Accomplishments of the Trump Administration over the past year // Josephine Bush

For months, the election of Donald Trump was thought of as a joke. In the primaries it was mere entertainment, by summer he had proved his point and showcased that that nothing would stand in his way, and even all of last fall hurdle after hurdle Donald Trump trudged through. The results spoke for themselves. The United States, as a nation was divided, and the Republican party was being represented by someone far outside of their own party lines, but it did count for something. People’s voices were heard — those who agreed with Trump’s rhetoric and were brought to the surface, but also those who answered had their voices heard.  What Trump campaigned on and what he now stands on is a voice that is present but it has only been further legitimized under his presidency.  Although the United States has been very forward thinking and in many ways has brought many people together, undertones of racism, sexism and xenophobia still exist. However, once Trump took office, these notions were legitimized. It became okay to discriminate openly and the wave of modern day civil rights was back. Supreme Court cases that have been passed decades ago were brazenly defied, consequently stripping people of rights they once had.But, every time people were stripped of their rights or their value as human was questioned by the administration as well as Trump supporters, there was a response - and a loud one at that.

Although the current president stands on a controversial ground, the question must be asked: Is a Trump presidency what people needed in order to start standing up for what they value most - namely, human rights, environmental rights, etc.? If Hillary was elected president would people so passionately to unite, to defend each other and to take political action? Or, would complacency with the current situation continue? Could a Trump presidency be the drastic driving factor that people needed to take action, to participate in walks and demonstrations, to use social media to advocate for the rights of others, and to make the calls to senators and congressmen, and to have hard conversations with people of opposing views? It might not be pretty, but maybe the marches and the coming together for many communities is the change we need to alter the future of the United States where people embrace diversity, and promote peace.

This article breaks down what Trump has accomplished in a year, how the world responded, and how more people than ever are becoming the call to action for their generation.

1. Under Trump, the unemployment was reported at the lowest rate since 2007. Currently only 4.4% of United States citizens are unemployed. This could be attributed to having a president in office that believes in low taxes and keeping jobs within the United States, but if you look at the historical analysis and the general trend, unemployment rates have steadily been going down since Obama came into office. Obama came into office after the worst economic downfall since the Great Depression whereas Trump came into office at a point of economic stability. Further, Trump claims to have created hundreds of thousands of jobs -many in manufacturing, mining and industry. Realistically, mining and logging jobs have gone up in numbers from January 2016; however, other jobs that were promised to be kept within the United States, are still moving south.
2. Trump was able to appoint and confirm constitutionalist Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. This happened in April and was probably Trump’s largest success to date, in terms of the Republican Party. Although, the Republicans currently have a majority in both the House and the Senate and have Gorsuch as the ninth sitting member, recent polls have shown that Democrats are likely to win mid-term elections. This would mean a  takeover for the Senate majority in 2018, which would make it very difficult for Trump. These recent polls are a reflection of the number of phone calls to senate which show that people are determined to make a difference where they can. In November 2018, of 25 seats open, Democrats only need to win three seats to hold the majority of the Senate. Check out this interactive map and mark your calendar to vote in next year’s mid-term elections:
3. Since his time in office, border crossings have gone down reportedly by 40% from January to February under President Trump. This is a striking statistic and could largely be attributed to Trump’s  immigration policies and rhetoric. According to Snope’s Fact Check, this trend was striking but also started a year prior - when Trump was still running for office. Coupled with these statistics are the rate of which people are being arrested under Trump. Within his first 100 days, 41,300 people have been arrested & deported and sanctuary cities have been put under harsher regulations.   It is here that we are again seeing citizens across the United States responding to these actions by spreading awareness, taking to the streets, and supporting vulnerable people, fiscally. Global Citizens breaks down seven ways you can support immigrants here.
4. In March 2017 Flint, Michigan received $100 million in grants for water contamination. The bill was signed by Obama a year previous so it could be considered an Obama accolade, but the funds were deposited in 2017 so many would give Trump the credit.
5. Further, in regards to the environment, those who oppose climate change along with big businesses have benefited from a variety of Trump’s environmental policies. This is a huge accomplishment for many oil, coal, and manufacturing businesses that no longer need to abide by various guidelines. Instead, now they can find cheaper yet more environmentally harmful ways to dispose of waste, etc. According to the New York Times over 50 rules are in the process of being over-ruled or rolled back on. The ones you have probably heard of include President Trump’s executive order to proceed with the Dakota Access Pipeline. For businesses, this lack of regulation represents an arguably more free market and therefore will result in better products for everyone. However, the public has not been as receptive and fought back. One example is The March of Science: Tens of thousands of people came to the streets across the United States to stand and march in the name of science. People around the U.S. promise to recycle, to take public transportation, to avoid buying from large conglomerates that support and capitalize on harmful environmental practices.
6. Cutting Governmental Jobs. It is important to note that while it saves tax dollars being allotted to people working governmental jobs, those dollars are still going somewhere else, i.e. the military. Listen to how two women who have both worked for the EPA differ in views and have seen the change under President Trump.

It has been a year since the world knew that Trump would rise to being a world leader. Since his time in office, Trump has rolled back environmental protection, increased border control, legitimized hatred and bigotry, and has divided people instead of united them. However, people are responding. They are not sitting idly - rather they are acting, they are marching, they are protesting and they will continue to do so until their voices are heard, are recognized and are met with action.