Criticism of Trump is piling up. But what has he done right?

Donald Trump has been president for fewer than six months, and the number of critical columns, op-eds, TV and radio segments and other negative pieces on his administration has already reached the seven-figure range. It's way more than anyone can read.

But I want to swim against that tide to discuss how the Trump administration has performed competently. (I do feel a bit like MacArthur in"Doonesbury" when he was tasked to write a list of Duke's major achievements as Governor of American Samoa.) Namely, Trump has honored many of his campaign promises, and he has brought talented people into his administration.

On the campaign trail, Trump promised to crack down on undocumented immigration, replace the Affordable Care Act and pursue an "America First" approach to foreign policy.

Democrats and a large swath of Republicans roundly criticized these campaign planks. And, once elected, President Trump could have broken these promises and strategically reversed his positions (i.e., flip-flopped) to bring them more in line with the political mainstream. On the whole, however, he has not done so.

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The Trump administration has adopted a much more aggressive approach to immigration enforcement than the Obama administration. This includes an effort to reduce the number of sanctuary cities, a broadening of the de facto range of the individuals who are targeted for deportation and a more active effort to locate, arrest and deport undocumented immigrants.

These efforts have increased fear and anxiety among undocumented immigrants and their family members (many of whom are U.S. citizens) and tarnished the GOP brand in the eyes of many present and future Latino voters, but they also appear to have reduced illegal immigration from Latin America.

And he has made a concerted effort to replace Obamacare. Though it is not clear whether GOP congressional leaders will be able to find that policy sweet spot with a bill that goes far enough for Tea Party Republicans without going too far for centrist ones, President Trump has worked to keep his promise – even though the reform legislation might not obtain congressional passage.

President Trump on the whole has also advocated an "America First" approach to foreign and defense policy. Under Trump, the United States has pursued policies based on whether he believes they benefit the U.S., not whether they benefit the world. Examples include the termination of U.S. participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord and the clear message sent to NATO members like Germany that they need to increase defense spending and cannot shirk their responsibilities and assume the U.S. will continue to pick up the slack.

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Additionally, Trump's administration includes Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster. These are extremely capable people who have a wealth of experience and provide steady hands running the country's massive bureaucracy. They also serve as a partial check on any ill-advised actions or policies that might emanate from the White House.

Clearly, in his first six months, President Trump has made missteps and errors, and he has quite often behaved in a way many would consider unpresidential.

But in spite of this, he has retained the support of most of those who voted for him; his July favorability ratings are virtually identical to those on Election Day.

In fact, a large majority of Trump voters continue to believe he is doing something right, even if that is only providing a populist voice for a group that has considered itself marginalized by a political system dominated by elites whose personal realities, worldviews and policy goals are quite distinct from their own.

And providing that voice has taken on greater urgency for the president, as the negativity about his administration piles up and our political life becomes ever more fractured into right and left camps. Though President Trump has much more work to do to provide a voice for other marginalized groups, from his time on the hustings to his tenure so far in the Oval Office he has stayed true to his word in a way that is presidential in the eyes of his supporters.

Mark P. Jones is the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy's Political Science Fellow and the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies at Rice University.

Bookmark Gray Matters. It has quite often behaved in a way many would consider unpresidential.