Trump Accomplishments and Failures

Some Trump supporters state that the economy, tax cuts, conservative judge appointments and his pro-life stance prove a successful Trump presidency while others provide an exhaustive list that includes things like the greatest job creation for minorities ever and moving the Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Non-Trump supporters see chaos and ineptitude, loss of standing in the world and the gutting of governmental agencies, destruction of democratic norms and the rule of law, a complete scary disaster headed by a reality TV star.

The following account of accomplishments and failures are based on Trump’s Biggest Accomplishments and Failures from his One-Term Presidency by John Haltiwanger in Business Insider 11-9-2020. In my opinion, some of the so called accomplishments are not really good for most people. Let’s take a look.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

*Reshaping the federal judiciary – this appointment of hundreds of conservative judges and three Supreme Court justices may not seem like an accomplishment to citizens who believe in the constitutional right to freedom of and from religion, woman’s rights and their right to choose and civil rights for all including minorities and the LGBTQ+ community. This may be a win for straight, white, Christian males, but a loss for many others.

*Space Force – this, at first, seemed a little ridiculous, kind of like Trump steaks, Trump water, Trump university, kind of like a ruse to benefit Trump at the expense of others. But, it is real and was created to protect our military assets in space, like satellites. This is an accomplishment, so take comfort in your safety as you toil 60-80 hours a week to make ends meet while a $400 emergency could leave you and your family homeless.

*Tax Reform – this did nothing for 99% of Americans. It only further enriched the rich. It did not result in research and development, infrastructure repair or the creation of comfortable living wage jobs.

*First Step Act – this made modest changes to criminal justice reform, nothing to write home about.

*Defeating the ISIS Caliphate – disbanded but not eliminated.

FAILURES

*Charlottesville and the George Floyd Protests – demonized anti-racism demonstrators while condoning white supremacy and police brutality, and promoting division. Just disgraceful.

*Family separation at the border – a despicable travesty that tore families apart including nursing infants. Horrid conditions, abuse and the death of children were reported while the information necessary for reuniting families was not recorded, lost or hidden. Unforgivable!

*Iran, Syria and Afghanistan – not sure of the specifics, just that they ended up in the failure column.

*Repealing and Replacing the Affordable Care Act – it didn’t happen although it was weakened. However, it’s need to remain in place and expand became overwhelmingly apparent as people lost their employer provided healthcare when they lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

*Impeachment – an accomplishment for Congress, but a failure for the Senate when it voted against removal. The evidence for removal was overwhelming. Trump will go down in history as the most corrupt American president ever.

*Mishandling of the Pandemic Response – misinformation, inconsistent messaging and the failure to coordinate nationally resulted in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths and suffering. At the time of this writing, daily deaths are around 2800 and over 200,000 news cases are being reported each day. ICU beds are filled and healthcare staff are overwhelmed and in short supply across the country. It is critical and getting worse as many ignored CDC health advisories not to travel and gather for Thanksgiving as a result a significant spike in deaths is predicted for the Christmas holiday. In the meantime, our neighbors in Canada are experiencing a fraction of cases and deaths as us proving that effective leadership matters.

*The Economy – the economy has been decimated by the failed pandemic response for most Americans. Big companies, billionaires, stockholders and professionals who can work from home are doing fine, while the majority of Americans are either working in unsafe conditions experiencing the brunt of sickness and death or are unemployed or losing their small businesses, waiting in food lines and facing eviction while McConnell lets the relief bill lay on his desk.

*Damage to Democracy – attacks on the media (freedom of the press is guaranteed by the constitution), lying to the people, deploying troops into American cities, tear gassing peaceful protesters, encouragement of far-right extremists groups, autocratic behavior, interfering in and lying about the electoral process, using office for financial and political gain, thwarting the peaceful transfer of power and the breaking of countless norms that are or were the basis of American exceptionalism and the epitome of what democracy is supposed to be.

Trump’s governance before the election results was spotty and inconsistent at best, now he’s totally absent. He is not addressing the pandemic or the financial crisis that’s leaving millions of Americans in dire straits. This is the greatest crisis to face America since the 1918 flu pandemic and the Great Depression combined! He’s totally engrossed in fecklessly trying to undermine our free and fair election that has been declared the most secure election ever by his own appointees. The Trump presidency is a total and abject failure! Our only hope is to repair the damage and codify expected norms as decency and fairness have proven to not be an innate quality in all Americans even those who rise to the highest office in the land. Without honesty and decency all accomplishments are null.