During the Oct. 28, 1980, presidential debate, Ronald Reagan closed by asking Americans if they were better off than they were four years earlier when Jimmy Carter was elected. If we asked that question today and changed the time element to a year, it would be obvious: Yes, we are better off.

A little more than a year ago, Joe Biden suspended his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be his successor in the race against Donald Trump. Not that Harris would have been an improvement over Biden, but at least the country was rid of an addled career bumbler whose policies were a dead weight on the country.

Please consider the peaks we have reached in August 2025:

The border. Biden wanted to change America by waving in unvetted and unassimilable migrants. Trump shut off the pipeline before the U.S. fell in the way Great Britain and other European countries have.

Energy. The Biden plan was to choke energy production. Trump has unleashed it. This has been made plain by the price of gasoline, which is more affordable than it was a year ago – $3.19 a gallon for regular in August 2025 compared to $3.35 in August 2024.

Green radicalism. For this, we quote straight from reader Edward Ring’s comment on last week’s The Backlash Presidency editorial: “You might have included the entire radical green agenda as a separate category and not just an aside in your conclusion. It was furthered with zeal under the three Obama presidencies. It caused great harm to ordinary Americans while empowering the same set of special interests pushing the rest of Obama’s agenda.” Trump is putting an end to this.

Median household income. During the first five months of Trump’s second term, the average median household income adjusted for inflation grew by $1,174, says Steve Moore of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. When comparing Trump’s first term with Biden’s only term, the real after-inflation gain was $6,434 for Trump, $551 for Biden.

Crime. America’s big cities are run by Democrats who don’t care about street crime. Maybe they can’t process the threat because they’re criminals themselves: corrupt, irresponsible, power mad. Like most Americans, Trump is tired of the lawlessness and is doing something about it. It might be heavy-handed, it might not withstand legal challenges, but he at least is forcing Democrats to address the problems in their cities, or to defend the disorder, which should motivate voters to throw the bums out.

Peace. Trump has brokered deals in conflicts that Biden likely cared nothing about – and might not have even been aware of, given the shell that he was – and is working toward an agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

In contrast to the constant media howling and Democrats’ incessant reprovals, voters know they’re better off. The country is more united than it has been in years, investor confidence is at a four-year high, and 40% of Americans believe the country is on the right track – only 27% felt the same a year ago.

Allow us to stipulate: Donald Trump is neither a perfect man nor a flawless president. He should be criticized when he makes missteps and recognized for his achievements. But his presidency is a vast improvement over the mess that entangled us a year ago, and far better than the debacle we would have had to live through had Harris won in November. Were are a healthier, more vigorous, more optimistic nation than we were in August 2024.

— Written by the I&I Editorial Board