President-elect Donald Trump. Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Back in October, newly-elected U.S. president Donald Trump laid out a concrete plan of action for his first 100 days in office.
Over the course of this year’s contentious presidential election, Trump briefly discussed his plans to tackle key issues surrounding health care, immigration and foreign policy. The over- night politician’s proposed efforts to “Make America Great Again” have revealed stark contrasts to the gains made by President Obama over the last eight years.
Should Trump actually do what he says he will, the Obama legacy could hang in the balance — or be dismantled altogether.
According to ABC News, many of Trump’s pledges focus on the goal of reforming or replacing laws established under the Obama presidency, boosting U.S. national security, cleaning out Washington, D.C. and improving the country’s international reputation. In fact, the president-elect said on his first day in office, he would like to repeal and replace Obamacare; promptly suspend the admission of Syrian refugees into the U.S.; begin plans for the construction of a wall on the country’s southern border; and a host of other things Trump insists will restore “law and order” in America.
In the following 99 days, Trump said he plans to “drain the swamp” — his campaign’s term for weeding out corruption in Washington, D.C., ABC News reports. The Donald has proposed a constitutional amendment that would impose limit terms on members of Congress. He also announced plans to implement a hiring freeze in an effort to reduce the size of government. His ideas for campaign finance reform would prohibit foreign lobbyists from raising funds on behalf of campaigns in the U.S.
The new president-elect’s action plan also includes protections for America’s workers. First, Trump said he intends to renegotiate NAFTA or withdraw from the deal entirely under Article 2205 — which states that “a party may withdraw from this agreement six months after it provides written notice of withdrawal to the other parties.” Secondly, the reality star turned politician said he would declare the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership; direct his Secretary of the Treasury to deem China a currency manipulator; permitting the Keystone Pipeline to move forward; and canceling payments to U.N. climate change programs in order to invest the money in fixing America’s water and environmental infrastructure, NPR reports.
When it comes to taxes and domestic issues, Trump promised the “biggest tax cuts since Ronald Reagan.” He also stuck by his “law and order” efforts to increase police training and create a task force that’s tough on violent crime, according to ABC News.
On Wednesday, a less-than-affable Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell didn’t seem too impressed with the president-elect’s plan for the nation. However, McConnell said Congress would work with Trump to help satisfy his goals.
“We look forward to working with him,” he said, noting that the replacement of Obamacare is high priority on the agenda. “I think most of the things that he’s likely to advocate we’re going to be enthusiastically for.”
So what does this mean for all the groundwork laid by Pres. Obama?
Aside from leaving millions of Americans without healthcare, Trump’s course of action also has the potential to undo all of Obama’s executive actions memorandums and executive orders pertaining to immigration and energy regulations surrounding climate change, ABC News reports. Chances of confirming Merrick Garland as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice during a Trump presidency is also out the window.
The Senate is expected to consider the president elect’s Supreme Court nominee some time next year. All in all, Trump insists his proposed plans will help “Make America Great Again.”
