yet, we struggle to be taken as anythig but “tokens” to the White Left, “sellouts,” “traitors,” and “house N(egroes)” to the Black Left…and sadly, many of our White counterparts in the conservative movement often dismiss or diinish the real issues we bring up when it makes them uncomfortable. But, still, we press along…and continue to do so.

If I had to do it over again, would I?

As a Christian, there are several issues that are very important to me. As a wife, mom, politically aware person, and, as a human being, in general, I feel our society is going down the wrong path. I voted based on the tenets of my faith, and went for the candidate I felt would pass legislation to stem the societal tide toward furthering moral decay. Therefore, based on that alone, I feel I did what I had to do, and yes, would do so again, presented with that choice.

But, I guess I do hope — in future — we all learn from this and put up less divisive candidates!

Katie Grimes (Investigative Journalist)

WINNING! Those of us who supported Donald Trump for President early on in his campaign saw something in his refreshing America-first stance, and unusual free-speaking and Tweeting style. What Trump has done since his landslide electoral victory last November is demonstrate that the struggle in America isn’t just left-right disagreements, but is a fight between and nationalists and globalists, populists and the establishment political class. And just by being Trump, he has exposed many more American globalist elitists who have been pretending to be firmly on the right or the left.

From pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord, to initiating an investigation into election fraud, to appointing and confirming Neil Gorshuch to the US Supreme Court along with judges and justices who interpret and enforce the law, to pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, to addressing illegal immigration and securing the borders of the United States, to re-developing America’s vast energy resources, to preparing to roll back Obamacare’s individual mandate, and authorizing the eight border wall prototypes currently under construction in San Diego, the man is a doer… and it’s making the Washington D.C. swamp crazy.

All of Trump’s actions, together with his tax reform plan, including repatriating trillions in corporate profits currently sitting in overseas accounts, and cutting EPA regulations, has the stock market at new highs, unemployment at a 16-year low, and his goal of 3 percent growth has been reached without the GOP tax reform package even being passed yet.

While Californians are grumbling about the impending loss of the state income tax deduction in the GOP tax reform plan, it is abundantly clear that it’s California’s leftist Democrat politicians and governor who are to blame, and that the rest of America should not be subsidizing high-tax blue states.

​A sizable chunk of t​he country is ​already ​feeling optimism about the future​.​ ​B​ased on expectations for tax cuts​,​ pro-growth policies​, rooting out political corruption, together with a renewed nationalism, ​this winning frame of mind has the left and DC swamp insiders boiling mad.​.. which is sadly very telling.

Follow Kemberlee on Twitter @kemberleekaye



