The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Guest opinion: Trump’s six-month report card overwhelmingly grim

FILE - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016, in Sioux City, Iowa. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
AP
FILE – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016, in Sioux City, Iowa. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

July 20 was the six-month anniversary of Donald Trump being our 45th president; it’s time to evaluate our president’s actions.

Actions worthy of an A grade:

• Trump’s greatest victory was the nomination and confirmation of strict constructionist Justice Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court.

• Of the 22 Cabinet-level positions, the Senate only rejected one of Trump’s nominees, Andrew Puzder for secretary of Labor.

• Trump was wise to bring two strategic and experienced military leaders to his Cabinet, Gen. James Mattis and Gen. H.R. McMaster, and turn up the heat against ISIS.

• Reducing federal regulations on many red-tape policies will permit all businesses to get down to working instead of filing unnecessary paperwork.

• Another best occurred in meeting China President Xi Jinping; Trump announced China was not a currency manipulator, as he had claimed during the campaign. The statement proved Trump was willing to pursue the interest of the nation by abandoning a campaign slogan.

• Trump also became presidential by moderating his pre-election views on such issues as NATO and relationships with key allies.

Incomplete and unknown actions:

• It is too early to decide the net result of Trump’s withdrawing America from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, backing away from the Paris Climate Accord, instituting immigration travel restrictions, renegotiating NAFTA, and trusting China will be able to control North Korea.

Actions deserving an F:

• Trump’s unorthodox “so-called judges” declaration, questioning the veracity of the U.S. 17 intelligence agencies, and calling major news outlets “enemies of the American people” proved he’s not a statesman.

• Trump broke 80 of his 663 campaign promises in his first 100 days of office; more promises fall off the table week-by-week.

• Promising to repeal and replace Obamacare on the first day of office evolved into a major failure, especially with a Republican-controlled Congress. Trump criticizing Republicans and not working in a bipartisan fashion signaled he doesn’t understand the legislative process.

• Trump’s promise to provide “the biggest tax cut since Ronald Reagan” disappointed Americans when he unveiled a two-page tax-reform memorandum with no specific details.

• Trump’s campaign promise of $1 trillion infrastructure upgrade has fallen into a pothole.

• Only 48 of the 564 key government positions (8.5 percent) requiring Senate confirmation have come to fruition. The president cannot deliver on his policy agenda alone; top roles such as chief financial officers, general counsel, heads of agencies, and ambassadors make D.C. work.

• Trump reneged on his most important campaign promise, which was to “drain the swamp.” Instead, the swamp became the sewer, with a combined net worth of $13 billion in his Cabinet, and they came to work with very few skills related to the assigned job.

• There are a few other Trump miscues, such as refusing to release his taxes, violating the Domestic and Foreign Emoluments Clauses, restricting access to the White House visitors’ log, holding only one press conference, restricting TV camera access at White House press briefings, changing stories regarding Russia’s involvement in the election process, berating members of the Republican’s Freedom Caucus, 991 tweets, 40 rounds of golf versus the promised zero, mysterious 3 million to 5 million illegal voter allegations in the 2016 election, inauguration crowd size “alternative fact,” 112 false statements (New York Times), imploding of the White House staff, pre-emptive White House staff “pardon” talk, disregard of America’s heralded checks and balances system … just to name a few. • Several names haunt Trump’s presidency and speak for themselves: Putin, Bannon, Manafort, Flynn, Comey, Mueller, Kushner, and Donald Jr.

Overall assessment:

• Six As, five incompletes, and 34 Fs equals 0.755 grade point average or D-minus. With 185 days in the books and 1,272 days to go, Trump’s legacy is off to a rocky start. It will only get better. Or will it?

—Steve Corbin, UNI Professor emeritrus of marketing

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