Trump one year on – populist rhetoric and the policy reality
Dr Cherrie Short examines Donald Trump’s controversial first year as President of the United States...
assistance and other programmes that benefit the low income and elderly segments of the population. His campaign against opiod addiction has received little funding and his infrastructure bill is far smaller than needed and promised.
Most of these policies fail to help, and in many cases hurt, the middle and lower income working classes.
In foreign policy, the harsh realities of the international security system have prevented abandoning Nato, imposing high tariffs on the Chinese, or other major shifts from judgement or temperament to lead the country. And some may view his narcissism and teenage-like need to get in fights with everyone as signs of mental illness, as a few psychologists have testified.
Yet, he is helping the Republican Party achieve its conservative policy agenda, and similar to Brexit and the Tory leadership, the Republican leadership seems to care more about this policy agenda than Trump’s potential threat to the stability of the American presidency, other democratic institutions and the future of the country.
Much like reality television, watching President Trump can be addictive. While his antics and tantrums can be entertaining, it should not be where we obsessively focus our attention, as we have these first 12 months. We also should pay close attention to his policies, executive orders, court appointments and legislative victories.
His rhetoric and policy agenda reveal a dual political strategy for sustaining his populist base while solidifying his control over the Republican Party and support from the conservative, economic elites.