The Trump Presidency So Far The 2016 Election

The Trump Presidency (So Far)

The 2016 Election • 2016 saw two unpopular candidates running for office • Hillary Clinton was highly experienced, but seen as corrupt. • Donald Trump portrayed himself as a political outsider, but questions of inexperience and immaturity plagued his campaign. • Trump appealed to a group of voters who had largely been ignored by mainstream politicians: poor white industrial workers. • Trump called for stricter immigration controls (including a wall between the US and Mexico), repealing Obamacare, lower taxes, higher tariffs, and less international involvement. He also criticized Clinton for being too friendly to large corporations. • Although Clinton won the popular vote, Trump won the Electoral College. • Many Americans were shocked angered when Trump was elected. His presidential win suggested that American politics was becoming increasingly divided and hostile.

Popular Vote Clinton: 65, 853, 514 Trump: 62, 984, 828

Accomplishments • When Trump took office, republicans were in control of both the House and the Senate. • Trump fulfilled a number of his campaign promises: • Cut taxes • Reduced government regulation of big business • Placed two conservative justices on the Supreme Court (Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh) • Repealed the Individual Mandate imposed by Obamacare • Withdrew the US from a number of international agreements, including the Paris Climate Accords, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the Iran Nuclear Deal • Renegotiated NAFTA • Raised tariffs on imports from China and Canada • Imposed a travel ban on citizens from Muslim-majority nations • Increased funding for border security

Failed Promises • Despite support from congressional republicans, trump has been unsuccessful in passing some of his major proposals: • Mexican Border Wall: In 2018 Congress approved $1. 6 Billion for improvements to existing barriers on the border, but has not approved funding the wall. Conflict over funding the wall led to a government shutdown from Dec. 22, 2018 -Jan. 25, 2019— the longest in history. • Revitalizing Coal and Steel Industries: Both industries have continued to decline significantly despite Trump’s economic policies. • Repealing Obamacare: Except for the Individual Mandate, Obamacare remains intact. In 2018 Democrats took control of the House of Representatives, making a full repeal of Obamacare unlikely.

Failed Promises (contd. ) • Preserving Gun Rights: Trump signed an executive order banning Bump Stocks, a move which angered the NRA and 2 nd Amendment advocates • Investment in Infrastructure: No additional funding has been allocated for Infrastructure projects, despite Trump promising $1 Trillion. • Reduce political corruption and lobbying: Trump suggested during his campaign that he would restrict political lobbying by former members of the Executive Branch, but such lobbying has increased during Trump’s time as president.

Foreign Policy • North Korea: Trump met with Kim Jong- Un in June 2018, and they signed a nuclear limitation agreement. A second meeting was held in February 2019, which ended abruptly when it became clear that North Korea was still pursuing a nuclear program. • Syria: In December 2018 Trump announced on Twitter that he was withdrawing America’s 2, 000 troops from Syria (against the advice of his military advisors). As of May 2019 over 1, 000 US troops remain in Syria. • Immigration: Trump imposed a travel ban on Citizens from Iran, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Venezuela, and North Korea. He has secured $1. 5 Billion in additional funding for border defense, and has enacted a zero-tolerance policy for those caught crossing the US-Mexico border. Controversially, this policy separates parents from their children at the border.

The Economy • The economy has been growing steadily with Trump as president, though the growth is consistent with economic growth during much of Obama’s presidency. • Deregulation: Trump has reduced pollution controls on industrial manufacturing, and largely removed Obama-era banking regulations that were passed in response to the 2008 housing crash. • Tariffs: Trump has imposed high tariffs on imports from Canada, Europe, and China. This has led to high retaliatory tariffs from these nations. Most economists believe this will harm the US economy by creating inflation. • Taxes: In 2018, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went into effect • Cut corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% • Doubled the standard deduction (to $12, 000) • Lowered tax rates for middle- and upperclass Americans until 2025 • Economists fear this tax cut will dramatically increase the national debt

Controversies • Many have accused Trump of benefiting financially from his role as president • He has passed laws that cut corporate taxes • Foreign officials have done business with Trump’s hotels and resorts as a means of gaining favor with Trump. This violates the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution. • Allegations of collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election have persisted since Trump took office • In May 2017 Trump fired FBI director James Comey, who was directing the investigation. Robert Mueller took over the investigation. • Robert Mueller’s report found that collusion did occur, but that there was insufficient evidence to link Trump himself to the collusion.

Controversies (contd. ) • Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen was found guilty of violating campaign finance law and committing both tax and bank fraud. Cohen claimed he was acting on Trump’s orders. • Political fact-checkers have stated the number of false statements Trump has made is “unprecedented in modern politics. ” • Trump had made 9, 014 “false or misleading” statements as of March 2019 • Trump’s use of Twitter has been called “unpresidential, ” and many have accused him of being intentionally offensive towards women and minorities.

Looking Ahead to 2020 • As an incumbent, Trump has an advantage in the election of 2020 • Trump’s approval rating has been extremely consistent, but also quite low, throughout his presidency (between 35 -45%) • The two most prominent Democrats running in 2020 are Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, both of whom are extremely popular. • Early polling suggests Trump would lose to either candidate, but a strong economy in 2020 could sway voters in favor of Trump.