Well, he’s done a few good things. These include:
Ending the TPP deal which threatened American jobs.[1]
Following on from his campaign promises to build a border wall with Mexico[2] and trying to implement a ban on Muslim immigrants arriving to the United States.[3] Whether those things are ethical or not is besides the point. He is at least doing what he said he would do when getting into office, which is nice to see. Meanwhile, the border wall has been funded[4] and is currently being built[5][6]and the ban has been allowed with caveats.[7]
Followed up other campaign promises over free trade deals, the environment and reviving pipelines.[8]
Setting restrictions on lobbying, including a 5 year ban on administration officials from general lobbying, while putting in a complete ban on them lobbying for foreign governments.[9]
Introducing tax cuts which would simplify the tax code while repealing the Death Tax on inheritance and allowing married couples to not be taxed on their first $24,000 of income.[10] [11] [12]
Creating jobs among other things which has allowed unemployment to fall to 1.98 million, the lowest in 17 years.[13]
Being able to secure the freedom of 30 year old charity worker Aya Hijazi (along with her husband) after being imprisoned in Egypt since 2014.[14]
Announcing a new campaign to crack down on Female Genital Mutilation.[15]
Cracking down heavily on Islamic terrorism, as seen through killing the Ahmad Abousamra (one of the main American based ISIS recruiters)[16] as well as dropping the MOAB (Mother Of All Bombs) on a jihadist cave network in Afghanistan, killing 36 militants in the process.[17] He clearly wasn’t joking about wanting to ‘wipe out Islamic terrorism off the face of the Earth’, that’s for sure.[18]
Cracking down on sex trafficking. In his first month in office alone, his administration has made over 1,500 arrests relating to sex trafficking and paedophilia offences.[19]
Trying to moderate some of his more outlandish rhetoric, including making amends with the Chinese Premier, especially with the whole North Korea issue abound.[20]
Trying to have a good relationship with Russia, after the Obama administration escalated tensions with Putin over the whole Russian hacker malarkey.[21] When he first came into power, they held a summit together and their relationship seemed strong.[22] Even after the whole Syria airstrike fiasco, Trump clearly wants to be on good terms with Putin, including a phone call between the two.[23]
Proposing a paid family leave scheme, which would provide for six weeks of paid leave after the initial birth or adoption of a child.[24]
Trying to avoid conflict. Despite the wrongheaded move to attack Syria[25] after a recent chemical attack,[26] Trump has vowed that he will not go to war with the nation, in an exclusive New York Post interview.[27] Concerning North Korea, he has placed sanctions against the country as opposed to any military action as of yet.[28]
Following up on a campaign promise to forgo his Presidential pay, and instead pay it to such areas like the National Park Service.[29]
Having managed to reduce the overall public debt by just under $12 billion within a month of his inauguration[30] - which by the 13th June 2017 had gone down by over $101 billion.[31] And despite a recent spike in the national debt, the fact that’s on the downturn currently can only be a good sign, having gone down by nearly $13.5 billion from its highest peak of yesterday.[32]
Wanting to draft a strong trade deal with the UK post-Brexit.[33][34]
Continuing to connect with his grassroots supporters with his post-election rallies, including one in Florida in February 2017[35] and one in Pennsylvania to coincide with his 100th day in office, bypassing the White House Correspondent's Dinner to do so.[36] He clearly wants to stay in touch with the people who elected him, and not to the establishment who hate his guts.
Following up on yet another campaign promise[37] to leave the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement,[38] under the guise of securing more jobs for the American people.[39]
Opening the first major coal mine in America in at least a decade,[40] located at Somerset County, Pennsylvania.[41]Locals are hopeful that it will boost the area’s economy and will employ many Americans.[42]
Ending the CIA covert program to arm anti-Assad rebels in Syria.[43] Along with his recent ceasefire in the country (in co-operation with Russia),[44]US interference in Syria is gladly waning and the country is closer to peace.
Sending in 20 Federal agents from the US Bureau Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives into Chicago[45] in order to solve the city’s high murder rate.[46][47]These agents will join a new task force designed to stop the flow of illegal firearms into the city.[48]
Using the Justice Department to investigate affirmative action policies at American universities, on the grounds that they discriminate against white students.[49]
Condemning various acts of violence committed across the country, whether they be by the extreme left (like the University Of Berkeley riots earlier this year)[50] and the extreme right (like the recent violent clashes in Charlottesville).[51] It may not seem like much, but given how willing his predecessor was in legitimising such violent groups,[52][53] it’s a breath of fresh air to see a President stand tough against such groups and not pander to them, regardless of political affiliation and/or their violent rhetoric.
Following up yet another campaign promise [54]in scrapping the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals program,[55][56] otherwise known as DACA, of which hurt ordinary Americans in many ways.[57]
Wages for blue collar working class Americans are also increasing substantially, or rocketing, as this article by The Economist describes, with median household income increasing by 3.2% from 2015 (of which benefitted poorer households more than it did richer ones) and up until the Q3 of 2017, wage and salary growth for the likes of factory workers, builders and drivers easily outstripped that for professionals and managers. Blue-collar pay growth now exceeds 4% in some cases.[58]
Black unemployment has gone down, with it having gone down from 8.4% in July 2016 to 7.4% in July 2017, and with over 700,000 more black Americans being employed in that time.[59]
I could go on, but that’s the main things I would say. Do I like everything he’s done? Of course not. I thought his strike on Syria was completely out of line, and especially when it threatened international relationships because of it. His plans to cut regulations could give big banks a little more power than they should have,[60] and I am disappointed that he hasn’t thrown Hillary Clinton in jail yet.[61]And I’m not big fan of him banning transgenders from the military either feeling it to be discriminatory, even though I do acknowledge that he was advised by many army generals to do so and the idea has its supporters.[62]
That said, he has followed up on many of his campaign promises, while doing other things that I like as well. Will he reliable in the next few years? Hard to say. All I know is that Trump has done some good things, and I think even a staunch opponent of his could find something of him to like, especially when controlling government power. After all a million monkeys with typewriters and all that.
In conclusion, I feel he has done many good things, and I hope he will continue to Make America Great Again!
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2017/PPP_Release_National_71817.pdf
