Well, would you look at that? The U.S. government is finally acting like... a government.
Gone are the days when mid-level bureaucrats could sip soy lattes, shuffle papers, ignore actual law, and still walk away with a pension fat enough to rival a small country’s GDP. The message is clear under President Trump’s America First administration: Do your job—or don’t expect to keep it.
In recent actions, we’ve seen what real leadership looks like when the White House decides enough is enough. First, the Trump administration dropped the hammer on South Sudan by revoking all U.S. visas and halting future visa issuances until the country accepts back its own deportees. Translation: you don’t get to play house in America while pretending you’ve never met your own citizens. Uncle Sam just locked the door and turned off the porch light.
Second, a Justice Department lawyer was suspended for failing to “zealously advocate” for a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported. Now, if you’re normal, you might say, “Wait, Kevin, doesn’t that contradict the first story?” And that’s where the brilliance of Trump’s team shines.
Yes, mistakes happen. They always will. No system is perfect, especially when cleaning up the catastrophic mess left by the last guy who thought borders were optional and laws were theoretical. But the Trump administration understands—and what the Biden team never did—that the risk of mistakes can’t become a license for paralysis.
You cannot build an immigration policy—or any policy—on the fear of error. That’s what the Obama-Biden years gave us: endless “reviews,” “task forces,” and “comprehensive strategies” that produced nothing but press releases and photo ops. Trump, by contrast, is doing something revolutionary in government: He’s doing things.
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We are now deporting illegal immigrants at record-shattering levels. No more “catch-and-release.” No more disappearing into sanctuary cities like some criminal edition of Where’s Waldo? We’re talking about action that respects American sovereignty, prioritizes national security, and—dare I say it—restores sanity.
Is there a cost to bold action? Of course. Sometimes, a mistake slips through, like the Maryland case. But what happened there separates the men from the mush: the Trump administration held their own accountable. The lawyer who didn’t go to bat for the deportee got benched.
Let me say that again for the back row: Accountability in Washington.
That loud sound you just heard was every career bureaucrat at DHS spitting out their herbal tea.
The bigger picture is this: the executive branch isn’t a suggestion box. It’s a command center. Under Trump, the orders are clear: enforce the law, protect the citizens, and serve the country. The Department of Homeland Security, ICE, State, and DOJ are no longer bumper sticker factories. They’re the operational arms of a president who actually expects results.
Even our allies are being told to get off the sidelines. South Sudan, a nation with which we have diplomatic ties, was given a choice: take back your people or lose your access. This is how real foreign policy works. You want a seat at the table? Pick up a fork and help set it. Otherwise, you’re eating outside with the kids.
And let’s not overlook who’s been empowered to drive this train. You’ve got Pam Bondi, the no-nonsense legal hammer from Florida. You’ve got Marco Rubio, who has transitioned from Senate speech-maker to surgical policy enforcer. These aren’t people playing checkers. They’re playing chess—on fire.
Meanwhile, what did we get under Biden? A Homeland Security Secretary who couldn’t define the word “secure,” a press secretary who needed a flashcard to find Texas on a map, and a border czar who thought the solution to illegal immigration was a Zoom call with Guatemalan farmers. It was cosplay government—a costume party of incompetence.
But now? There are grown-ups in the room. And they’re not asking for permission.
I know what the critics say. “Trump’s mean.” “Trump’s impulsive.” “Trump doesn’t color inside the lines.” First, the lines were drawn by people who didn’t know what they were doing. And second, if being “nice” means sacrificing national security for cocktail party invites, I’ll take the bulldozer every time.
America is in a new era—one where excellence is expected, mistakes are corrected, and doing nothing is no longer acceptable. The bureaucratic blob that once choked off action through endless memos and inaction is shrinking under the heat of accountability. It turns out that when the President is awake and working, things happen.
And here’s the profound truth that should leave every patriotic American gobsmacked:
A government that fears doing the wrong thing more than it desires doing the right thing will never do anything worth remembering.
President Trump has flipped that script. He’s not afraid to act, correct, or demand results.
Finally, America has a government that governs again. What a concept.
Kevin McCullough is a nationally syndicated columnist with Townhall.com and host of “That KEVIN Show” on Salem News Channel, BizTV, and Salem Radio Network.
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