Donald Trump, a man of many promises

Donald Trump, a man of many promises
By Luke Barber
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After a hard fought battle to win November's US presidential election, could the promises made by Trump on the campaign trail come back to haunt him?

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Presidential candidates on the campaign trail are usually wary of making too many promises. They know that, in reality, politics is all about compromise.

But this is yet another trend that Donald Trump bucked.

The new President of the United States of America is perhaps the most a leader the modern world has seen, and his numerous podium pledges seemed to fit the bill.

According to the Washington Post, Trump made over 280 promises to voters en route to the White House, enough to make most campaign director’s weep.

But unlike his predecessors, Trump did what Trump does best – he drew up a contract.

To back up his many vows, the billionaire real estate mogul published a two-page ‘Contract with the American Voter’ outlining his “100-day action plan to make America Great Again”.

While not all of his promises made it into the document, those that did forecast a swift turnaround in the way US government conducts its business.

Jobs

Trump said he’d be the “greatest jobs president that God ever created”, creating at least 25 million of them over the next decade.

But how will he do it?

If states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa and Virginia are to get the job rush they were promised, he’ll have to do a lot more than refusing to eat another Oreo until Nabisco moves production back to the US from Mexico.

First on his agenda is to bring jobs back to the US from overseas, offering tax breaks to companies who do so, and financially punishing those who don’t.

He has already threatened to tax Ford for every car it imports into the US, although he has incorrectly stated that it has already happened twice before.

Other warnings to manufacturers such as forcing Apple to “start building their damn computers and things in this country, instead of in other countries” and offer a glimpse into how Trump will tackle America’s unemployment problem.

Taxes

If he is to follow through on his promises of plentiful jobs, US companies will have to have enough funds to pay American employees the federal minimum wage – which Trump has variously said is either too high or too low.

He said he will push for a reduction of corporation tax from 35 percent to 15 percent and that “the trillions of dollars of American corporate money overseas can now be brought back at a 10% rate”.

According to Trump’s contract, the middle class can also expect “massive” tax cuts and the number of brackets will be reduced from seven to three.

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Immigration

The “great wall” on the US border with Mexico was, of course, one of the new president’s most notorious campaign promises.

But aside from pledging to fund the its construction, “with the full understanding that the country of Mexico will be reimbursing the United States for the full cost” there are a few other tactics up Trump’s sleeve for reducing immigration as a whole.

He intends to introduce a two-year mandatory prison sentence for those illegally re-entering the US after a previous deportation, and a mandatory five years behind bars for people with prior convictions who illegally re-enter the US.

But illegal immigration won’t be his sole focus.

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Even those legally living in America will come under the government’s watchful eye.

Trump intends to reform visa rules to enhance penalties for overstaying and to ensure open jobs are offered to American workers first.

Foreign policy

But it is on the world stage that Trump will have a lot of work to do.

Trump’s maxim has always been to put “America first” when it comes to negotiations with foreign leaders.

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Aside from cosying up to President Putin in Russia, and prefering to call Iran’s Ali Khamenei “baby” rather than supreme leader, the new president has also promised to be tougher at the negotiating table with America’s trading partners, many of whom he accused of unfair practices.

China in particular will bear the brunt of the new US stance on trade.

“We can’t continue to allow China to rape our country, and that’s what they’re doing,” Trump has previously stated.

First step – replacing the state banquets that have formerly greeted President Xi Jinping with a quick trip to McDonald’s.

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