A Christmas wish list for Donald Trump

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

I warned the Schlapp children that their Christmas lists were due no later than this Friday to give “Santa” enough time to organize his workshop schedule. In thinking of what my girls might ask for, I couldn’t help but wonder what President-elect Donald Trump’s list would look like. If he needs any help, I have some recommendations for him.

• A united GOP. The Republican-controlled Congress should be ready to work around the clock to push forward Mr. Trump’s economic agenda. So far, some GOP lawmakers are resisting some of Mr. Trump’s ideas, including tariffs and the timeline for repealing Obamacare. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, for one, is already raising questions about Mr. Trump’s tariff proposal.

Republicans in Congress should follow the example of the Democrats and present a united front with their new leader. President Obama and the Democrats worked closely together to pass Obamacare and have generally been more disciplined about not breaking ranks. Mr. Trump is focused on protecting American workers, encouraging investments, and ensuring that corporations help build the economy and not abandon ship. There will be disagreements and friction, but the goal should be to find common ground and swiftly pass legislation to undo the damage done by the outgoing administration.

• A peaceful transition. Despite the aggressive recount efforts by Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein, the left still feels depressed, frustrated and angry at November’s results. Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore suggested that he would “lead the charge” against the Electoral College and plans a “tweet-storm” to disrupt the inauguration next month. Protests are scheduled in D.C. around the inauguration, and there are still those who are in complete denial about the election results and argue that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote and should be president.

• A united America. Mr. Trump has said that he wants to unite all Americans, but there are still raw emotions, a divided electorate and a movement against him. Having Americans come together, focused on what unites us and not what divides us, would be a nice thing to find under the Trump Christmas tree.

• Jobs, jobs, jobs. Mr. Trump promised to bring back jobs to America and has been working to negotiate deals with both American-owned and international companies. He’s not afraid to argue with a union leader in Indiana or threaten to cancel an airplane order with Boeing. Mr. Trump announced this week that Japanese company SoftBank would invest $50 billion in the United States and create 50,000 jobs. U.S. Steel CEO Mario Longhi said that he would be “more than happy” to rehire laid-off employees and hopes to “accelerate investments” now that Mr. Trump has won the presidency. The stock market is rallying, and many corporations feel cautiously optimistic about Mr. Trump’s ability to create a business-friendly environment and a prosperous economy.

• Just one day of fair reporting from the mainstream media. The mainstream media spent most of the election relentlessly attacking Mr. Trump. Even The New York Times public editor agreed that the newspaper should have done a better job. The mainstream media were convinced of a Clinton win and were shocked when Mr. Trump blasted through the “blue wall” of Democratic-leaning states to capture an Electoral College majority. It would be a nice Yuletide gesture if Mrs. Clinton’s aides and her media enablers would drop the tired talk that Mr. Trump’s supporters are racists and sexists or that the Trump campaign provided a platform for white supremacists.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” — so goes the holiday song. Mr. Trump is spending every waking hour this Christmas season organizing his Cabinet, negotiating deals and preparing to become president of the United States. As long as Mr. Trump doesn’t fire Santa Claus, a majority of Americans will feel the Christmas spirit with a sense of hope and optimism this holiday season. And the president-elect will have earned his presents.

• Mercedes Schlapp is a Fox News contributor, co-founder of Cove Strategies and former White House director of specialty media under President George W. Bush.