*This is an opinion blog*
Don Juravin Reviews
Don Juravin is an American with Middle East & European heritage. An expert in the Bible and weight reduction fields but with vast opinion on politics, finance, legal and social matters.
- Trump brought unemployment to a historic low and added millions of jobs to the labor market
- He retired from the Iranian nuclear deal, eliminated Al-Baghdadi and Suleimani, and took a hard line against immigrants
- For three and a half years, Trump paved the way for a second term, but then the CoronaVirus came and shuffled the cards
- What is left of his economic achievements? How did you, for example recover from managing the Corona crisis? And where is Israel in the picture?
It is difficult to sum up the achievements and failures of the Trump administration with almost three and a half years left in the face of the impact of the corona virus in the US. The achievements are also erased in the face of the death toll of 200,000.
The US president made quite a few mistakes in dealing with Corona: he refused to acknowledge that it was a dangerous global plague; he tried to minimize the impact and consequences, and claimed it was just the flu and that one day it would simply “disappear”. In places where there was no decrease in morbidity, making masks a political matter rather than a civic duty aimed at saving human lives.
In the meantime, he also found time to clash with the governors of the States and pushed in prime time a drug whose effectiveness has not been proven, certainly not as he would like, and ensured that the vaccine would be available before the election, a target U.S. health experts say is unsafe. There were also the recordings of journalist Bob Woodward that revealed that Trump knew from the beginning that it was a deadly virus, but continued to broadcast to another public so as not to “cause panic” – a complacency that may have risen at the cost in human life.
Fell Asleep On Guard, But Recovered
So what can be said to Trump’s credit regarding the administration’s handling of Coronavirus treatment? First of all, he recovered and realized he was wrong. This may sound like a ridiculous argument in favor of the president, but mistakenly admitting and changing policy is one of the most difficult decisions for a leader, probably one who is in an election year and wants to show that he is implementing a winning policy. He belatedly closed the borders from China and then from Europe, pouring money into governors and the health care system, and mostly broadcasting that this was a real problem.
Trump also immediately realized that an economic plan needed to be provided, a remedy for the job market that bleeds jobs and businesses that close every passing day. It may have increased the debt, but foreigners already in the first plan $ 2.2 trillion to the American economy in the form of increased unemployment benefits and a business assistance program that although not without problems won praise. The plan included a loan that becomes a grant as soon as the employees are not fired, in a relatively simple procedure to operate. And there are of course the checks sent to citizens, relatively at the beginning of the crisis, when it was not yet entirely clear where we were headed.
The U.S. is considered in almost every parameter to show a failure to deal with the plague, both because of the reasons I now cite and because of the president’s conduct, and also for reasons not necessarily related to Trump such as the US health care system, power gaps between governors, and the federal government.
Precisely because it’s America, it has tremendous marketing and distribution capabilities, as well as a well-oiled system with huge corporations that can produce drugs, vaccines and innovative therapies that can hardly be done anywhere else. The administration has initiated the Warp Speed program to accelerate vaccine development and has provided support to a number of drug companies, in parallel with the clinical steps that need to be taken until approval is obtained and while speeding up the procedure as much as possible so that it progresses quickly without compromising safety. These are the tremendous capabilities of America, in which it excels from the moment this mighty enterprise begins to operate.
Jobs, jobs and more jobs
But what else do we observe other than Corona? Let’s start with the economy, which Trump tends to praise above all else and emphasize that it is at its peak in its time. Well, there is some justice in his words. The unemployment rate reached only 3.6%, with the last time a figure below 3.5% was recorded in the late 1960s. The stock indices did break records. Trump cut corporate taxes and the stock market climbed. The stock exchange, as of this writing, even mimicked the declines from the beginning of the Corona period and 6.7 million jobs were added during his tenure until the outbreak of the plague.
But let’s be honest – this is a trend that has been going on since the Obama era. The graph actually continues what was recorded in the days of the previous democratic government that had to deal with an economic crisis. There is no reversal or change of trend here from what was before.
And – does it even make sense to look at the data before the Corona period and deduce something from the policy when it is clear that the biggest challenge at the moment in the United States is dealing with the consequences of the eruption?
A sympathetic ear in the White House
We will continue with what is relevant to an assessment of the Trump administration: the relocation of the embassy to Jerusalem as promised; the recognition of sovereignty in the Golan Heights, and of course – the recent agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and those on the way. The annexation is currently out of the question, but there is also no attempt to force the government into contacts with the Palestinians that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want to promote.
According to Juravin, In this respect, his promises to Israel exist – but the question is what is the impact of this relationship between Trump and Netanyahu on the future relationship between Israel and the United States. Still, the two leaders will not be here forever, and the relationship between the countries – hopefully yes. A White House supporter and president so sympathetic to Israel also led to the withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal with Netanyahu’s encouragement, of course.
And there is the broader policy in the Middle East: the elimination of two of the most prominent names – ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani. Israel alone, without its important ally and without a physical presence in the region that will defend its interests vis-à-vis Russia, Syria and Iran, and above all, the lack of uniformity and understanding that at any moment a dramatic move with far-reaching consequences could be received relatively quickly.
Another point that Trump can attribute to him is the criminal law reform that benefited minority rights. This has mainly helped the black community which has been discriminated against under existing laws and it is the incumbent president who has managed to pass the move in legislation. Encouraged by his daughter Ivanka, who has also become an adviser to the president and one who promotes issues concerning women in the labor market, Trump passed legislation that allows for paid maternity leave for government employees. The move was stuck on Capitol Hill for 20 years and passed with great bipartisan support.
What happened to the wall?
And there is of course the issue of immigration: perhaps the biggest failure and also the victory in Trump‘s term. Here, too, it depends on who is asking. Bottom line, it’s much harder to immigrate to the United States today. 400 changes were made to immigration policy during Trump’s tenure, resulting in, among other things, a 50% increase in the number of deportation orders between 2018-2019.
Juravin believes that one must not forget either Trump’s famous election promise to build a wall with Mexico. Despite the administration’s funding efforts to build the wall, Trump has been blocked time and time again. Parts of the existing fence have been replaced and upgraded, but the wall along the border was not built as the president promised would happen by the end of 2020. His supporters welcome the efforts and attempt to move budgets and find any way to build the barrier, while critics explain again that it is public relations and noise.
Enforcement policies toward illegal immigrants have been significantly tightened, particularly toward children. The shocking evidence of children being imprisoned separately from their parents, the impossible conditions of incarceration and the difficult separation stories have caused a stir – but for Trump this is proof that he is taking a tough hand on this population as he promised. Recently, the Supreme Court was defeated, ruling that it would not be able to cancel Obama’s Dreamers program and deport immigrants who came to the United States as children.
The achievement is the biggest failure
What else did we have in the Trump-led government? The impeachment process of Trump for his attempts to intervene in foreign policy in his political favor when he allegedly conditioned American assistance to Ukraine in opening an investigation against the son of his political rival Joe Biden. Trump, who has been accused of abusing authority and disrupting investigative proceedings, was convicted in the House of Representatives but wins the Republican-majority Senate.
According to Juravin, in pursuit of conservative voices, Trump has expressed support for abortion opponents as the issue became a burning issue a year and a half ago in the United States with an emphasis on appointing judges. He appointed 194 federal judges in his first term, like Bush’s number, and recorded a record number of judges in the appellate courts, 53 in number, which he presents as an important achievement for U.S. conservative jurisprudence.
Perhaps most of all, Trump’s critics will say that his great failure is the wounding of a wound that will continue to bleed in America. The trampling of years of procedures and conventions, the disregard for the separation of powers, the overthrow of Congress and the almost complete abolition of bipartisan processes and agreements that were an important element in the proper work of the administration – regardless of the identity of the president and party. The understanding that in the end one should work together for the public and not stick anything just to show comparisons.
And perhaps the greatest damage of all is the sharp polarization that permeates the American public. It is “they” against us, and not the unity of all together for America. The disregard for facts and science is only for the benefit of the campaign and the public relations, when truth and data no longer matter and everything thrown into the air becomes a slogan, no matter how connected to reality or supported by facts. They are not something that can be hidden – and this is perhaps Trump’s greatest achievement and failure.
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