ALLEGANY — Saturday was a day for many who oppose President Donald Trump to take to the streets and protest his policies and administration.

On Monday evening, an area group of avowed supporters of the president and conservatism gathered in a meeting for the 60th straight month — this time to hear panelists reflect on the first months of Trump’s second presidency.

First and foremost, the four panelists during the Right Thinkers meeting at The Hall — Andrew Burr, chairman of the Cattaraugus County Legislature; former state Assemblyman Joseph Giglio; Ginger Schroder, an attorney and county legislator; and Nicholas L. Waddy, an Alfred State College history professor and conservative commentator, agreed that Trump almost immediately delivered on his promise to secure the United States’ border.

Burr said he already believes Trump’s virtual halt of illegal border crossings due to his administration’s aggressive enforcement tactics will be his greatest achievement.

“We’re seeing a 50-year low in illegal border crossings,” he said. “Illegal crossings are lower than in (the early 1980s) when we were under (President) Ronald Reagan — what an accomplishment in its own right.

“It just goes to show you what a little bit of change in rhetoric and attitude can do to deter illegal immigration,” Burr added.

Waddy said Trump swiftly proved a president is capable of controlling the border without new legislation, just as former President Joe Biden, “in his first few months in office, proved that the president is capable of rapidly undoing any progress that we’ve made at the border.”

Asked by moderator Nate Smith if Democrats would seek to reverse Trump’s efforts on illegal immigration, Waddy said that is likely, primarily because the party still sees immigration as a way to tilt demographics in its favor — despite evidence in the last election that more Hispanics than ever voted for a Republican presidential candidate.

“If a Democrat can again be elected president then the border can be undone, it’s just that simple,” Waddy said. “As long as the Democratic Party remains a viable political organization in this country our national sovereignty and our border cannot be considered completely secure.”

Schroder said, “It seems like every Democrat I talk to is totally in favor of massive amounts of illegal immigrants pouring into our country and giving them everything they could possibly ever wish for, to the detriment of our people who live here and in some cases are suffering and could use the help themselves.”

As a lawyer, she has watched the opposition to the Trump administration’s enforcement of immigration law — from protests and hindering of federal officials on the part of municipal and state leaders to hundreds of lawsuits across the country. In particular, she noted that in liberal states like New York, residents’ tax dollars are being used to sue the federal government. She noted the state’s Democratic attorney general, Letitia James, is a leader among numerous state AGs in suing Trump over immigration and other policies they oppose.

Giglio, a Gowanda Republican, concurred with Schroder that Democratic attorneys general in numerous blue states are waging a campaign of lawsuits to hinder Trump at every turn. He believes that in New York, the end game is that Democrats want to ensure that illegal immigrants can vote in an effort to cement their political power for generations.

“These are not your father’s Democrats, these are not the Democrats we were brought up with,” he said. “The fact of the matter is, they’re socialists, and that’s where they’re moving. … That is what you’re up against, especially in this state.”

TRUMP’S TRADE POLICIES

Discussing Trump’s tariff policies, as he attempts to negotiate new trade agreements, Waddy and Burr said they understand the president’s reasoning and they believe the U.S. should have better trade terms with many nations.

But Burr, a Gowanda-area businessman himself, frankly stated that Trump’s tariff process “has been a disaster,” citing little or no notice when new tariffs have been put in place, disrupting supply chains and margins for businesses.

Waddy said wild fluctuations in the stock market caused by Trump’s veering tariff announcements have been “unnecessary” and he disagrees with the president antagonizing Canada to the degree that he has. However, Waddy allowed that Trump’s trade approach has captured other nations’ attention and forced them to reckon with his demands.

Schroder agreed that Trump’s trade-reset process has been flawed but, despite economists’ dire warnings, the economy has not collapsed.

“My sense is I think we just need to give it a chance,” she said.

Giglio made it clear he has no issue with Trump’s trade policies as he moves to bring countries that have long taken advantage of the U.S. in uneven deals to the negotiating table. “It’s about time!” the former lawmaker stated.

For his part, as a businessman who owns hardware stores in the area, Smith also expressed the hope that clarity and stability on the trade front will prevail sooner than later.

“It can be hard to explain to the customers the reason for price increases,” he said.

DOGE

On the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Schroder called it “shocking” to learn what the U.S. has been spending taxpayers’ money on — particularly overseas — while many American veterans are homeless and single mothers are trying to get by on SNAP benefits. She expressed hope that the DOGE process ushers in a new era of accountability in the federal government, “because I don’t think they have uncovered everything.”

Giglio said New York under Gov. George Pataki — the last GOP governor in the state — showed in 1990 that a “DOGE” effort could work as state agencies were deeply cut.

“New York survived,” he said. “It can be done. The one thing to remember is once government spending is in place it’s almost impossible to get rid of it. … You have to be brave.”

Burr pointed out that when former President Barack Obama left office after 2016 he left Trump, then beginning his first term, a $580 billion budget deficit. When Biden left office this past January, Trump and the nation faced a $2 trillion budget deficit, but the current president has been vilified for attempting to rein in government spending.

Waddy said “there’s good news and bad news” as the result of DOGE. He noted that the federal government workforce has been reduced by about 10%, which he called an achievement, but he also said Congress must participate in the process legislatively to cut spending.

“The problem with DOGE is that it focused on low-hanging fruit and it has not significantly altered the size and shape of the government,” he said. “There’s much, much more work to do.”

Next month, Right Thinkers will celebrate its fifth-year anniversary July 28 with a shortened panel discussion and a party for attendees. Organizers said they will announce more details soon.