March 19, 2024

Inauguration day

Trump presidency to be like no other

Friday, Jan. 20, Donald John Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.

His pathway to the presidency surprised most Americans. The 70-year-old father of five is the oldest man to take his place in the Oval Office, and he is by far the wealthiest, with an estimated net worth of $3.7 billion.

Trump rallied the blue-collar vote by promoting a vision of prosperity — creating 25 million new jobs for Americans, lowering the national debt and reducing taxes across the board.

In the 2016 Presidential race, Trump initially had little support, but went on to beat out 16 Republican rivals — former Texas Governor Rick Perry; Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker; Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal; U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham; former New York Governor George Pataki; former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee; U.S. Senator Rand Paul; former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum; former business executive Carly Fiorina; New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore; former Florida Governor Jeb Bush; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; U.S. Senator Marco Rubio; U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich.

Known for being outspoken and unpredictable, the businessman rallied support across party lines. Trump represents a break from “politics as usual,” an institution wholly supported by his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Problems during the Democratic primaries didn’t help Clinton’s cause. The close contest between the Secretary of State and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders was marred by Democratic National Committee bias, with everything from the handling of primaries to financing skewed to support Clinton, a claim substantiated in emails released by WikiLeaks and Guccifer 2.0. Clinton retained popularity among the people, but it wasn’t enough to win the election.

Trump received 304 electoral votes to Clinton’s 227, though just 62,979,879 popular votes to Clinton’s 65,844,954. In Clarke County, Trump was the candidate of choice with 2,706 votes to Clinton’s 1,463.

Having served as the Clarke County Republican Central Committee Chairman for more than a dozen years, Ray Negler considered this one of the most polarizing elections he’s seen.

“More people seemed to either hate Trump or like Trump,” he said, though issues like Obamacare played a major role.

“It cost me my insurance,” he said. “I was paying $200 a month. It raised it to over $800 a month. That was a big reason for me to want Obamacare gone, and Hillary wasn’t going to do it.”

After eight years under a Democrat, some think it was simply time for a party change.

“If you look at the state, a lot of our representation is swaying back to Republican,” said Osceola Mayor Thomas Kedley, pointing to similar changes in our history.

Trump’s 100-day plan

While most notable for his promise to build a cement, stadium-high wall along the country’s southern border, Trump’s plans for his time in office aren’t all so grandiose. According to a video released Monday, Jan.9, his first days in office will be spent:

Attacking illegal immigration — President Barack Obama signed two executive orders during his last term, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) which Trump intends to revoke immediately. In the past, he’s also called for an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and increased scrutiny of foreign workers.

Reducing environmental regulations — Trump has repeatedly shown disdain for the Environmental Protection Agency and its regulations, and he intends to repeal current rules limiting development in the energy sector. It’s unclear how this will impact programs to improve water quality or pollution rates in Clarke County, which are some of the highest in the state.

Withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership — The TPP would have created a 12-country trade agreement including Southeast Asia, essentially ending China’s domination of the region. Trump has no intention of going through with the deal. He’s also set on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), calling it the “worst trade deal ever,” in debates last year.

He also seems bent on renegotiating trade terms with China. While nominating pro-China Gov. Terry Branstad as ambassador to the country, Trump’s recent meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen -- a first for an American leader in 37 years -- and comments regarding new trade agreements with the country make it clear China’s “preferred trade status” is up for review.

Who makes America great? We do

Considering his extreme statements, Trump’s views understandably make some people nervous.

“I would want all citizens to realize we’re not Democrats, we’re not Republicans,” said Kedley. “Whoever is in office, you respect the President of the United States.”

There are productive ways for people to work against policies they don’t agree with.

“Grab a clipboard, get some signatures and run for office,” said Kedley. “Go out and talk to people. Serve on a board or committee. If you’re not happy with your representation, get involved.”

Inaugural activities will be aired on major television networks and streamed live on Twitter (inauguration.twitter.com) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.