Cedars, March 2018

March 2018 12 ANALYSIS by Timothy Mattackal P resident Donald J. Trump’s first year in office was filled with change and controversy. Through tackling nominations, reforms, frequent replace- ments and the occasional scandal, the Trump administration has challenged his- toric perceptions of the role of the Presi- dent of the United States. Here is a look back at the key events and policies of the Trump Administration over the past year in an attempt to discern what is to come. To analyze how the Trump administra- tion has progressed, it is necessary to look to how it started. Following a controversial and unorthodox campaign, the business mogul took the oath of office on January 20, 2017. Upon entering the White House, Pres- ident Trump needed to consolidate support among mainstream conservatives, and he immediately set about accomplishing this with the nomination and confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, who was a favored nominee for the political right. Dr. Mark Caleb Smith, professor of political science and director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville Universi- ty, said this was one of the most important policy outcomes which the administration has achieved to date. “That paid offa promise that Trumpmade during the campaign,” Smith said. “It also bought him an awful lot of patience among conservatives who were critical of Trump, and it gave some sense that Trump might actually do some of what he promised to do.” Smith also said the passing of tax re- form legislation in December significantly bolstered Trump’s conservative base and was the administration’s biggest legislative victory to date. “All initial indications are that it’s hav- ing a positive effect on business and that will eventually have a positive effect on wag- es, the economy and stock prices and other things as well,” Smith said. Despite this, allegations of collusion with Russia during the election campaign have continued to plague the Trump admin- istration over the first year. “The president has never gotten away from this issue,” Smith said. “The investiga- tion has dogged him, it’s been ongoing, it’s been perpetual and it’s led, at a minimum, to indictments of people that were somewhat important during the Trump campaign.” Smith says that Trump’s reaction to the investigation had a negative effect on his presidency. “I think that’s damaged the president quite a bit,” he said. “Firing James Comey as the director of the FBI, for example, [was] just a poor decision on his part, and a lot of the comments that he’s made surrounding the investigation and his frustrations with the investigation have, I think, destabilized his presidency in some pretty significant ways.” Internationally, President Trump’s biggest challenges have come from China, which is growing in power, and a regime in North Korea which has conducted a sixth nuclear test and developed an interconti- nental ballistic missile (ICBM) which can, in theory, target the East Coast of the United States. Dr. Glenn Duerr, professor of interna- tional studies at Cedarville University, says the rise of China is the biggest issue facing Trump globally as it presents a new prob- lem that the president has to negotiate. “For President Obama and for President Bush and for President Clinton before him, they dealt with a United States in a foreign policy atmosphere where the country was predominant and had no clear rival,” Duerr said. “That’s different now under Trump and he has to navigate that carefully, especially in the South China Sea with China exerting itself more.” According to Duerr, Trump’s foreign policy has been more focused on the idea of soft power diplomacy. While this could lead to positive outcomes, it also comes with risks. One of these risks is the state of global human rights. “Has President Trump paid enough attention to human rights? In my view, not yet,” Duerr said. “But at the same time, he’s gone back to the old idea of peace through strength which may lead to a better outcome for peace and democracy down the line.” Duerr believes that ensuring this posi- tive outcome is vital. “If we go backwards as human beings, we may give our children a much worse world than we’ve enjoyed ourselves, and that would be a troubling legacy for me to leave to my children’s generation,” he said. On the whole, Smith said Trump has done relatively well in his first year in office. “I think for the first year of his presi- dency he’s done reasonably well,” Smith said. “I think he floundered in his first few months because he didn’t understand gov- ernment well, but a lot of presidents strug- gle in that first portion of their first term.” Despite this, Smith believes President Trump should have several regrets from the past year. “I think Trump created a lot of his own problems. I do think he’s probably missed out on some opportunities to do more,” he said. Whether he has gained enough expe- rience to seize those opportunities through the next three years remains to be seen. Timothy Mattackal is a senior finance and accounting major. He enjoys traveling, reading and discussing relevant issues. Looking Back with an Eye on the Future The first year of the Trump presidency in review Photo by Associated Press President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally recently at Atlantic Aviation in Moon Township, Pa. Weeks after prodding lawmakers to stand up to the National Rifle Association,Trump is backing off his call for increasing the minimum age to buy an assault