Trump is good for America

Is Trump good for America? This is obviously a pretty hot button issue, but I just don't see the evidence for it. I'll start with the pros he's typically given credit for. 1. The big one is the economy. We've seen the DOW make some impressive jumps, and we've seen a decent number of jobs added into the economy. This is often considered a pretty straightforward, open and shut win for Trump. I don't think it's quite so simple. My problem with citing the DOW as proof of success is that it's also had some pretty serious dips. There just isn't enough data yet. Remember we saw consistent growth in the last 6 years of Obama's presidency. Between the unsteady growth so far this year and a possible looming trade war, it's a little early for a pat on the back. As for job creation, it's been a give and take. A lot of the jobs he's boasted about creating (pipeline jobs, breathing life into the coal industry) seem a lot less sustainable than the jobs he's destroyed (particularly in environmental regulations). The global stage is moving in that direction, and I think it's reckless to ignore that. 2. He is also often given praise for his stance on immigration. His border wall is an impractical waste of money, and our treatment of immigrants/refugees has been inexcusable. It has completely destroyed productive debate on the matter. Before we used to debate how many refugees should/can we let in. We used to debate our immigration policies. The debate has devolved into whether or not we should treat them as human. We're even seeing immigrants have their path to citizenship taken from them. Any pros here are outweighed by the cons. Sources for point 1: https://www.marketwatch.com... Sources for point 2: https://www.npr.org... While there are other things he is given credit for, those two seem to be the biggest. Let's take a look at some of the things he's often attacked for. 1. Damaging our worldwide reputation. This seems fairly evident. Even if you disliked Obama's policies, it would be hard to say that the world shows more respect for Trump or America now that it did for Obama or America before his presidency. He has caused strife with our allies. To touch back on immigration, he has caused the UN to question our ethics. Under his presidency we are now considered a declining democracy. 2. He is also blamed for the growing divide in the country. While this is difficult to peg, there's enough evidence to suggest he has stoked those fires intentionally. At his rallies he has openly suggested violence towards the left. Whether he himself is racist or not, his rhetoric and way of speaking has emboldened them. 3. Destabilizing the current government. Again this seems pretty obvious. His presidency has seen more indictments, and resignations than normal by far. He's also seen people who he hand picked for different jobs fall under investigation for various reasons. Sources for point 1: http://www.pewresearch.org... http://www.latimes.com... https://www.nytimes.com... Sources for point 2: http://www.politifact.com... https://www.independent.co.uk... Sources point 3: https://en.m.wikipedia.org... https://m.dailykos.com... http://www.latimes.com... For now I just want to hit the highlights on some of the bigger points. I'll go into each with more detail as we discuss them.