New York Times columnist and frequent Trump critic Bret Stephens acknowledged in a Tuesday column that the Trump administration has been more successful than he initially expected, noting that Trump’s presidency has gained momentum since its first 100 days with a recent string of accomplishments.
“Egads! After a disastrous first 100 days, Donald Trump is starting to have a much more successful presidency. This is not what we, his foam-at-the-mouth critics, had planned or perhaps secretly hoped for,” he wrote.
Self-described “Never Trump” conservative Bret Stephens credited Trump with several achievements, noting some stem from firm policy and others from luck. He highlighted Trump’s success in pressuring NATO countries to boost defense spending as a key policy win, writing: “Far from destroying the Atlantic alliance, as his critics feared, Trump may wind up being remembered for reviving and rebalancing it, to the advantage of both sides.”
Stephens also praised Trump for “courageous policy,” such as the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities last month, adding: “Joining Israel in its strikes on Iran, which Trump carried out in the teeth of political resistance from parts of his own base, did not lead us into a calamitous Middle East war, though Tehran may yet seek retaliation. Instead, it helped bring the war between Israel and Iran to a swift end.”
He also praised Trump’s revised approach to the Russia-Ukraine war, calling faster arms deliveries essential to ending the conflict after Trump’s earlier pressure campaign backfired. He also supported Trump’s immigration policy as sound but overly aggressive in enforcement. Stephens expressed relief that recent trade deals with the EU and Japan turned out better than expected. While criticizing aspects of Trump’s $3.3 trillion spending package passed in July, he acknowledged it was a necessary political win. And finally, Stephens applauded Trump’s legal shakedown of Columbia University for antisemitism on its campus.
Stephens, who last year distanced himself from the “Never Trump” label for being too rigid, said Trump’s recent successes offer an important lesson to his critics: “If Trump’s opponents want to someday be effective — and let’s face it, we haven’t been — then we have to come to grips with realities that have so far eluded us. Such as: Not everything Trump does is bad.”
Bret Stephens is right, as much as I hate to admit it: Not everything Trump does is bad. https://t.co/keYzOt2fLL
— Michael Petrilli (@MichaelPetrilli) July 30, 2025
