Much was promised during the US election campaign of 2016, which has had a major impact on the entire globe. Since Donald J. Trump rose to the presidency as the 45th President of America, the globe has witnessed a massive impact on the country’s various aspects i.e. America’s foreign policy, immigration laws, the economical and judicial environment, etc. Trump’s promise of “making America great again” has been the fundamental moving force behind his success in the presidential elections along with his miscellaneous social and political promises to his supporters. This essay will analyze the causes and effects of Donald Trump’s presidency.
The majority of Americans (60%) believe that Trump’s presidential rhetoric has caused an increase in hate crimes and racism in the United States (Edwards and Rushin 1). Many of his comments have been about Muslims, Afro-Americans, Hispanics, women, and even about people with disabilities. In other words, Trump’s presidential campaign seemed to depict violent behavior and tone by encouraging racism and xenophobia (Edwards and Rushin 2). The counties with the most dominating numbers of Trump voters carry the widest margins of reported racism and hate crimes. Consequently, President Trump is referred to a White supremacist as well who has noticeably fueled the recent surge of hate crimes in the United States (Edwards and Rushin 3).
Trump’s support for anti-immigrant policies also depicts the undemocratic essence of his presidency. Some analysts attributed the nation’s economic stress as a cause of Trump’s success; however, an in-depth analysis of the presidential campaign data shows that racism and anti-immigrant attitudes are more closely related to the dominating support for Trump (Major et al. 931). Furthermore, FBI data indicates a causal link between hate crimes that spiked between 2016 and 2017 and the President’s racist attitude and prejudiced rhetoric (Gelfand). It is important to note that during the presidential campaigns, Trump scored particularly well amongst the White Americans who keep their racial identity at the highest pedestal (Major et al. 931).
During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump tried to gather as many votes as possible by promising to ban Muslims from entering the United States. Eventually, after a mere week of being the elected President of the United States, he ordered the ban of Muslim citizens from specific countries including Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, and Libya from entering the United States (Major et al. 933). Not to mention the fact that the ban included the entry of the Syrian refugees as well. This 90-days ban triggered much confusion and anxiety; the eventual protests caused the courts to have the order revised (Major et al. 934).
The worst announcement concerning immigration is the termination of Obama’s program of DACA. DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) served as a protection for immigrant children who were either brought to the United States or were part of immigrant families with expired visas (Knopf 1). The termination of DACA caused great distress amongst the immigrant students with dreams of bright futures for their families and themselves. The DACA program excludes individuals with a criminal background to get enrolled in the first place; therefore, Trump’s attempts to end the program seemed baseless. However, the termination of this program will have a horrendous impact on the thousands of young immigrants who had received work permits and were shielded from deportation along with their families (Knopf 2).
Referring to America’s economy, there is much evidence that it is on the road to recovery since Obama’s presidencies. Statistically, economically, America has been growing by the rate of 2.5% from 2015 onwards (Paulson 2). This achievement is also contributed by Trump’s tax cut of $1.5 tn.; however, critics state that such economical gains are delimited to the wealthy sections of the American society alone (Paulson 2). A rough estimate indicates that at least 5 million jobs have been created under Trump’s presidency (Paulson 3). After years of economic stagnation concerning wages, it is picking up some speed too. The greatest impact pf Trump’s presidency is to be witnessed in America’s economic policy of trade. While antagonizing America’s greatest trading partners i.e. China, Trump has successfully torn up long-established trade relations causing considerable sell-offs in stock markets and impacting the international world economy (Major et al. 937).
Referring to healthcare, Trump came up with miscellaneous promises that included keeping the previous benefits of social security and medical care intact (McKee et al. 784). The President also promised to come up with a better healthcare program with universal coverage (McKee et al. 785). However, the numerous failed attempts of Trump’s administration of changing Obamacare has led to confusion amongst the American nation. Trump’s promise of “making America great again” demands that priority needs to be placed on the nation’s health implications.
To conclude, Trump has significantly changed the United States of America within two years of his presidency concerning the environment, immigration, judiciary, economy, and the healthcare system. While his presidential campaign carried a remarkable essence of racism and prejudice, it also promised the middle-class section of the American population’s financial and materialistic stability. During his campaign, some sections of society were targeted, such as Muslims, Hispanics, and immigrants in general. The presidential elections seemed to encourage hate crimes and prejudiced behavior that is evident from the surge of bias-related incidents in the States. While the nation’s economy has risen after Obama’s presidency, the nation is confused about the impending healthcare system and immigration laws including the termination of DACA. The country has been significantly segmented into losers and winners which has holistically impacted the nation’s mentality.
Works Cited
- Edwards, Griffin Sims, and Stephen Rushin. The Effect of President Trump’s Election on Hate Crimes. SSRN Scholarly Paper, Social Science Research Network, 14 Jan. 2018, p. 24.
- Gelfand, Vanessa Williamson and Isabella. “Trump and Racism: What Do the Data Say?” Brookings, 14 Aug. 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2019/08/14/trump-and-racism-what-do-the-data-say/.
- Knopf, Alison. “DACA Shut down by Trump; Children and Families Need Help from Congress, Providers, and Us.” The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, vol. 33, no. S10, 2017, pp. 1–2.
- Major, Brenda, et al. “The Threat of Increasing Diversity: Why Many White Americans Support Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election.” Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, vol. 21, no. 6, Sept. 2018, pp. 931–40.
- McKee, Martin, et al. “What Will Donald Trump’s Presidency Mean for Health? A Scorecard.” The Lancet, vol. 389, no. 10070, Feb. 2017, pp. 748–54.
- Paulson, John. “Trump and the Economy: How to Jump-Start Growth.” Foreign Affairs, vol. 96, 2017, p. 8.