A reflection on the presidency of Donald Trump
By: William Thorpe
Tags: Trump Administration, GOP, Trumpism, Trump, Republican Party

The full-length video uploaded by ABC News, as of writing, has 4.9 million views and approximately 48,000 likes versus 29,000 dislikes, a clear reflection of the division in public opinion that has surrounded Trump from day one of his candidacy. Ultimately, neither those who hate him nor those who worship him are entirely right; though they tend to have at least some basis for their feelings about this president. Ultimately, receiving the second highest number of votes in history – aided by both population growth and, more notably, the highest rate of voter turnout since 1900 – wasn’t enough to grant him a second term. As for his average approval rating, it has been typical of recent presidents, though its consistency has been notable.

His presidency has been unprecedented in several ways, though many of his policies were fairly standard of conservative politicians. For instance, he pursued tax cuts, deregulation and restrictions on illegal & humanitarian immigration. In other aspects, he’s broken with mainstream conservative and Republican tradition, for better or worse. He has pursued protectionist policies and has reformed criminal justice through the First Step Act, something which earned him credit in mastheads that tend not to lend it to him, such as in this largely unfavourable editorial from the Washington Post.

President Trump’s most widely-recognised successes relate to economic policy. RealClearPolitics has generally tracked his economic job approval as being generally in excess of fifty percent, with a comfortable margin of approval versus disapproval. A major component of Trumponomics has been his deregulatory agenda. Trump ordered two regulations to be cut for every one implemented, a goal that has been exceeded and has reversed the persistent trend of the federal register to grow dramatically and incessantly in size. According to the Council of Economic Advisors in July 2020, “this pro-growth approach to Federal regulation will raise real incomes by upwards of $3,100 per household per year. In fact, 20 of these actions alone are expected to save American consumers and businesses over $220 billion per year. Moreover, the CEA estimates that, by 2026, Safer Affordable Fuel Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles will reduce the quality-adjusted price of a new vehicle by $2,200.”

Trump’s foreign policy differs from that of prior presidents, including Republicans. He has simultaneously adopted a largely non-interventionist approach (with the United States becoming involved in no new campaigns nor wars during his presidency), with a commitment to core American allies and a strong stance against the influence of the Chinese Communist Party that has grown considerably over the last decade. Israel has been a major benefactor of his administration, with Trump recognising Jerusalem as its capital and moving the United States’ embassy there, something Clinton, Bush Jr. and Obama promised to do but failed to deliver on. Hong Kong, a city whose freedoms (derived from the days of British rule and the ensuing Sino-British Joint Declaration) have been progressively eroded by the CCP, has likewise been a place where Trump has gained considerable support. Many Hong Kongers who are anxious about their fading liberties wished for him to be the victor in 2020.

Putting aside his policies, where his protectionist tendencies have been a considerable drawback, Trump’s greatest failing comes from a quality that helped propel him to the White House – his stubbornness. Following his election defeat, he made or backed erroneous and outlandish claims about widespread fraud. Such claims tended to be utterly wrong and were in many cases immediately rejected by the courts. Whilst certain specific claims about insufficient oversight or improper procedure turned out to hold weight, such as in Pennsylvania, these relatively minor victories paled in comparison to the sheer number of lawsuits filled. Where recounts took place, the change in totals was generally minimal and within what may be reasonably expected. What Trump should’ve done, had he felt that there were irregularities, would be to take those issues to court whilst simultaneously underscoring the fundamental goodness of American democratic institutions, which have worked without fail since their inception. These false claims fuelled the sentiment behind the riot at the Capitol.

Ultimately, Trump is a president who will be remembered in his own party with mixed sentiments, with his primary failing (one that is difficult to understate) being his reckless conduct in the final months of his presidency. Other than that, his pre-election policies have been mostly defensible. Trump has indicated he continues to hold political ambitions, and rumour has it that he has even considered founding his own party. As such, the saga may yet continue.

This article was unlisted in January 2021 and revised following Biden’s inauguration.