Donald Trump’s first year
The 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, has been in office for nearly a year. His time in office has been faced with much adversity from both sides of the aisle, in a time when political tensions in America appear to be at an all time high, at least in recent memory. President Trump entered office following a brutal and divisive 2016 election, which ended with his winning the White House and Republicans continuing to have majorities in both houses of Congress.
Though tensions have been high in American politics, it is important to take a step back from the sensationalism of the daily news cycle and quick posts on social media and, instead, evaluate this President and his Administration based on substantive policy achievements that have occurred in the last 10 months.
I will admit that find some of President Trump’s tweets and comments to be less than ideal, and I wish that sometimes he would stick to his message of conservative principles. However, instead of focusing on these areas of his presidency, which I believe get way too much attention, I will focus on what he has actually achieved in terms of reform and policy.
I will note that I write my evaluation as an active member of the Republican Party, holding numerous leadership positions—most notably for the purposes of this article, I am the current President of the Maryville College Republicans Club. I realize that there are many who agree with my ideology and many who do not. I would simply ask those who choose to read this article to hear me out, and I will be glad to hear your perspective also.
One of the biggest successes of the Trump Administration is the booming economy. The stock market has been at record highs, unemployment is at the lowest it has been since 2001, and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is growing at a very healthy rate.
These are indicators that the economy is in good shape and continuing to head in the right direction. Many of these good economic indicators have continued to improve since President Trump took office, with investor and consumer confidence being boosted by his promise of sound economic policies. These policies are currently being carried out through the implementation of a more simple, common sense tax code and much needed reductions to our national deficit.
President Trump has also continued to protect American jobs through the prevention of trade deals such as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the renegotiation of old deals such as the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). These agreements have taken advantage of American workers for too long, in many cases causing the outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries and the economic devastation of major manufacturing areas.
On the forefront of foreign policy, President Trump altogether has adopted a new policy of “America First.” This policy defends the interests of our country first and above all else when making international decisions and encourages each nation to stand up for its own sovereignty and seek to best meet the needs of its own people. President Trump has offered to respect other countries, taking a far less interventionist role in the world, as long as those countries respect the United States.
President Trump’s administration has also sought to restore a more balanced government that respects the separation of powers prescribed in the U.S. Constitution. The Trump Administration has begun to downsize the amount of rules and regulations created by the federal bureaucracy and rescind executive “directives.” The administration has also terminated overbearing presidential executive orders, which have been used to legislate matters that should be left to Congress to address through the enactment of statutory laws. The Trump administration is calling on Congress to do its job and act, rather than to relying on unelected bureaucrats.
One of President Trump’s largest accomplishments by far, is the successful confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. Justice Gorsuch is a jurist that respects the rule of law, and has a strict constructionist view of the U.S. Constitution. His tenure on the Court, will have the longest and widest impact, more than any other action that the President could make. It is also worth noting that President Trump has had more Federal Judicial posts filled in his first few months in office than any of his last three predecessors.
President Trump’s time in office has thus far proved successful for the economy, the rule of law and the protection of the interests of thousands of American workers. Though many of his policies have been delayed in Congress, they are moving forward. It will be very exciting to see what lies ahead for the Trump administration in the days ahead and what other successes can be achieved for everyday Americans.