A letter in the July 31 edition claims that if Trump was [sic] a Democrat (which he was from 2001-2009) “he would be praised as the greatest president since FDR.” I disagree. If he were a Democrat he would not have been allowed to steal that party’s nomination, much less the election. Remember, the majority of the country voted against him in 2016.
His accomplishments since taking office are numerous. He cut taxes, for the wealthy. He cut regulations, allowing corporations greater latitude in fouling air and water. He cancelled DACA, turning the matter over to Congress, causing great uncertainty among more than 500,000 young people. This has yet to be resolved. He has made questionable cabinet appointments such as Pruitt, DeVos and others while appointing family members to influential positions. These appointments include persons who brought us such concepts as “alternative facts.”
Internationally, he withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord, seriously dampening efforts to curb global warming. He moved our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, infuriating the Middle East. He withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement although Iran was in compliance and in spite of six other members’ objections. He attacked our NATO allies while at the same time embracing ruthless dictators Putin and Kim Jong Un. He imposed tariffs on China as well as trade partners Canada, Mexico and the European Union, causing retaliatory measures which are now straining our economy.
The DJIA dropped 700 points recently. He claims responsibility for unemployment reduction. Actually, it dropped from 9.6 percent in 2010 to 4.9 in 2016, before his administration. This administration’s policies have caused chaos and enormous human suffering at our southern border. That is a subject for another day.
The greatest president since FDR? Certainly the worst since Richard M. Nixon, possibly the worst of all time.
