It is hard to deny that our current president is one of the most critiqued presidents ever to take office. Since the 2016 election, some politicians have compared him to dictators. Liz Mair of U.S. News states that “When it comes to actual policy accomplishments tied to pledges he made on the campaign trail, Trump is actually doing pretty well.” He is not the best leader that we have ever had, but he has done many beneficial things.
Trump fired James Comey, the former FBI director, thus putting himself on a pedestal while simultaneously taping a target on his chest. Comey was leading an investigation into the Clinton Email Scandal. The Democratic Party was appalled when Trump then concurred and fired the former FBI director. This is considered to be one of the most controversial things he has done. Michael D. Shear and Matt Apuzzo state that “President Trump fired the director of the F.B.I., James B. Comey, abruptly terminating the top official leading a criminal investigation into whether Mr. Trump’s advisers colluded with the Russian government to steer the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.” This does set him out to seem manipulative. Some may also speculate if Hillary Clinton would have done the same thing had she won the election; not because she holds a grudge, but because she might see someone more fit to be FBI director under her term(s).
Additionally, Trump removed the former CIA director John Brennan’s security clearance after he was replaced by Mike Pompeo. This did not help his case either. Former CIA director John Brennan’s security clearance was taken away, allegedly, because he spoke out against Trump. This essentially means that he is no longer able to access classified information that he would’ve had when he was head of the CIA. This is a more recent argument that shows a bit of Trump’s aggressive side. Brennan is no longer working for the CIA. Once you finish a job working for the CIA, you don’t generally hold onto your security clearance any longer. However, Trump’s timing on this could have been better. It’s no secret that John Brennan has issues with Trump. Expressing these thoughts brings into question whether Trump took his clearance away because he doesn’t need it anymore, or because he holds a grudge. The CIA, alongside other government-run agencies, answers to the commander-in-chief. “The problem there isn’t so much with Trump as it is with United States law,” said Steven Crowder, an American-Canadian Political Commentator. Either way, as commander-in-chief, he has supreme control of all of the government-controlled agencies like the CIA. It’s within his constitutional rights to do so.
Immigration is something American political parties have differing opinions on. However, some people may not consider all the facts. During the Republican primaries, Trump’s policy was a bit over the top. Anyone left or right has to accept the fact that the wall was flawed from the start. While it might have prevented some of the illegal immigration, it would’ve been extremely expensive and Congress would’ve never approved it. While he is still trying to do so, the policy he is actually able to put into effect is as follows: He wants to deport undocumented workers that have been charged with a felony, while making sure that the ones coming in are entering through a legal process. This seems like a reasonable way to find common ground between both parties.
The left has also expressed issues with the Electoral College and how such a system may have a bias and is un-democratic. Yes, Donald Trump lost the popular vote by a few million votes. Our founding fathers put more ink into the electoral college and the presidential election system than anything else in the base of our government. Since the beginning, it has acted as an effective failsafe. It’s the best way to project the voice of the people while also avoiding complete mob rule.
So here we are in 2018. Our economy is not only the best in the world; it’s blooming incredibly under Trump’s economic plan. Jeff Cox of CNBC has stated “During his time in office, the economy has achieved feats most experts once thought impossible. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is growing at a 3 percent-plus rate. The unemployment rate is near a 50-year low. Meanwhile, the stock market has jumped 27 percent amid a surge in corporate profits.” This blows the socialism argument out of the water. People who have come from either Canada or a European country who have a socialized health care system have backed the socialist movement here in the U.S. The idea that a program like this can serve everyone, but it just doesn’t work. If you look at Canada alone, “they have the worst E.R. referral wait times in 11 developed countries.”
When all is said and done, Trump’s presidency has various pros and cons. Like many of his predecessors, if not all of them, he has opposition. How he responds to the people who oppose him is completely up to him, and he is protected by the first amendment. The problem arises when people stop believing that he has basic natural rights whether or not he is the commander-in-chief. In twenty years from now, we’ll look back at the Trump administration and the economy and the supreme court will be his legacy. Who knows what the next years hold for us, but if he is willing to give us a shot, we should be willing to do the same.
