# Opinion: A Former Trump Skeptic Makes the Case for a Second-Term 'Believer'

New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz argues the border, spending cuts and a rebuilt military make the administration's record worth defending ahead of the midterms.

- Section: [Opinion](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/opinion/)
- Published: 2026-10-16
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/opinion-former-skeptic-second-term-believer/

This is a summary of an opinion column. The views below belong to its author, Karol Markowicz, not to RightNewsRightNow.

Markowicz opens with a confession. She says she spent years as a Trump skeptic, voting third party in 2016 and skipping the presidential race in 2020. Her 2024 vote for him was her first, and she still does not own a MAGA hat. Now, she writes, "Donald Trump's second term so far has been a wild success," and she is surprised that so few people seem motivated to say it.

Her case starts with the Biden years. She points to millions of people entering unchecked at the southern border, cities in decline and a Democratic presidential field that backed free health care for people in the country illegally. From there she lays out what she sees as the second-term scorecard:

On the border, she writes that the president "basically solved our border crisis overnight." On spending, she cites the Post's reporting that the administration eliminated nearly $1 billion in spending on DEI and programs for people in the country illegally, and says new evidence shows DOGE cut 12% of the federal workforce "without the country missing a beat." She credits a Trump executive order with reining in boys' participation in girls' sports, and says Washington, D.C., has been cleaned up, with a 28% drop in homicides. She also notes that Trump's EEOC has won a record $528 million for victims of what she calls DEI-driven employment discrimination.

On the world stage, she praises Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and says U.S. troops captured Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro. She writes that the Iran war is "largely won," arguing that Tehran's top military brass has been taken out.

She warns, too, about a return of what she calls "Woke 2" if Democrats win back power. Her closing line: with "a big picture this rosy, it's unwise in the extreme to punish a competent administration by electing wannabe communists."

Readers should weigh that against other reporting on this site, including a Fox News poll showing the president's approval at 36% and voters unhappy about prices. Opinion pieces argue a side. The numbers she cites are the author's and the Post's, and we have not independently verified each one.

## Source

Original reporting: [New York Post (opinion by Karol Markowicz)](https://nypost.com/2026/10/16/opinion/i-was-a-trump-skeptic-whos-now-a-second-term-believer)