Donald Trump, 74, is aiming to be re-elected to his presidential mandate. He is aiming to
gather the votes of rural areas, of white supremacist currents, but also of the African-American electorate. The president presents himself as the “Law and Order” and anti-establishment candidate. Let’s see, in detail, his electoral program, based on what he presented on the White House website.
Emergency Covid-19 The most urgent problem that the next President will have to face is how to reduce the effects of the pandemic on citizens and the economy. Trump has adopted a position on the issue that has raised much criticism. He admitted to having downplayed the danger of the virus, but maintains an ambiguous attitude on the use of masks. He continues to say he is against the obligation to wear them (even after having contracted Covid), leaving it up to individual states to decide whether, how and when to use them. But he has urged his supporters to use personal protection. As for diagnostic tests, the current White House tenant delegates to individual states, complaining on occasion that the bad numbers of infections in the USA are caused by an excess of tests. The president has also on several occasions contested virologist Anthony Fauci, head of the White House task force for the Covid emergency.
Climate change During his presidency, Donald Trump excluded the USA from the 2015 Paris Agreement. With him, the United States were no longer the leaders in the global fight against climate change. Trump has appointed as head of the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) a man who does not believe that climate change is an absolute priority. Furthermore, the Trump administration has encouraged the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska for oil and gas exploration. If re-elected, the current US president would continue on this path to fight climate change.
Economy The main economic policy achievement of the Trump presidency was the 2017 tax cut, which drastically reduced rates for businesses and citizens. However, this cut led to an increase in the federal budget deficit of almost a trillion dollars in 2019. All this has therefore broken the President’s campaign promise to reduce the deficit and eliminate the national debt. Donald Trump has asserted that he will continue along this path, as the tax cuts have contributed to a record rise in the stock market.
In addition, the unemployment rate has remained low in these four years. The President is opposed to globalization and trade. For this reason, he has waged trade wars with countries he defines as
“enemies”, imposing tariffs on goods coming from these nations (China, the EU). Finally, Trump would prefer bilateral trade deals; he has already made such deals with Japan, Canada, and Mexico.
Education The Trump administration has promised to repair student loan debt.
The White House has also made loan forgiveness for veterans automatic. However, he has repeatedly called for an end to the student loan forgiveness program for public workers. In addition, President Trump has rolled back several Obama administration policies on education.
These include promoting racial diversity and ensuring protection for transgender students in public schools. He has also supported Education Secretary DeVos’s new rule that would make it more difficult to report sexual abuse at school. Guns After several mass shootings in the US, Donald Trump promised action against gun violence, but was vague on specifics. He has always said that the underlying issues of shootings are only about mental health and hate. Finally, the president has banned the purchase of equipment to convert rifles into semi-automatic rifles.
Healthcare Trump has threatened to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization, accused of being Sinocentric. Last October 12, he also signed an executive order to repeal and replace the ACA, better known as Obamacare. The President required drug manufacturers to include their list prices in television ads, but this decision was overturned by a federal judge in the summer of 2019.
Finally, in an effort to reduce healthcare costs, Trump issued a rule requiring hospitals to publish privately negotiated rates with health insurers. This would take effect in 2021. A coalition of major
hospital groups has filed a lawsuit against the White House initiative. Immigration On immigration, the president has decided to continue with a policy of “zero tolerance”. He has therefore proposed the construction of the wall on the US-Mexico border. He has also instituted the Travel Ban, in order to limit the entry of Muslims into the United States. With his “zero tolerance” policy he has led to the separation of thousands of children from their parents, who have entered illegally at the border with Mexico. Donald Trump would also like to end DACA, which protects children who entered the country illegally while still minors. The Supreme Court has, however, rejected his request. Now Trump would like to establish a “path to citizenship” for Dreamers, but based on merit.
Finally, Trump proposes in the program a system of immigration based on merit, limiting
family reunification as a reason for entry.
