Has President Trump Followed Through?

Kendall Chappell

As President Donald Trump’s first year in office draws to a close, many citizens may wonder if he has stayed true to his word on a variety of issues, as well as exactly what he has done so far. According to Time, he had a 32% approval rating this past November.

This article will examine a few categories and the status of the promises he has made in each.

 

International

  • Ban citizens from places like Syria and Lybia

According to the New York Times, the Supreme Court allowed President Trump’s travel restrictions on citizens from Iran, Lybia, Somalia, Chad, North Korea, Syria, Yemen, and some of Venezuela to take effect on Monday, December 4th. This is after three changed versions were released, in which some countries were added or taken away.

  • Build a wall on the United States-Mexico Border

According to ABC News, they have begun building wall models for the border. Despite this, the funding source is still unknown, though Trump is trying to work it into the federal budget plan.

 

Economic

  • Enact a temporary ban on new regulations/slash regulations

According to the White House website, President Trump signed an executive order in late January that stated that “for every one new regulation issued, at least two prior regulations must be identified for elimination.” While this doesn’t equal a temporary ban on regulations, it is a way to “slash regulations.”

 

Personal

  • Take no salary

According to Politifact, President Trump said in a Q&A Twitter video that he would not take a salary for being president. He has followed through on this, donating his first check to the National Park Service and his second check to the Department of Education. Also, according to CNN.com, he would like to donate his next salary to “the Department of Health and Human Services’ efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.”

 

Other

  • “Appoint a special prosecutor” to “investigate Hillary Clinton”

Though Clinton’s name is frequently mentioned as someone who should be investigated or looked at, there has not been a special prosecutor appointed to do so. 

 

Healthcare/health

  • Make no cuts to Medicare/Medicaid/ Social Security

Despite promising not to make cuts to programs like Medicare and Medicaid, his proposed budget will cause a lower increase in funds than usual; this means the government will be sending $0.6 trillion less over the next ten years than it would with current funding according to Politifact.

  • Repeal Obamacare

According to the Wall Street Journal, the republican’s tax plan includes a repeal of one of the Affordable Care Act’s main points: you either get insurance or have to pay a fee. This comes after failed attempts to pass a new healthcare act called the American Health Care Act.

 

Laws

  • Impose death penalty for cop killers

President Trump has not mentioned this policy at all since the campaign trail. Despite this, according to Congress’s website, the House has passed a policy called the Blue Line Act that enforces strict punishments for those who kill members of law enforcement.

  • Create private veterans hotline

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the White House started the veteran hotline on June first, and “the calls are being answered by 22 VA employees” in D.C. 

 

While there are many promises he has followed through, or at least started to follow through on, President Trump still has just as many campaign promises he hasn’t even addressed since becoming president.