This week’s White House Report Card finds President Trump in good shape after a strong week for the economy and his actions against Iran.

Jed Babbin, our conservative grader, gave Trump an A- and cited the president’s efforts to turn Iran’s economy “to ashes” while the U.S. booms at an unexpected 3.2%.

Jed Babbin
Grade: A-

President Trump had a very strong week with actions against Iran’s oil exports and the decades-old Cuban seizure of U.S. property in the Castro revolution. The Democrat/media axis is still flailing around the idea of impeachment and to no one’s surprise, former Vice President Joe Biden became the umpteenth Democrat to join the 2020 competition.

The president aims to reduce Iran’s economy to ashes and has made a good start with economic sanctions. When the biggest sanctions against Iran’s oil exports were imposed last year, several European countries, China, Japan and Turkey were given waivers until May 2. The White House said that no further waivers will be issued, putting those nations and Iran on the spot. Most won’t risk the severe U.S. sanctions that can be imposed if they continue to trade with Iran, but China — one of Iran’s major oil customers — won’t stop buying Iranian oil.

For decades, successive presidents have waived the Helms-Burton law’s provisions enabling U.S. citizens and corporations to sue entities profiting from Cuba’s seizure of U.S.-owned assets. No more. Trump’s action enabling those lawsuits has angered many European countries whose companies use what had been U.S. property in Cuba to make or distribute their products. The European Union and Canada have vowed to fight Trump’s action but he isn’t likely to back down.

The North Koreans reportedly presented Trump with a bill for $2 million representing the cost of health care provided to the late Otto Warmbier, a U.S. student lured into N.K., tortured severely and then returned to the U.S. shortly before his death. The president reportedly agreed to pay it in order to get Warmbier returned, but the president denied Friday that the money was paid.

Trump has vowed to fight all of the subpoenas the House Democrats are sending to the White House. That will be tough to do because Congress has the duty to conduct oversight and investigations of the executive branch. He also said that if he were impeached by the House, he’d take it to the Supreme Court. But impeachment is a political matter, not a legal one. Under the Constitution, the Supreme Court has no role in impeachments other than the chief justice presiding over Senate trials of impeachment bills passed by the House. Trump doesn’t get it.

The economy is still booming with 3.2% GDP growth in the first quarter of 2019. The first quarter is usually the weakest of the year for growth.

ICE agents are reportedly releasing thousands of illegal aliens a day into the general population of the US. The city of Yuma, Arizona is overwhelmed and is begging for federal help. It won’t come as long as Democrats refuse action to stop the flow of illegals. Trump seems content to let the crisis metastasize while his wall is built with agonizing slowness.

Jed Babbin is an Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin