On October 22, 2016 in Gettysburg, PA, then-candidate Donald Trump laid out a detailed plan for his first 100 days of office, declaring it a contract between Trump and the American voter. Even by the President’s understanding of contracts, it seems he’s failed to uphold his end of the deal so far.
On the economy, the President promised a return of US manufacturing and good paying jobs. His words aren’t worth much to the 700 men and women in Huntington, IN who will lose their jobs as highly-profitable United Technologies chases cheap labor in Mexico. Worse, after packing his Administration with lobbyists and Wall Streeters, it appears the President plans to reward businesses’ reckless behavior by slashing taxes for corporations with no plan to pay for it. The “swamp” he promised to drain is still full of water.
Now evaluate the President’s performance on health care. Trump’s plan collapsed under its own weight and it’s better that it did. Had it passed, 400,000 Hoosiers covered by Indiana’s innovative HIP 2.0 plan – many receiving care for the first time – would have lost coverage – not to mention millions more Americans.
Trump does have some accomplishments. He’s made it easier for Internet companies to sell your browsing history and harder for millennials to pay down student loans or buy a home.
For comparison’s sake, in his first 100 days, President Obama had provided new or expanded tax credits to new homeowners, parents and college students while cutting taxes for 160 million working Americans.
It’s not difficult to understand why President Trump calls the evaluation of his administration’s first 100 days a “ridiculous standard.” It’s hard to find a Trump “accomplishment” that improves the lives’ of working Hoosiers.
Governing is hard. It demands putting bipartisanship, compromise and working families’ best interests ahead of your own. After 100 days, it’s not clear Trump is willing to do that. Not to worry, only 1,284 days to Election Day 2020.