The Red Jackal

Grading of the current Republican Leaders

With June signaling the beginning of Summer and more importantly the end of school…” it’s time to grade the people running the country. And unlike Harvard, “we will not inflate the grades.” This isn’t a safe‑space seminar. This is performance, consequence, and accountability — the three things Washington fears most.

Some earned their stripes. Others coasted. A few should be escorted out of the building with their belongings in a cardboard box.

Marco Rubio — A+

Secretary of State

Rubio is the rare official who looks like he’s actually read the job description. A statesman in the classical sense — disciplined, prepared, and unafraid to take on the diplomatic grunt work — he has streamlined agencies, built coalitions, and stabilized relationships that were fraying long before he arrived. The fact that he “occasionally DJ’s at weddings” only proves he’s the most well‑rounded adult in the room.

Tom Homan — A+

Homan is the border czar the political class prayed would never exist: competent, relentless, and immune to guilt‑tripping. He shut the border, executed a tiered deportation strategy, and purged internal saboteurs. He didn’t “manage” the crisis — he ended it.

Washington hates him for one reason: he proved the border was never a mystery, only a choice.

Karoline Leavitt — A

Imagine being the press secretary for a president who changes direction like a weather vane in a hurricane. Yet Leavitt shows up every day with facts, composure, and a willingness to counterpunch. Compared to Psaki’s spin and Jean‑Pierre’s vacancy, she looks like a Navy SEAL dropped into a pillow‑fight tournament.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — B+

Secretary of Health and Human Services

Kennedy inherited a demoralized agency and revived it. He introduced new food‑manufacturing rules, grounded decisions in science rather than ideology, and weathered the aspirin‑autism controversy without folding. He’s not perfect — but he’s serious, and that alone is an upgrade.

Pete Hegseth — B

Hegseth fixed recruiting, modernized the Pentagon, and cut down the absurd inflation of five‑star generals. But his Iran strategy is a half‑built bridge: strong opening, no visible destination. You don’t get an A for winning the first inning and wandering off before the seventh.

Mike Johnson — B

Speaker of the House

Herding Republican House members is like herding caffeinated cats. Yet Johnson pushed through election reforms and passed legislation with a razor‑thin majority. He’s not flashy, but he’s functional — and in Congress, that’s practically heroism.

JD Vance — B‑

Overshadowed by Rubio, Vance still carved out a lane: fraud reduction, waste elimination, and government efficiency. He articulates what his boss cannot. A late‑semester surge saved him from a C.

He’s the quiet kid in class who turns in the best final project.

Donald Trump — C

President of the United States

Trump remains the paradox he has always been: bursts of brilliance followed by baffling drift.

The good: – Pushed for permanent tax cuts – Cleaned up immigration – Attempted to clean up government and elections – Closed the Department of Education, a “black hole of funding” producing no results

The bad: He still governs like a sprinter in a marathon — explosive start, no long‑term plan.

On Ukraine, he backed the wrong horse, pressuring Zelensky instead of Putin. On Iran, he executed a strong decapitation strike but had no follow‑through. His “endless deadlines for peace deals” taught adversaries that once they absorb America’s first punch, there’s no second one coming. And his personnel choices — Bondi, Kushner, Witkoff — prove he still confuses loyalty with competence.

Pam Bondi — D‑

Former Attorney General

Bondi wasn’t ready for the job, and it showed. Her mishandling of the Epstein files and clashes with Kash Patel revealed someone out of her depth. She wasn’t an appointment — she was a favor.

John Thune — F‑

Thune is the Senate’s answer to a screensaver: motion without purpose. He protected his seat, not the agenda. Election reform? Nothing. Waste reduction? Nothing. Leadership? Absent. Republicans passed on Rick Scott and got a man who governs like he’s waiting for someone else to make the first move.

Republican Party — C

Some wins, many missed opportunities. Election reform stalled. Waste reduction fizzled. The Senate underperformed. The House may slip. The Senate may hold. But overall, the party squandered the advantage of unified government. Mediocrity is the most generous word for it.

FINAL VERDICT: THE COUNTRY DESERVED MORE

This administration contains genuine talent — Rubio, Homan, Leavitt, Kennedy — but the top of the pyramid remains unstable. The nation isn’t collapsing, but it isn’t rising either. And when you control all branches of government, “mediocre” is just another word for “unacceptable.”