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Monday, March 21, 2016

What Would the First 100 Days of a Trump Presidency Look Like?

The first 100 days of a presidency is a conventional yardstick of how effectively the Commander in Chief will lead. Republican frontrunner Donald Trump may secure the delegates needed to become the party’s nominee. If elected in November, his first 100 days in the Oval Office would definitely be measured.

Though not a precise determinant, according to an article by US News and World Report’s Ken Walsh:

The underlying truth is that presidents tend to be most effective when they first take office, when their leadership style seems fresh and new, when the aura of victory is still powerful, and when their impact on Congress is usually at its height. There is nothing magic about the number, and many presidential aides over the years have complained that it is an artificial yardstick. But it has been used by the public, the media, and scholars as a gauge of presidential success and activism since Franklin D. Roosevelt pioneered the 100-day concept when he took office in 1933.
According to Cambridge historian Anthony Badger’s book FDR: The First One Hundred Days, "The first hundred days of the New Deal have served as a model for future presidents of bold leadership and executive-legislative harmony."

A Trump presidency would be anything but harmonious. I posted on Facebook and Twitter: “Imagine the first 100 days of a Trump presidency. What would happen? Ready...GO!”

Here are some of the responses (one of the bullet points was privately messaged to me via Facebook):
Nothing that he promised would…Build a wall, repeal Obamacare, bring companies back to the U.S., tear up the nuclear deal with Iran, end China's currency manipulation, make deals with Congress "in 10 minutes," "bomb the s--- out of ISIS," restore America's relationship with Russia, the list goes on and on...
A nation divided/total chaos
Excuses would be made to lock up or silence journalists that disagreed with him
bipartisan impeachment for first amendment violations and evading checks and balances
There'd be the "herds of locusts"
After the great liberal migration to Canada it was amazing how fast America became great again
“Mass hysteria” (Ghostbusters reference) The first two bullet points would likely happen. Locking up and silencing journalists goes against the First Amendment. The last point might be an exaggeration. Regardless, this sketch from Saturday Night Live last November is not likely to become a reality: “prosperity is at an all time high” with ISIS obliterated and Russia withdrawing from Ukraine after Trump calls President Vladimir Putin a loser, according to a report by Secretary of State Omarosa.

In all seriousness, it is improbable any policy would be accomplished over the first 100 days of a Trump presidency. The Washington Post’s Ed Rogers summarizes it best:

Constitutional fights with Congress, demonstrations that could quickly escalate to riots, allies who would be embarrassed to be seen with an American president, a U.S. military that has its doubts and could need to take some actions on its own to prevent the worst from happening, and enemies abroad who will aggressively try to take advantage of a narrow-minded, ignorant egomaniac — it all seems plausible. It sounds harsh, but it is not an extreme hypothetical of what the Trump presidency could bring.
If elected, the first 100 days of the reality TV star in the White House would be highly episodic politically.


Source: AAN

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

The transition will be seamless.

Anonymous said...

we shouldnt really care who is president, we have to clean house in the Congress and Senate.

Anonymous said...

Can not be worse than what we have had for the last 8 years.

Anonymous said...

1038am - Giant BINGO!!!!

Anonymous said...

A hell of a lot better than the last 100 days of Obama's reign!

Anonymous said...

Trump 2016

Anonymous said...

It'll take him that long to review and rescind all of the unconstitutional executive orders.

Anonymous said...

You will not even see a difference. Sure, you will hear a different type of speeches and you will hear all of Trump's "bluntness", but the way our government is set up, nothing will be changed. It's not in the congress's best interests. And the backlash of Trump winning the presidency, will cause congress to go even more to the left in 2018 which will mean even less will happen. Think about how much Obama was able to do in his first 2 years of his presidency with a Democratic congress, compared to the rest of his presidency with a Republican congress. And in 20 18, you will have Democrats against him along with the Republican ones that have lost all of their power and influence. But you will surely love the speeches on how things will change.