In my opinion, Donald J. Trump’s administration is the best in my lifetime, and I’ve been around since Eisenhower. With that acknowledgement and with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, it is now time to focus on the ever-important midterms. If President Trump’s party -- and it is now his populist party, not the “it’s okay to lose the issues as long as I’m reelected party” -- can expand the majority in Congress, the final two years of this term can approach, perhaps exceed, the unparalleled achievements so far.

With this in mind I’m going to offer some tough love advice. Although, this administration is comprised of extremely talented people, the charisma and strength of the President, and frankly his ego, may impede the cabinet secretaries and the inner staff to speak ‘truth to power.”

So, here comes some respectful criticism. The President should stop calling Jerome Powell stupid. This adjective doesn’t bother me, but almost all women in suburbia (and teachers) absolutely hate this word, and we definitely need their vote in 2026. Too-Late-Powell is cleverer and more appropriate.

Discourage Fox and other news outlets from asking softball questions, which include conservative talking points that the President can hit out of the park. This should work both ways; while we should frown upon the negative press asking potential “gotcha” questions, we also should encourage the damn media to be respectful but neutral -- not supplicating, not hostile.

Another point, the cabinet and staff should stop genuflecting in Trump’s presence, prefacing all their responses with “Because of President Trump’s leadership…” This is similar to how everyone treated the ‘Dear Leader’ of North Korea. Sure, the team should always support the President and his policies, but let’s not go overboard.

Along this line, during the open forum cabinet meetings, the cabinet heads should be allowed to shine and answer the questions; the President should keep his comments to a minimum. Trust me, by now the whole world knows that President Trump is the person in charge of the U.S. Federal government -- 'The Boss.’ Metaphorically, prime George Foreman didn’t have to tell everyone (i.e. Joe Frazier) that he had knockout power. They knew.

Enough of the price of eggs story, enough of this war never would’ve happened, enough of Joe Biden let 21 million illegally cross our border, many of them murderers, rapists, thieves, and some even from mental institutions. Of course, you are right, but we grasped this concept the first or second time; no need to mention these same topics every single news gaggle.

Furthermore, I suspect that many Americans are starting to feel sorry for Biden; he doesn’t have the faculties anymore to defend himself. Perhaps now is the time for the President to refer to him the same way he addresses Jimmy Carter. But please continue blaming the prior administration and the Democrats for our wide-open borders, the crimes and drug overdoses they have caused, and the declining performance of our public schools. These issues resonate with suburbia.

By the way, I love it when the President and the administration respectfully describe foreign heads of state like President Xi. After all, Xi is the Chinese leader, and we don’t need an unnecessarily adverse relationship with this great country’s culture and people. We should not let the military-industrial complex influence the Administration to describe China as our adversary; they are our competitors instead. And suburban women are not the only ones who would dread a war with China.

Bottom Line: Don’t get me wrong. Almost all this administration’s policies are what America needs. It won me over a long time ago. Now it’s time to focus in on, appeal to, and woo suburban women voters with a somewhat more tempered approach. The next election, the continued resurgence of America, and a safer and stabler world depend on it.

Jim Bates is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel who has had his thoughts published in the Army Logistician, the Air Force Journal of Logistics, the Defense Logistics Agencies’ Fuel Line, the U.S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings, the Army Quartermaster Bulletin, Marathon and Beyond, and the Washington Running Report

Image: White House