What Trump Promised America, Specifically
In his first speech as president-elect, Donald Trump pledged to “be president for all Americans” and to work with supporters and critics alike to “unify our great country.” Now that it is apparent that — likely without a plurality of the votes — the nation has selected him to lead the country, it will now be up to him to deliver on his promises to “make America great again.”
With GOP majorities in both houses of Congress for at least the next two years and what will likely be a friendly Supreme Court, Americans will now see what happens trying things his way.
Here is what the Trump administration must now deliver to keep his promises:
Bringing back jobs.
Trump’s acceptance speech promised “millions of new jobs.” He later put a number on this: as many as 25 million jobs over the next 10 years and better than 4 percent GDP growth. To do this, he proposed renegotiating or canceling trade deals, tax cuts, deregulation, and reducing our spending on defense of our allies. He said that he alone can fix the system rigged against American workers. He said his plan would be the most pro-growth policy “perhaps in the history of our country.” Americans should expect Trump to “fix the system so it works for all Americans” and spark massive job growth.
Major investment in cities and infrastructure.
A common campaign refrain from Trump was that things are terrible for people living in America’s cities. “What the hell have you got to lose?” he asked, noting that inner-city resident who are Latino and African American are “living in hell because it’s so dangerous.” In his victory address, Trump promised to “fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals. We’re going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none. And we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it.” If Trump’s proposed “America’s infrastructure first” plan is successful, Americans should expect to see major economic, safety, and infrastructural improvements in each of the nation’s cities.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Perhaps the most popular pledge at Trump’s rallies was his oft-repeated vow that he would build a massive wall along America’s southern border and would make Mexico pay for it. Though Mexico’s president has said his country will not do so, Trump’s plan is to use an increase in visa and border fees and to threaten to cut off payments from immigrants to their families. Americans should expect that Mexico will indeed pay for that wall in full.
Health care that beats Obamacare.
Trump and the GOP congress have promised to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act. Trump plans to achieve that “by following free market principles and working together to create sound public policy that will broaden healthcare access, make healthcare more affordable and improve the quality of the care available to all Americans.” Most often, he’s simply said he’ll replace the program that has provided healthcare to more than 20 million Americans with “something terrific.” Americans should expect a healthcare policy that provides better care for all citizens at a lower price.
Global security.
Trump claimed in 2015 to know even more about ISIS than America’s generals and has vowed to “make life safe in America” by defeating the “barbarians of ISIS.” He specifically assured LGBT Americans that he would protect them from ISIS “violence and oppression,” and he has opined that calling the attacks “Islamic terrorism” would be essential to stopping them. He also hinted at a secret plan to defeat terrorism, scolding Hillary Clinton for putting her own plan on her website. Trump further said his “law and order” approach he would begin with “safety at home” and would “stop the gangs and the violence, and to stop the drugs” in America. Americans should expect an end to terrorism and and a massive, nation-wide drop in crime.
In his convention speech, Trump explained that “the problems we face now — poverty and violence at home, war and destruction abroad — will last only as long as we continue relying on the same politicians who created them.” Another speech promised “so much winning if I get elected that you may get bored with the winning.” The burden is now squarely on his shoulders to prove that was more than empty rhetoric.
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This has been reposted from The Huffingotn Post.
