That was quick. The midterm elections are just 11 months away. In effect, they will serve as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s second term, and their outcome will determine whether there is continued progress or congressional gridlock.

The following is my unsolicited advice to our president on how to maximize potential for success. That’s not to suggest that the president would accept or even welcome my input — I suspect that if he ever got wind of this column, he’d say, “Who the hell is he? And who asked him?”

Well, Mr. President, nobody asked. But I do happen to be a charter member of the faction of the U.S. electorate that put you over the top in 2024 — the moderates, both independents and GOP, who were uneasy with your bull-in-the-china-shop approach but who sensed our nation’s desperate need for high-energy, sharply focused leadership and thus decided to trust you with the keys.

We’re glad we did, and in many respects, you’ve far exceeded our expectations. At the same time, the endless hammering by Leftmedia and your political opponents is taking its toll. Moreover, there’s a distinct whiff of panic in the air — a combo of historical reality (midterms usually favor the party not in power), the Democrats’ strong performance in last month’s special elections, and the already razor-thin margin in the House of Representatives.

So maybe, along with the pricey advice from the experts, this instinctive input is worth considering. The strategy I suggest is simple enough: just stay the course where things are working, and act NOW to alter course where needed — recognizing that if you don’t take corrective action soon, your priceless opportunity will be lost for good. More specifically:

1.) Keep driving, pedal to the metal.

Ignore (as you usually do) the endless handwringing by critics about your “authoritarian” tendencies. Your bias for action, your refusal to sit back and hope that problems will solve themselves, is the single characteristic that sets you apart from your predecessor, as well as from other politicians and mere mortals. Your energy is electrifying — keep showing it day after day.

2.) Recalibrate and clarify your policy on the deportation of Illegal Immigrants.

In my view, your administration’s biggest political liability is voter uneasiness with your handling of illegal immigrants. That may seem grossly unfair, given your spectacular success in closing the border, but that’s old news. Today’s problem is how to deal with the millions of illegal migrants already in residence in our country.

Your current policy is to deport all illegal aliens, starting with the most dangerous, in compliance with governing law, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA). In the abstract, that policy is widely accepted — but in practice, it is proving extraordinarily challenging and increasingly unpopular.

The reality of today is that many Americans — both your detractors and some of your supporters — are becoming seriously uncomfortable with what appears to be unduly harsh treatment of illegal immigrants targeted for deportation.

The numbers are daunting: no one knows how many illegal aliens reside in the USA, but the combination of the Biden-era open border (12-20 million) and previous illegal entries suggests that 25 million or more are here. The legal and political challenges of deportation are even more daunting, as anecdotes of alleged mistreatment, whether accurate or exaggerated, mount daily.

A further complication is that current deportation actions effectively combine (and therefore confuse) the objectives of removing dangerous illegal immigrants (the “worst first”) while also deporting as many illegals as possible, dangerous or not, as fast as possible. At the present rate of non-voluntary deportation, by the end of your term in office, your administration will have deported perhaps 10% to 20% of the total — and along the way will have disrupted the lives of many who have been peaceful, contributing U.S. residents. That’s not a success, by any standard.

Nor is it our only alternative. I would argue that the single most important lesson we have learned regarding the threat posed to our citizens from violent illegal immigrants (gangs and individuals) is that we don’t know who is here, where they are, and who among them poses real danger.

On that basis, consider the merits of a shift in policy that places primary emphasis on that dimension. It could take the form of an immediate illegal immigrant registration process, starting with a short-term (say four months) opportunity for illegals to self-identify and register with INS, providing information on location, family, employment, etc.

Those who register would be permitted to continue to reside in the U.S., subject to a crime-free, tax-paying status. Any found to have criminal backgrounds, and any other immigrants who do not register in the prescribed period, would be subject to immediate arrest and deportation per the INA.

I believe that a policy along those lines could be enacted immediately by executive order, followed up later by congressional action, and would be widely recognized as a sensible and fair alternative to our current sure-to-fail policy.

A change along these lines would be a very big deal, a juicy opportunity for the administration’s opponents to make hay. No matter — the American public knows our immigration problem is an inherited mess, and they’ll respect your willingness to change course when needed to solve that problem.

3.) Pick fewer and better targets

Mr. President, please ignore Joe Biden. He’s gone. Even people who liked and supported Biden know that he was a disaster as president — which is why you were hired. Your job is to fix it and lead us into that brighter future you promised.

Similarly, forget retribution. Drop it. Period. I agree wholeheartedly that there is no Democrat hypocrisy more irritating than their somber warnings that we should never weaponize our justice system. Ya think?

The 91 criminal charges, the carefully selected ultra-left judges, the nine indictments, the half-billion in fines, the 34 truly fabricated felony convictions — forget them all for now. Keep that ugly history far away from your day job as our president. The worst thing you can do would be to replicate (and thus normalize) the mistreatment you received at the hands of the last administration.

Some day, perhaps in the next administration, there needs to be a thorough, apolitical assessment of Biden-era lawfare; you should be a witness, not a sponsor or active participant.

4.) On everything else, stay the course — the commonsense course.

Focus every fiber of your attention on the serious threats facing Americans, including drugs and violent crime at the top of the list. Similarly, stick with — visibly and forcefully — your well-established 80/20 commonsense positions: no men in women’s sports; no U-Turn back to green new deals; no more revolving door cashless bail; etc.

Also, don’t overreact to media pundits and polls that say the number one midterm issue will be “affordability.” Of course, kitchen-table issues are always top of voters’ minds — but I believe it is already clear to most voters that the U.S. economy is on sound footing and that Biden-era inflation is largely gone. Most economists predict that by mid-2026, ours will be doing quite well. If so, it’s unlikely that the average American voter will be keen on hiring a Democrat Congress to go back to the failed economic policies and problems still fresh in our memory.

---

In summary, the above four recommendations won’t guarantee more than one midterm election vote (mine). They won’t secure America’s future or even ensure the productive continuation of President Trump’s second term. But I think they will resonate with the electorate.

We can trust the voters. They get it. Given the choice, they will continue to support an administration that is making a difference in their lives rather than risk a return to the aimless drift of the last one.