As Trump’s time in office comes to close, here are seven of the most significant moments from his presidency.
1) Signing the United States Mexico Canada Agreement. On July 1, 2020, President Trump terminated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and replaced it with the USMCA trade agreement. Trump believes that the USMCA will bolster economic growth, including the farming industry and automotive industry.
2) Building the Wall. During his campaign, Trump vowed to build a wall in an effort to discourage illegal immigration. As of January 5, 452 miles of wall has been built along the U.S. Mexico Border. In fact, Trump declared the border project a national emergency, and diverted 3.6 billion dollars from military construction toward building the wall.
3) Initiating the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement. On September 15, 2020, President Trump signed this treaty in an effort to establish peaceful relations between the U.S., Israel, and the United Arab Emirates. From tourism to healthcare, military to the environment, the fifteen agreements are expected to improve relations in the Middle East at a time when the Israel-Palestine conflict remains.
4) Nominating Supreme Court Justices. Trump has now nominated three Supreme Court Justices, all of whom have been confirmed by the Senate. Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Barrett have tilted the Supreme Court to a 6-3 Conservative Majority. The hearings have not been without controversy: Kavanaugh was accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford when he was in high school, and Barrett faced scrutiny for her prior rulings on policies that discriminated against LGBTQ individuals. In spite of these allegations, both were confirmed by the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate.
5) Ordering the Assassination of Iran General Qassem Soleimani. In accordance with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Trump encouraged the U.S. to proceed with the drone strikes. Trump argued Soleimani was planning “imminent and sinister attacks” against American interests.
6) Impeachment: Trump is the only President in United States History to have been impeached twice. Since the U.S. Senate is not in session, he will likely remain in office until January 20, but with the change in power, his legal troubles may follow him beyond his presidency. The Senate has considered penalizing Trump by barring him from running for president in the future.
7) Financial Controversy: Trump is facing financial troubles: Deutsche Bank, one of his primary financial companies, has reportedly parted ways from his real estate company, and Trump has not yet released his tax returns unlike previous presidents. The lack of tax returns was highlighted during the 2020 presidential debates.
Whether or not you agree with any of his policies, we can agree that Trump certainly has been of the most controversial presidents. Time will tell if he really “made America great again.”
-ThatPoliticalKid
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