There is no gainsaying the fact that the office of the President of the United States is the most powerful office in the world. This, therefore, means that whoever occupies the office would be a very powerful person if not the most powerful.
The United States is seen as the World leader by the virtue of the power it wields so the eyes of the world are on whoever leads the country. His actions, decisions and policies have far reaching effects beyond the shores of the states.
On January 20, 2017, billionaire business mogul, Mr. Donald Trump, was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Before the election, many had seen Mr. Trump as unfit for the office of the United States President as he was perceived to be lacking tact, seriousness, decorum and diplomacy; features that should be possessed by any leader . Some went as far as referring to him as a ‘clown’ insisting that he lacked what it took to handle the office he was aspiring to. Of course, he had his support; after all, he was representing a political party and there were those too who felt that the afore-mentioned qualities were not important as long as he could get the job done.
Mr. Trump himself did not make any efforts to endear himself to his critics as his utterances even while on the campaign train, left many people including some of his party member amazed and dumbfounded. He was quick with insults and abusive words especially for his opponent, Hilary Clinton whom he nicknamed ” Crooked Hillary” and the out-going-President Barrack Obama.
One year into his tenure, has the office of the United States President refined Mr. Trump or has Mr. Trump reduced the prestigious office to a theatre of the absurd? How has America, Americans and the world fared under Trump’s presidency?
Mr. Rasaq Adewale Kasum is a Nigerian based in the United States who has seen Presidents come and go. To him, “Trump, if care is not taken will be the worst President that America has ever had.”
He expatiates, “I really don’t know what area(s) I can say he has done well. In the area of the economy, he is still operating the budget left behind by his predecessor, former President Obama. The recently passed tax reform by the Republican, his party is still a subject of discussion by heavily divided Americans as to who will benefit most from the reform.
“President Trump is now rated 40%. He has not fulfilled most of his campaign promises made to the American people. The President is full of inconsistencies. For now, he is noted for his anti – immigrant stance, which has turned the world against him as demonstrated recently by the votes in the United Nations. With 40% rating, the issue speaks for itself.”
Mr. Tompra Abarowei is a Media Consultant and an avid follower of American politics; he had this to say about Mr. Trump and his one year in office, “Mr. Donald Trump’s victory at the poll in the 2016 American election came as a shock to most people in the world and some in the U.S. I say some because Americans and developed countries had for long believed that their democratic principles were infallible. However, after one year in office as President of the United States, Donald Trump, is wobbling and fumbling as he steers the ship of arguably, the greatest economy in the world.
“So far, his style of administration has been a mixture of comedy and a joke. The President of the United State is moving the world towards a major world war with his childish behaviour to world affairs. The US today is not taken seriously in world affairs while the Americans are wondering how they got to this level of governance. He is jeopardizing the long standing ‘special relationship’ between Britain and America”
Mr. Abarowei expressed the view that “Trump’s actions in Pakistan and Israel will bring back the era of international terrorism witnessed in the mid 70s and early 80s,” adding that “back home in the US the citizens are not faring better with his ‘America First’ philosophy, which is becoming more of racism than a just society.”
He concluded, “unfortunately, the world and Americans will have to manage Donald Trump for another three years before they can do anything to change him. That is if he does not do anything rash to endanger the existence of human kind.”
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Mr. Ugochukwu Orji put his assessment of President Trump and his one year in office thus, “from the happenings around him; conspiracy with Russia concerning his election, his stance on North Korea, his immigration law, repeal of Obama Care, uncensored utterances on blacks and Africans, it portrays a president with little or no regards for diplomacy, though it is common knowledge that republicans lack in the department of diplomacy. By my assessment, he is handling American affairs as a business man. It has its merits and demerits.”
Mrs Wendy Silas, another Nigerian based in the US reacted thus, “since Trump entered office a year ago, he’s created so much disparity between the races and between the super wealthy and the middle class. He’s hateful and doesn’t know how to speak or be presidential. I look forward to the day he is out of office for good.”
Indeed Mr. Trump has managed to generate all manner of controversies. Major among his controversies are the long drawn out investigations into the involvement of Russia in his campaign and subsequent election, his war of words with North Korean leader, declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, proposed wall at the US – Mexico border, sacking of former FBI Director, tax reforms, and description of Haiti and parts of Africa as ‘shitholes,’ among others.
Other actions of the President, which have sparked of controversies especially in his own country include; his reaction to the White – supremacy inspired riots in Charlottesville, attempt to bar transgender people from the US armed forces as well as his pardoning of a controversial former Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff who rounded up and mistreated Latinos.
Perhaps the greatest controversy and burden hanging over Trump’s one year presidency is the issue of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, an immigration programme by his predecessor that provides protection from deportation for over eight hundred thousand undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children known as the Dreamers.
President Trump had announced in September last year his plans to end the programme by March this year, a decision that has generated so much heat, so much that the Democrats threatened to shut down government by midnight of January 19, a day to Trump’s first year anniversary if he does not back down on that.
As at the time of writing this analysis President Trump had maintained his position, which his predecessor has described as “cruel and self – defeating.” In a face book post Obama said, “ultimately, this is about whether we are a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America. Or whether we treat them the way we’d want our children to be treated. It’s about who we are and who we want to be.”
President Trump has been called a lot of uncomplimentary names ranging from dotard, racist, clown, an idiot, unchristian, crazy, an embarrassment, stupid, divisive and unpredictable. He has also been likened to Mussolini, Hitler and Goliath while being labelled as lacking in sensibility; and these by world leaders.
With President Trump, it has been like a circus. Will it get better from here on? Only time will tell. But for now and the next three years, the world is stuck with Donald Trump. We might enjoy the ride while it lasts.
