TRUMP AT ONE YEAR: PRESIDENT FOR THE 1%
ENGLISH
Amid all the bluster and high drama, the defining theme of Trump’s first year in office has been his insatiable desire to enrich the wealthy and big corporations at the expense of working Americans. At every turn, Trump and Pence have consistently sided with the powerful interests they promised to fight against, all while throwing working Americans—including their own voters—under the bus.
Trump and his party spent the better part of the year trying to take away health care from tens of millions of Americans to pay for a tax cut for the rich, and when that failed, they passed a tax bill that gave 80% of its benefits to the top 1%. These are more than just broken promises—they are outright betrayals.
At the same time, Trump, Pence and their cabinet waged war against working families through quieter efforts like proposing massive cuts to job training programs, gutting protections for student borrowers and consumers, and making it harder for Americans to save for their retirement— just to name a few. These are more than just broken promises—they are outright betrayals.
Time and again, Trump and his Republican enablers have lied to the American people to cover up the gulf between his rhetoric and his policies. When Trump was confronted with questions about the undeniable fact that his tax plan would save him hundreds of millions, he said it wouldn’t. When Republicans didn’t want to admit that their health care plan cut hundreds of millions from Medicaid, they said it didn’t.
These lies are the real “fake news” of the Trump presidency—but the impact on America is very real. Just ask employees of the Carrier plant in Indianapolis. A year ago, Trump and Pence promised to save their jobs and announced a deal to much fanfare. Yet hundreds of job layoffs later, we now know these were empty promises. The company is getting millions in tax incentives while those workers are still getting pink slips. This is the story of Trump’s first year in office.
The threat Trump poses to our prosperity as a nation also extends beyond these economic policies and to the reckless behavior and hateful, divisive rhetoric that has defined his politics for years. The president who launched his campaign with a racially charged attack on Mexican immigrants closed out his first year in office broadening that assault and denigrating numerous countries. Democrats know America’s diversity is not just part of the heart and soul of our nation, but is also a competitive advantage. We are a place where ideas, innovation, and dreams flourish and together we all rise. Instead of recognizing this as a strength, Trump has attacked it relentlessly.
While Trump and the GOP continue their campaign to reward the wealthy at the expense of the middle class, Democrats will keep fighting to create an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, to create more jobs with higher wages, and to ensure every American has the opportunity get ahead and stay ahead.
Trump hasn’t delivered on his economic promises.
On the campaign trail Trump made big promises to grow the economy, bring back jobs, raise wages and protect American workers, all of which have gone unfulfilled. Trump is not for American workers. Trump is not for middle-class families. Trump is not for women. Trump, who admitted on tape to sexually assaulting women, has unsurprisingly continued to hurt women through the first year of his presidency.
Trump’s priority is enriching his business and himself.