Extra

Donald Trump started his second presidential term on January 20^th. Trump has made a lot of news, but what has he accomplished? Let us consider his campaign promises. 

The Economy: Trump defeated Harris because a majority of voters believed that he would “fix” the economy; that is, Trump would bring down inflation and manage the associated costs such as housing and healthcare. 

This hasn’t happened. Inflation today (2.7 percent) is roughly the same as it was in January (and is headed upward because of Trump’s tariffs.) During this 6-month period, the economy has been stable but lost momentum. In the last three months of 2024, the US economy grew by 2.4 percent (real GDP). In the first three months of Trump, GDP decreased by .5 percent. (The results for the second quarter will be released at the end of July.) Over the past 6 months, consumer confidence has deceased. 

Trump’s economic policy has centered on his use of tariffs. On April 2^nd, Trump unveiled double-digit tariff rates on US trading partners. The Trump tariff rate placed on each country was calculated by taking the U.S. trade deficit with each country and dividing it by that country’s exports to the U.S., then halving that figure. (An extremely unconventional approach.) Trump predicted that his reciprocal tariffs would result in dozens of new trade deals, “90 deals in 90 days.” The results were unimpressive: partial trade agreements with Great Britain, Indonesia, Japan, and Vietnam. (Regarding the Japan deal, Paul Krugman said: “Overall, the interaction between this Japan deal and Trump’s other tariffs probably tilts the playing field between U.S. and Japanese producers of cars, and perhaps other products, in Japan’s favor.”) 

On July 20^th, a CBS NEWS/YOUGOV poll found that 50 percent of respondents felt that Trump’s policies are making them “financially worse off” (only 18 percent felt the policies are making them “financially better off.) 64 percent disapproved of his handling of inflation. 

Immigration: Trump plans to deport 1 million people per year (2740 per day). ICE is currently apprehending about half that many.  

Most ICE arrestees are noncriminals. In the CBS NEWS/YOUGOV poll, 52 percent of respondents state “the US government is trying to deport more people than [they] expected.” 56 percent report the Trump Administration is “prioritizing for deportation people who aren’t dangerous criminals.” 51 percent of respondents disapprove of “Trump administration’s program to deport immigrants illegally in the US.” 

Promises to Donors: Trump’s campaign made distinct promises to major donors. Most of these have been kept. For example, Trump promised the fossil-fuel industry that he would obliterate “the green new deal” and he’s done that. (Trump ignores global climate change.) Trump promised conservatives that he would reduce the size of government, and he has laid off more than 67,000 federal employees. Trump promised to end federal “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) programs and he has done that. (Trump has badgered many non-governmental agencies to end their DEI initiatives.)  

Since January 20^th, Trump has followed the roadmap laid out in “Project 2025.” What he is doing is not popular with voters, in general, but it gets strong support from his base. Trump has signed an unprecedented number of executive orders. 

Foreign policy: Trump campaigned as the “antiwar” candidate, but he has been involved in three wars in six months: Gaza, Iran, and Ukraine. 

Trump’s aggressive approach to foreign policy – ending US foreign aid and bullying nations with tariffs – has made the US unpopular. As a result, foreign tourism is down and the US $ has fallen. 

. China: Trump’s approach to China is to levy tariffs. (Currently 30 percent.) David Brooks notes that China is our primary competitor: “In the years between 2003 and 2007, according to a study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the United States led the way in 60 of 64 frontier technologies — stretching across sectors such as defense, space, energy, the environment, computing and biotech. By the period between 2019 and 2023, the Chinese led among 57 of those 64 key technologies, while the United States led in only seven.” ( https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/opinion/trump-america-china.html ) 

. Israel: Trump’s closest political ally is Netanyahu. Trump ignores the Gaza genocide and has abandoned the “two-state solution.” Trump aided Israel when it bombed Iran. 

. Russia: Trump has backed away from a friendship with Putin. Trump is reluctantly sending weapons to Ukraine. 

. United Nations: Trump does not like the UN (and NATO) but has continued the US membership. 

Approval Ratings: According to the latest Gallup Poll, Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 37 percent. ( https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/opinion/trump-america-china.html ) Among political independents, Trump’s rating has fallen to 29 percent. 

Summary: Donald Trump’s second term is a disaster. Fortunately, voters understand this. Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 37 percent and he is underwater on all the important metrics: the economy, immigration, foreign policy, public health, and on and on. Trump 47 is unpopular, and Donald is reeling from the Epstein disclosures. 

Now is the time for the opposition to propose a bold alternative to Trump 47.