Question
What could President Trump do in his first 100 days?
Answer
During the presidential election campaign, Donald Trump published a 100-day plan “to restore prosperity to our economy, security to our communities and honesty to our government” (Trump, 2016, p. 2). This document contains some very radical plans which affect the way government operates, as well as domestic and foreign policy.
There is a plan to impose term limits on members of Congress and restrict their freedom to engage in lobbying and other political activities after their term has ended. Key reforms introduced by the Obama administration may be repealed, including the so-called “Obamacare” healthcare reforms and the arrangement known as “sanctuary cities” which permits undocumented people to reside in the United States free of prosecution (Trump, 2016). Restrictions on immigration, expulsion of undocumented immigrants and the building of the infamous wall between the US and Mexico may well begin in these 100 days also, despite inevitable opposition from many citizens.
Climate change commitments and various international trade deals will also be reviewed, with the intention of imposing tariffs, stimulating the American economy and creating jobs, regardless of environmental or international relations consequences. On the international front, there will surely be big decisions to be made, for example on the war in Syria, dealings with the UK and the EU after Brexit, and relations with Russia and China, but it is harder to predict what he will do in these matters because global events may force his hand. President Trump may not achieve everything that he promised, and he certainly cannot deliver all of his pre-election promises in 100 days, but he is likely to follow the broad policy directions that he announced in his election campaign.
References
Trump, D. (2016) Donald Trump’s Contract with the American Voter. Available at: https://assets.donaldjtrump.com/_landings/contract/O-TRU-102316-Contractv02.pdf [Accessed 11 November 2016].
