Opinion Pieces

In case you missed it, Congressman Ralph Norman penned an op-ed on the promises delivered by President Trump in just one year of his second presidency to benefit the people of South Carolina.

Read the article in the Washington Examiner here and below.

I still remember the morning of President Donald J. Trump’s second inauguration. It was bitterly cold, 23 degrees, and last-minute changes forced the ceremony indoors. But despite the chill and the uncertainty, there was something stronger in the air: hope. Hope that the country was about to turn a corner and get back on track.  

Now, one year into Trump’s second term, that hope has been proven right.  

Despite relentless fearmongering from Democrats in Washington and online, Americans quickly realized the world did not end when Trump took the oath of office again. In fact, the opposite happened.  

Our country got stronger.  

As the 119th Congress begins its work in 2026, it has become readily apparent that Trump is enacting pivotal change for the people. From curbing the waste and abuse that defined the Biden years, to restoring economic growth, easing pressure on working families, securing our border, and reining in a federal government that too often forgot who it was supposed to serve, this administration has delivered results — not excuses.  

My home state of South Carolina is proof. It has felt the impact firsthand.  

Thanks to our consistent efforts in Congress, we passed the Working Families Tax Cut. Now South Carolinians will save an average of $3,033 on their taxes this year, with wages projected to rise by as much as $6,000 over the next four years. Nearly 97,000 South Carolina jobs will be protected as families and small businesses keep more of what they earn. These reforms also safeguard more than 21,000 family farms from the death tax and provide meaningful tax relief to nearly 1 million South  Carolina seniors who spent a lifetime building our communities. As a businessman, I know firsthand that when the government steps back and lets people invest, hire, and grow, prosperity follows.  

Roughly 44,000 firms in South Carolina’s 5th District are benefitting directly from the extended key deductions in Section 199A from the Working Families Tax Cut. By maintaining this critical deduction, local employers are able to keep more and reinvest in higher wages and new jobs, rather than handing those dollars to Washington, helping competitiveness thrive.  

Yet prosperity and opportunity cannot take root without security, and on that front, South Carolinians are seeing decisive action as well.  

On public safety, this administration has reaffirmed that Republicans are the party of law and order. In 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in our state more than doubled compared to the year prior. Federal data show ICE has arrested over 3,000 people in South Carolina thus far, up sharply from fewer than 1,300 in 2024, with Charleston and Greenville counties among the most affected communities. When Washington needed help restoring order, South Carolina answered the call, sending members of our National Guard twice in 2025 to support public safety efforts.

That kind of turnaround doesn’t happen by accident. It happened because Trump kept his word. 

He has confronted radical ideologies in our schools and institutions, taken steps to protect children from irreversible medical procedures, prioritized military pay even during budget standoffs, and cracked down on the drug trafficking networks poisoning our communities.  

These aren’t slogans. These are results.  

No matter what partisan commentators may claim, Trump has governed as a president for the people. One year into his second term, people are safer, more confident, and better positioned for the future than they were just a year ago.  

As we mark this milestone, we should recognize it for what it is — a historic year of progress for families, taxpayers, law enforcement, and our freedoms. And the best part is, we’re just getting started. 

Congressman Ralph Norman is an American politician and real estate developer who has served as the U.S. representative for South Carolina’s 5th congressional district since 2017.