Lofty Trump agenda beset by realities in first 100 days

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - For the American president who campaigned on a platform of ardent bluster, Donald Trump’s first 100 days have been a crash course in the realities of governance.

The firebrand billionaire turned leader of the free world portrays himself as everything his predecessor was not: a brash, often abrasive “straight-talker”; a “man of the people”; and, most importantly, a dealmaker.

However, his much-touted business acumen has not translated into the promised trove of Oval Office victories during what is traditionally meant to be a honeymoon period for a U.S. president.

Judging purely by the 38 promises to American voters Trump released in the run-up to last year’s Nov. 8 polls, his first 100 days have been an abject failure.

He has only managed to fulfill nine of the vows within his “Contract With America”, putting his success rate at the 24 percent mark.

That can be attributed to a “lack of finesse” in navigating the policy-making process, Jennifer Victor, an associate professor of American politics at George Mason University, Virginia, told Anadolu Agency.

“He seems to have come into the presidency assuming that he could run the government like you would run a corporation,” she said.

“But the various levels of checks and balances in the policy-making process, in the legislative process and the various interests that play in government work quite a bit differently than a corporation and so I think he’s had his eyes opened to a lot of frustrations.”

Standing in Trump’s way has been a dual threat of deeply-rooted divisions among Congressional Republicans and a judiciary that has challenged constitutionally questionable executive orders.

On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to scrap or re-negotiate the 2015 deal with Iran to reign in its nuclear program, have Mexico pay for a border wall and prevent Muslims from entering the U.S.

- Setbacks

All were supposed to be among his top priorities. One hundred days later, none have come to pass.

Mexico remains adamant that it will not foot the bill for a wall it does not want and has said the barrier could violate a 47-year-old treaty governing the transnational Rio Grande.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is scrambling for a way to scrap the pact that removed nuclear-related sanctions on Iran without violating the good faith of Washington's European partners and co-negotiators.

The program of “extreme vetting” that many, including federal judges, have said is an unconstitutional Muslim ban has faced a series of legal defeats that are poised to keep it on the sidelines for the foreseeable future, if not ultimately spell its demise.

While the glaring setbacks may be stinging, the American president can count a smattering of successes since he came to office in January.

He has met his pledge to withdraw the U.S. from a free trade pact with Asia, blunted anti-climate change efforts and instituted a federal hiring freeze.

All were accomplished through unilateral action, casting aside the need to seek action from Congress.

Many of Trump's other accomplishments stem from relatively minor executive orders directing federal agencies to carry out reviews of various policies and reduce regulations.

“In terms of major public policy, he’s talked a lot, but achieved little,” said Stephen Wayne, a professor of government at Washington’s Georgetown University who specializes in the presidency.

“He talks about leadership and what he’s done but the achievements have not been, to many people’s satisfaction, major changes to public policies.”

- Signs of learning

While Trump has been unable to get a promised plan to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare bill through the legislature, he has gotten lawmakers to approve his pick for America’s highest court, Neil Gorsuch.

That victory came at a potentially significant cost, however.

A critical vote threshold many saw as a bulwark of moderation for Supreme Court nominees was eliminated in the process, meaning the repercussions of Gorsuch’s Senate approval will likely reverberate long beyond his time on the bench.

As Trump approaches his 100-day mark on Saturday, there may be signs that he is learning the contours of the game, said Victor, the George Mason professor.

She said his reversal on labelling China a currency manipulator and the change of heart on NATO’s obsolescence may point in that direction.

“There’s been a number of really big-ticket items that he has been very public about in the past where he’s just done a complete 180 on them,” she said.

“What exactly explains that 180 is hard to say. Maybe that’s evidence of him learning, but maybe that’s evidence of a more savvy sense of the politics of these issues. It’s hard to know.”

While simultaneously leading an international business empire and anchoring a nationally-syndicated television show -- as Trump once did -- is impressive in its own right, it does not necessarily set the stage for a successful Oval Office term.

“President Trump had a lot more to learn than most presidents," Wayne said, “and as a consequence, yes, he is learning.”