By Phil Huber, ADVANCE COLUMNIST
Before voters accept another shipment of Trump promises, perhaps we should inspect the previous delivery. There is no shortage of impressive labels. The question is what is inside the boxes.
Donald Trump understands the power of a nameplate. Put his name on something and, presumably, it becomes taller, shinier and perhaps even solvent. So why limit the branding to buildings and structures? His unfinished promises deserve recognition, too.
With the midterm elections approaching, I propose a national attraction: “The Trump Department of Unfinished Business.” Its lobby would feature a giant scoreboard with three columns: “Announced,” “Guaranteed” and “Somebody Else’s Fault.”
This is not an argument that Trump accomplished nothing. It is an argument that announcing something, attempting it, and completing it are different activities. Voters should not need a forensic accountant to distinguish them.
Let the tour begin.
Our first stop is the “Mexico Will Pay for It Wall Visitors Center.” Guests can admire souvenir invoices addressed to Mexico and learn the subtle difference between “Mexico will pay” and “American taxpayers will pay.” Trump built and replaced border barriers. Mexico did not pick up the bill.
The gift shop accepts dollars, credit cards, and explanations.
Nearby stands the “End the Ukraine War in a 24 Hours Clock Tower.” It has no hands.
Trump repeatedly promised to settle Russia’s war in Ukraine within 24 hours. That deadline came and went; PolitiFact rated the pledge broken. Whatever diplomacy may eventually accomplish, a later achievement cannot turn a missed deadline into a met deadline.
The tower’s recorded announcement is reassuring: “Please remain patient. Your day is very important to us.”
Next comes the “No Tax on Social Security Escape Room.” Visitors enter beneath a large sign promising tax-free benefits. Inside, they receive a worksheet.
The actual legislation provides an additional deduction of up to $6,000 for eligible people age 65 and older, subject to income limits, for 2025 through 2028. That can provide meaningful relief. It is not the same as abolishing the tax on Social Security benefits.
Give the relief its due. Then give the sign a correction.
A deduction is not an exemption, just as a coupon is not a free shopping trip. The distinction becomes especially interesting when you reach the checkout counter.
For visitors awaiting the next promised windfall, we offer the “Campaign Check Waiting Room.” The chairs are uncomfortable, the ticket dispenser is broken, and the screen reads, “Your payment is very important to us.”
Trump’s latest midterm promises include $5,000 payments and other benefits tied to Republican victories. An October 23 PolitiFact report examined these campaign offers.
Before ordering a larger waiting room, taxpayers might ask who qualifies, who pays, what Congress must approve, and when the money would arrive.
Finally, visitors reach the centerpiece: “The Donald J. Trump Promise-to-Completion Scoreboard.”
Unlike the lobby display, this one would use categories that mean something: kept, partly fulfilled, in progress, stalled and broken. It would credit genuine accomplishments and distinguish a missed deadline from a project still reasonably underway.
It would also have one strict rule: No points for congratulating yourself.
In a September 29 examination of Trump’s campaign rhetoric, PolitiFact reported that he had kept 20 percent of the second term promises it tracked, while 41 percent remained in progress. That is a dated snapshot, not a final presidential grade. But it is plainly different from his claim to have delivered on “every single promise.”
Every single promise is a remarkable accomplishment, especially when so many are still waiting for one.
Why does this matter in a congressional election? Because Trump is tying new promises to continued Republican control of Congress. The record of the previous promises is therefore relevant to the next request for power.
Candidates seeking that power should explain what they will authorize, what they will fund and what they will question. A congressional seat should come with an obligation to inspect the work, not merely applaud the groundbreaking.
The standard should apply to Democrats, too. Promises deserve scrutiny regardless of whose name appears above the entrance. A fair scoreboard changes the names, not the rules.
The issue is accountability. Voters can support a policy, appreciate a tax deduction or favor stronger border enforcement without pretending that every slogan became reality.
Before voting for the next promise, inspect the last one.
America need not rename anything after Donald Trump. His greatest monument may already exist: An endless construction project called “two weeks,” surrounded by gold lettering, staffed by people insisting it is finished, and paid for by someone else.
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Phil Huber is a retired Army Reserve colonel, federal civil servant and consultant who writes on civic education. He lives in Fredericksburg.
