Politically, 2025 was a blur. The second term of President Donald Trump has been nothing short of breathtaking, both in the good and the bad. There were some impressive accomplishments, such as the Gaza ceasefire deal and the stabilization of the southern border. However, there were also many confusing blunders and controversies, ranging from imbalanced tariffs to the deployment of the National Guard to several cities.

Liberals tend to dislike the majority of Trump’s actions, while conservatives make excuses for his behavior. It is imperative that all Americans should be ready to give criticism and feedback to the President of the United States. Even though I am someone who is favorable towards some of Trump’s policies, I hope to fulfill that duty as well. As such, here is my “wishlist” for the Trump Administration as we begin this year. 

Russo-Ukraine War

I respect President Trump’s desire for peace in Ukraine. His approach, however, has ultimately been very confusing and even weak at times.

While Trump has stood up to Russian President Vladimir Putin on numerous occasions, it feels as if Trump spends more time arguing with Ukraine and other European allies. If anyone has been in tune with the Russo-Ukraine peace talks in the past year, you get the sensation of a constant flip-flopping in the Trump Administration’s view on the war. In one moment, Trump will be angrily chastising Putin, and in the next moment, he will be flirting with the idea of Ukraine giving up its territory to appease Russia. The Trump Administration has not presented much resolve or steadiness in its approach. This has made U.S. allies feel uncertain in their resolve to stand against Russia, while leading Russia to not respect anything that America says.

It seems as if Trump wants to achieve peace even if it means leading Ukraine to accept an unjust conclusion. He wants to make Russia a friend again despite all of Russia’s stubbornness and unwillingness to cooperate. But trying to make Russia a friend and an economic partner doesn’t seem to be in the best interest of the United States, as long as Russia continues to be friendly with nations such as China, North Korea, Iran, and other U.S. adversaries. Russia also offers the United States very little economically, so any partnership with Russia would benefit only Russia.

Like with what happened in Iran and Venezuela, Trump should assert the strong position of the United States and back Europe and Ukraine (which combined, all have stronger economies and military power than Russia) to make Russia face the consequences of its actions.

Abortion

Both major parties have sidelined abortion. In this new Trump-era of politics, it’s easy to see why. New events and incidents catch the public eye easily, leading to long-term cultural debates, like abortion, being left behind once election season is over. For example, the 2024 Republican policy platform, going against 40 years of precedent, lacked specific language concerning the rights of the unborn and instead wrote that states are free to pass laws protecting those rights (implying that states are also free not to). However, this isn’t a topic that we can afford to be vague on or forget about.

Trump, especially throughout his 2024 presidential campaign, pushed the idea that decisions concerning abortion should be left to the states, as if this were a choice to be made by individual communities based on their cultural values. But this is falling into the trap of moral relativism when the issue is about the life and death of unborn humans.

Conservatives need a revitalized effort to stop the wrongdoing that is abortion, and I believe that the Trump Administration should get the ball rolling again by bringing attention back to this cultural issue.

Concerning Extreme Rhetoric

In an era of political partisanship and extremism, extreme and populist rhetoric has become normalized. However, I believe that the Trump Administration should take more steps to lower the intensity of our current “dialogue.”

This isn’t just a vague wish for people to be nice. We all know the consequences of extremity. Last year was filled with much political violence. For instance, last June, Minnesota Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot in their home. Another example is last September, when conservative speaker and activist Charlie Kirk was shot in Utah during a rally of young college students.

We can all point fingers, but at the end of the day, everyone across the political spectrum is capable of being a victim of extremism or falling into the role of an extremist.

What needs to change? Our atmosphere that we’re all mired in. President Trump should do better and lead by example. He should stop using exaggerated labels against his political opponents or stop threatening people with wild remarks. As a victim of political violence himself, I hope that Trump considers that, as President of the United States, his change of behavior could save many from political vitriol and violence.

Slow Down

Perhaps in a world with so many problems, this one feels silly, but I would really like the Trump Administration to slow down. It feels that this current administration treats  this as their last chance to do everything, and therefore believes they must throw everything at the wall and hope something sticks.

Of course, it technically is Trump’s last chance to do everything he believes needs to be done; after all, it is his second and final term. But I hope that he would see that trying to do everything quickly doesn’t solve all the problems in the world. While it does solve a few of them, it leaves a lot of messes and results in a populace that can’t differentiate the good from the bad, the pretty from the ugly.

Americans agree they are sick of the constant news cycle in their faces, which bombards them with new problem but never any definite conclusions. We have plenty of new controversies and incidents, but never any moment to rest.

I hope that Trump may see that there is a virtue in the age-old fable of the Tortoise and the Hare. Slow and steady may not be flashy, but it does win races. With the midterms coming up, the Trump Administration and other conservatives should realize that slowing down and focusing could save them in the coming year.