We saw progress and peril. Trump can do more in '26

Keep up the pressure on Russia and China. Hold the line on immigration reform. Bring down the cost of housing.

- JOSH HAMMER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

SUSAN WALSH Associated Press

VLADIMIR PUTIN is an obstacle to peace in Ukraine. That should be a priority for Trump.

LISTENING TO THE usual legacy media suspects, one might think 2025 was an apocalyptic wasteland of sorts an authoritarian fever dream brought on by the return of Donald J. Trump to the Oval Office. The reality looked very different. This past year was, in many ways, a pretty great and clarifying one. Let's take stock of what happened when our government remembered whom it serves, as well as what unfinished business remains as we flip the calendar.

First, the obvious: Political sanity was restored to the nation's capital. After years of leftist elitedriven chaos-wide-open borders, hyper-vindictive lawfare, fecklessness on the world stage and more -the nation has begun to revert back to first principles: national sovereignty, law and order, and strong leadership abroad. Under Trump, the United States has once again acted like a real nation-state that pursues its real interests not a nongovernmental organization with a nagging guilt complex.

That reorientation has paid huge dividends. On immigration, the Biden-era invasion at the southern border has tapered by more than 90%. On energy, a renewed embrace of domestic production has led to the lowest average national gas prices in nearly five years. Violent crime, thanks to Trump's law enforcement operations and innovative use of the National Guard, has dramatically fallen: Murders decreased by nearly 20% from 2024, and robbery and burglary also saw double-digit percentage decreases. Abroad, allies and adversaries alike recalibrated to the reality that the White House once again means what it says.

Still, work always remains. Here, then, is my 2026 wish list.

Peace in Eastern Europe