DONALD TRUMP - THE PROMISE BREAKER

By Artem

Has Donald Trump really kept his pledge to ‘Make American Great Again?’

Firstly, it is important to note that Trump’s slogan asserts that America lost its way of greatness somewhere along its long history. It was no secret that Trump did not get on with Obama during his time served in office, sparking the ‘Birther Movement’ conspiracy which stated that Obama was actually born in Kenya and therefore was ineligible to ever become president – this was the only time that a US President’s birthplace and eligibility has ever been publicly questioned. The hostile relationship between the former and current president paired with the implication that America was not ‘great’ under Obama certainly allowed the Republicans to win over Democratic Voters with numerous counties flipping their previous votes (https://www.cnbc.com/heres-a-map-of-the-us-counties-that-flipped-to-trump-from-democrats/).

Now, onto my point. Recently the federal government endured its largest-ever government shutdown - lasting 35 days, with the possibility of another seemingly more likely. The shutdown occurred over Trump’s demand for $5.7bn to build his border wall, however, it was blocked in the Senate. Though dispute between the opposing political parties was hardly unexpected, this was a political nightmare.

Further, America is first and foremost a multicultural country, a quality that is hailed for being positive and progressive. From the point of America’s discovery, it has been a multicultural state. Trump’s comments and actions towards specific groups of people, specifically Muslims and Refugees, for many, carries the idea he does not seem to be as progressive as someone who would want to make American ‘great’ again should be – with many going as far as to call him racist. A survey by the Quinnipiac University discovered that 49% of Americans believe he is racist with 44% arguing his immigration policies follow ‘racist beliefs’

A poll done by CNN shows that 4/10 people say that Trump’s governing is the worst in their lifetimes. Other data shows that he had 39.8% approval compared to Barrack Obama’s 48.4% and John F. Kennedy’s 74%. If you want more information, visit Bill de Blasio's Twitter page. In fact, in his first year, he was considered the ‘most unpopular US President in modern history’ 

He has also introduced a trade policy that would levy steel and aluminum to benefit the economy, however, it may have a negative impact because the American companies may not cope with the demand.

International Relations also seem to be taking a hit with our Parliament disliking the president hugely (having once debated about whether or not he should visit the UK), exiting the Paris Climate Agreement and not to mention his trade war with China.  

Economically, however, Trump seems to be living up to his promise, with the unemployment being at a 48 year low, even though joblessness is quite high. America’s GDP has also been doing very well, even despite the recent slowdown it still held strong at an impressive growth rate at 4.2%, however many have argued this won’t last long.

To conclude, I believe that as of writing this article, Donald Trump has not lived up to his promise to ‘Make America Great Again’. Though in some aspects he may be succeeding, particularly economic, these are not telling of the whole story.