4 things Trump needs to do after his 'stumble'

It took me a few days to find the words for this commentary.

It comes down to this: President Trump was wrong to sign the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill.

There I said it.

Now, let me explain why that was so difficult to say.

Since Jan. 20, 2017, I have been praising, extolling, acclaiming and commending Donald J. Trump for what he has accomplished in his 14 months as president. It's more than any other president in my lifetime has achieved in that time period – by far. It is why I started the ThankTrump.us initiative. And I have no regrets about it. Zero, zilch, nada.

Before Trump was elected, I never thought I would see another great U.S. president in my lifetime – someone like Ronald Reagan. I really began to think that was a once-in-a-lifetime expectation.

I was wrong.

But Ronald Reagan made mistakes, too. He was human. He hired some bad people. He appointed some bad judges and justices. He even signed a big amnesty bill.

Yet, at the end of the day, he was an amazingly great president. You can forget about the mistakes. You should forgive them. You focus on the great things he did.

Here's the difference, though. Trump is just getting started. He's got at least 34 more months in office, or, with any luck, 78.

And he needs to hear from those who love him and what he is accomplishing, especially when he stumbles.

Look, it comes down to this: If you're going to drain the swamp, you can't start plugging up the drainage ditches 14 months into the process.

And that's what this spending bill does. We don't have the money. We're borrowing it. And we can't go on borrowing money. End of story.

I admit, his own party is sabotaging him. But we all knew that was part of what he would face.

Now, let me focus on how Trump can redeem this mistake.

Just don't spend the money. It's that simple. He's the president. He doesn't have to do it. Yes, he signed the bill, but he is still the chief executive. He has that option and that responsibility. Don't spend a dime on anything that doesn't pass the Trump smell test. Reallocate it to the Wall if you spend any of it.
I believe he is right about the need to rebuild the military. I expect we are facing some grave threats. Reagan was right about "peace through strength." And I know that is probably why Trump signed this budget, because he knows we live in a very dangerous world. But don't go starting any wars we can't and won't win. The disloyal opposition would just love for Trump to do that.
Stand firm in your promise never to worry about a government shutdown, again. Start planning now. In fact, Trump should come right out now and decide where he's going to freeze the debt limit in the future. Pick a number other than infinity and mean it. Draw a line, not in the sand, but in concrete. Let everyone know, the borrowing is going to stop under the Trump watch.
And lastly, it's 2018. It's a midterm election year. There are some Republicans who don't deserve to win, yet, it's hard to imagine the country will be better off with the alternative. Trump has more goodwill with the American voters than anyone else. He needs to campaign hard for his party, especially for the very best members of the House and Senate. He needs to campaign like there is no tomorrow. He needs to campaign like his presidency depends on it – because it does. He needs to campaign like it's the end of the world if Republicans lose the House or the Senate – because it is.

This stumble, although real and bad, is not the end of the world. It's not the end of the Trump dream. It's not even close to any of those things. He needs to meet with Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell in the woodshed and read them the riot act – fast.