Trump's Year in Review
Identity, not policy. The ad hominem arguments both for and against US president Donald Trump seem to have no end. The liberal media have decided that Trump is racist, sexist, and stupid, while the conservatives (primarily the alt-right) adore him in a way that everyone familiar with 20th century history should be apprehensive of.
This obsession with Trump’s identity completely prevents the formation of any worthwhile analysis of the policies he has put in place and his actual tenure as president, which to date has been largely ineffective, save for a few exceptions.
Mr. Trump made vocal campaign promises about repealing Obamacare. Over a year into his presidency, Trump has only managed to achieve the last two of those promises, with varying degrees of success. Repeal & Replace was an unmitigated disaster. Repealing the disaster that was Obamacare, that according to a report by the White House increased insurance premiums for Americans by an average of 103% between 2013 and 2016, ought to have been Trump’s first significant achievement as president. However, the drafted plan was a disaster. Except for the opening of cross-state insurance coverages, the Trump Administration’s draft did not take the sufficient measures to repeal Obamacare, and was not radical enough in its attempt to make the insurance market more competitive. In the words of Rand Paul, “It keeps 90% of Obamacare and redistributes the proceeds.” As such, the bill was not passed in the senate, standing out as the biggest embarrassment of Trump’s tenure in office.
The current administration’s fiascoes during the past year did not only include the failure to repeal and replace Obamacare, but also the President’s attempt at hardline foreign policy. During 2017, Trump has managed to escalate tensions between North Korea and the United States to a point where the most influential man in the world is making innuendo-filled threats via Twitter regarding his willingness to use nuclear weaponry. The relationship with Russia continues to be strenuous due to the continued investigations into any campaign collusion by the 20th century superpower.
Pulling out of NAFTA was more than anything an anti-establishment move that pandered to Trump’s supporters; however, the decision may still prove a positive one in the long term, if it stops the trend of lumping corporatism and bureaucracy under the banner of “free trade”.
Despite this potential, Donald’s foreign policy has been fundamentally irresponsible, unsophisticated, and worst of all, it has lacked any understanding of history and context, as demonstrated by the recent Jerusalem debacle.
Nevertheless, the year ended on a high-note for Trump, when he finally managed to pass his tax cuts into legislation. In what was overwhelmingly the most positive news of the year from the White House, American corporate taxes were slashed to 21% from a previous uncompetitive 35%, while earners of all income classes are to receive significant tax cuts.
The corporate tax cut will bring several American companies back into the country, who have established themselves elsewhere primarily due to tax reasons. This will increase tax revenues and deliver on Trump’s promise to keep companies in the country. Simultaneously households will have more money to spend and save – a particularly important consideration as US household debt is at an all-time high.
The self-proclaimed “largest tax cut in American history” is something that Mr. Trump can carry into 2018 as a significant achievement, on which his deregulatory rhetoric will hopefully help in building a business-friendly America, which in turn will decrease unemployment and drive real wages up.
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