President Trump makes his mark

Donald Trump launched his presidency with a flurry of executive action, pulling the US out of a major trade agreement, ordering the construction of a Mexican border wall, and beginning the process of dismantling the Affordable Care Act. After the new president was sworn into office last Friday, his first full day in charge was marred by massive protests against his administration and
his angry reaction to media reports about the modest size of his inauguration crowd. But Trump wasted little time in wielding his executive pen. He pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP) – a 12-nation trade deal negotiated by the Obama administration that hadn’t been ratified by Congress – and scheduled meetings with the premiers of Canada and Mexico to begin renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement. He directed the Department of Homeland Security to begin constructing a border wall and to strip funding for so-called sanctuary cities, which refuse to hand over undocumented immigrants to federal authorities. “Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders,” Trump said.

In other executive orders, Trump directed federal agencies to “waive, defer, grant exemptions, or delay” any parts of the Affordable Care Act that it deems burdensome; cleared the way for the
approval of the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines, which had been halted amid environmental concerns; reinstated the so-called Mexico City Policy, which prevents American foreign aid from going to organizations that offer women advice on health; and implemented a
hiring freeze on all federal government workers except military personnel. His administration also instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to freeze all its grants and contracts. He was
expected to issue another executive order temporarily banning refugees and immigrants from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. After repeating his unsubstantiated claim that millions of people voted illegally in November’s election, the president said he’d launch a “major investigation” into the issue.

“Depending on the results,” he tweeted, “we will strengthen up voting procedures.” What the editorials said Withdrawing from the TPP may end up benefiting “a sliver of US manufacturing workers,” said USA Today. But the trade agreement was “America’s best hope for expanding its influence in Asia and limiting the influence of China, which is not part of the deal.” Without the US, the TPP’s remaining 11 nations will likely join a rival trade group that “puts China at its centre.”
Right from the start, our new president is doing “what he promised,” said the Chicago Tribune – focusing on “creating jobs and boosting wages.” The former businessman told a group of CEOs in the White House that he wants to reduce the top corporate tax rate from 35% to 15% or 20%, and to reduce business regulations by 75%. “Those are the kinds of moves that encourage companies to invest more and add jobs.”

What the columnists said During the election, journalists were mocked for taking Trump “literally,” not “seriously,” said Jamelle Bouie in Slate. com. Trump wouldn’t literally build a wall or ban Muslims from entering the US, we were told – these were “statements of concern” rather than “guides to action.” Now we know Trump really does think voter fraud is widespread; he genuinely
intends to build a wall, and to block immigration and visitors from many Muslim-majority countries. His divisive campaign “was not an act.”

What next?
Trump will unveil his pick for the vacant Supreme Court seat next week, said Michael Shear and Adam Liptak in The New York Times. The three leading contenders – federal appeals court judges William Pryor, Neil Gorsuch, and Thomas Hardiman – all have legal philosophies similar to the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s. But Democrats are still seeking to avenge Republicans’ nine-month blockade of President Obama’s nomination to fill the vacancy. The GOP, which holds 52 seats in
the Senate, would need 60 votes to break a filibuster. They could change the rules so that only a simple majority is required – but that could come back to haunt them in future administrations. Either way, prepare for an “all-consuming political fight.”