Border Crossings A+
Donald has done exceptionally well in reducing illegal border crossings by 99%
Deportation of Illegal Immigrants A
Doing well so far, but efforts have been impeded by sanctuary cities and by opposition district courts insisting that immigrants who avoided due process entering the country are entitled to it before deportation. This will likely be escalated to the Supreme Court.
Gender and Title IX A-
His executive orders established two key provisions: first, they formally recognized only two genders, and second, they required high school athletes to compete on teams corresponding to their biological sex. The latter requirement is being contested in several states.
DOGE A
DOGE has found billions in federal government fraud, abuse, and waste, but Democratic judges have challenged the downsizing of executive branch departments. This will probably go to the Supreme Court.
Ukraine War C-
He promised to end this war on day one, but has made little progress. Ending the war will require Ukraine to cede territory to Russia, which seems unfair since Russia was the aggressor.
Israel War B
He continues to support Israel in its quest to eliminate Hamas. He proposed the US playing a role as a buffer in Gaza, which would require the deportation of the Palestinians. No country has agreed to accept them.
Acting Against Anti-Semitism on Campus A
He pressured universities to act against anti-semitism on their campuses.
DEI Programs B
He has threatened to withhold funding from universities that support DEI, which he considers equivalent to racial and gender discrimination. Some universities are resisting and will challenge in court.
Withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord and WHO B
He withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord for a few reasons. The U.S. is ahead of its earlier climate commitments to the group. The Accord members, many of whom are far behind the U.S. in their climate efforts, would have the U.S. fund climate remediation globally, not just in the U.S. Exit from the WHO was based on its poor and biased performance during COVID.
Controlling Abrasive Speech F
Donald has a way of making enemies with this speech and behavior.
* Proposing that Canada should be the 51st state was undiplomatic and contributed to the defeat of the Conservative candidate in the Canadian Prime Minister election.
* Denmark was unhappy that Donald asked Greenland to join the U.S. as a territory.
* Donald wanted the Federal Reserve to reduce interest rates in April, but when it did not, he called Jerome Powell, the Fed Chairman, an “idiot”.
Diplomacy and statesmanship have been longstanding areas for improvement.
Tariff Policies F
He imposed tariffs on imports to achieve a reciprocal trade outcome. He also wants to encourage companies to return manufacturing to the U.S. to increase domestic employment and ensure that the U.S. has all of the competencies it would require in the case of a war with China. These are sound objectives, but his planning and implementation have been abysmal.
He announced tariffs on over 200 countries simultaneously, leaving no time for negotiation. He should have announced the tariffs in stages of perhaps 25 countries at a time, leaving time for negotiation until moving to the next stage. As it is, it may take two years or more to close deals with all countries. He needs a remedial course in project management. True to his personality, he seemed more interested in making a big spectacle than solving the problem.
Tariffs will result in higher consumer prices. No one is in favor of paying higher prices.
Tariffs will encourage countries to use currencies other than the U.S. dollar as their reserve currency, causing the dollar to decline relative to other currencies.
Tariffs could reduce demand for U.S. Treasuries, increasing the interest rate and raising federal government interest expenses. That has already happened.
The chaotic management of the tariff roll-out has caused uncertainty in the stock and bond markets. The stock market has dropped significantly, and bond interest rates have increased.
Building new factories in the U.S. will take at least a year and, depending on the type of factory, as long as several years.
His objectives may be well-founded, but his planning and analysis of the tariff program were amateurish.
Improvement Plan
Donald should consult with advisors before making decisions and spend more time considering the effects of his speech and actions. He should especially try to be more diplomatic in his remarks. He has alienated many people for no good reason.
The Ordinary Blog 