Trump’s hundred days draw near
The first 100 days under President Donald Trump are nearly over, and the time to examine how successful his presidency has been thus far is here. Trump made multiple promises on the campaign trail, such as defeating ISIS within 30 days, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act and labeling China a currency manipulator.
However, a new Gallup poll for the month of April found that only 45% of Americans believe Trump will keep his promises, which is down from 62% in February. In fact, the Trump administration has already changed its tone on many of its campaign promises.
Trump’s stance on China is a perfect example of how much his tone has changed on the country, as tensions with North Korea have forced Trump to abandon his promise to call China a currency manipulator. Trump instead asked his Twitter followers why he would call China a currency manipulator when the country is helping deal with the North Korea situation.
This move comes at a time when the U.S. and North Korea, one of China’s key allies, are on the brink of war over North Korea’s nuclear program. Trump, when asked about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, replayed by saying he’s “gotta behave.”
While Trump wasn’t starting wars with North Korea, he was working to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with “a much better plan.” However, House Speaker Paul Ryan’s plan, The American Health Care Act, seemed dead in the water as soon as it arrived, barely garnering support from either side of the aisle.
Instead of working with Democrats to fix the Affordable Care Act, Trump instead promised to withhold funding for Obamacare that is used to help poor people afford medical care. Trumps reason for doing this is to force Democrats to negotiate on health care reform.
Yet, despite these hiccups, the Trump administration has not been a complete failure. Trump saw some success in the Supreme Court after Senate Majority Leader and human turtle, Mitch McConnell, triggered the nuclear option in order to confirm Trump’s Supreme Court pick, Neil Gorsuch.
Trump also took action in Syria following a gas attack that was allegedly perpetrated by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Trump ordered a Tomahawk missile strike on Shayrat airbase, the base where the chemical attack reportedly came from.
However, despite 20 planes getting destroyed and nine Syrian soldiers being killed, the president’s show of force seemed a little weak, as hours after the strike, Syrian jets were taking off from the base.
Trump’s official 100 days’ mark is April 29, and while some may regard his time in office as a complete failure, the president still has 10 days to show the country that he means business. However, with war looming on the horizon, it will be interesting to see where Trump goes next.