President Donald Trump garnered a lot of attention for inflammatory and controversial comments he made throughout the campaign season. There have been countless attacks from critics about Trump’s temperament, his views toward women and his qualifications for office.
However, now that Trump is officially president, Americans will be shifting their focus away from Trump’s character and toward his policies. Here’s a look at 15 things Americans should be looking for during Trump’s term in office.
1. A wall. Trump routinely got the loudest reaction from his supporters on the campaign trail when he pledged to build “the greatest wall that you’ve ever seen” along the border between Mexico and the United States to fight illegal immigration.
2. Lower taxes. Other than a 2 percent increase in taxes for individuals earning less than $9,275 per year, almost every other American will either see tax cuts or no change to their top marginal income tax rates under Trump’s plan. Trump has also pledged cuts to capital gains tax rates and corporate tax rates as well.
3. Less freedom of press. Trump has said he plans to "open up our libel laws so when [journalists] write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money."
4. Withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP was a major talking point for Trump during the campaign, and Monday he signed an executive order to withdraw from TPP negotiations.
5. The end of the Obamacare. Trump wants to replace the current healthcare system with a system that is “so much better, so much better, so much better.”
6. Fewer environmental restrictions. Trump criticized the Obama administration for launching a “war on coal” and has pledged to eliminate “job-killing restrictions on the production of American energy, including shale energy and clean coal.”
7. Better infrastructure. Trump has pledged to invest $1 trillion in rebuilding and updating infrastructure such as roads, bridges and airports.
8. Fewer business regulations. Trump wants to ease the regulatory burden on businesses, particularly big banks. Trump has pledged to eliminate the Dodd-Frank Act that was put in place following the financial crisis to help protect the country from another economic catastrophe.
9. An end to Planned Parenthood. Trump has pledged to totally cut federal funding for the nonprofit organization that provides reproductive services such as abortions, free birth control and clinical breast examinations. On Monday, Trump took steps in the direction of limiting women's reproductive rights by reinstating a policy called "the Mexico City Policy," which, according to CNN, "bars international non-governmental organizations that perform or promote abortions from receiving US government funding."
10. A stronger military. Trump has pledged to “end the defense sequester and submit a new budget to Congress outlining a plan to rebuild our military.”
11. An increase in federal cybersecurity. Trump has appointed former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, as cybersecurity advisor and promised to initiate a review of “all U.S. cyber defenses and vulnerabilities, including critical infrastructure.”
12. An increase in domestic self-reliance. Trump has slammed OPEC and U.S. trade deals with China and Mexico. He has also repeatedly criticized U.S. companies that produce goods in other countries.
13. A weaker dollar. Trump is poised to officially declare China a currency manipulator. Trump recently declared the U.S. dollar “too strong” and has proposed a 45 percent tariff on imported Chinese goods.
14. More immigration restrictions. In addition to the border wall, Trump plans to “investigate all abuses of visa programs” and suspend all immigration from “terror problem regions.”
15. Term limits for Congress members. Within his first 100 days in office, Trump wants to impose six-year term limits on House members and 12-year term limits on senators.
Image Credit: By DoD Photo by Dominique A. Pineiro [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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