Trump's Term in Retrospect - Opinion Poll

[05_never_again]

I don't disagree the "fix was in" from the start. I'm simply offering Trump's qualities which made him adored by many made him hated by many. He could've tempered those qualities as president but instead doubled down.

Double-edged sword. If he tempered those qualities once he got into office, he would have risked not getting as big of a turnout from his base, which likes him precisely because of those bombastic qualities.

Like any good politician, he's extremely polarizing. In order to get the more blue collar MAGA vote, he had to offend the sensibilities of upper middle class suburbanites, which used to be reliably Republican but now are very much purple if not leaning blue.

 

[Grand Vol]

So, you're Biden and it's your first day in office. The WH staff brings you your Jell-O cup and you let Kamala handle business.

Who in Trump's Admin would you keep? It's not unusual for incoming Admins to keep some of the old staff around.

I'm thinking Jim Bridenstine at NASA could be looked at even though he's in the opposite party. He really has pushed the agency in the right direction IMO.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

How does your 401K look though?

better than it will in another year in terms of growth. The socialists are job killers

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

They're great when they are structured correctly and adhered to.
That's one reason why Jimmy Carter was so great.

Lol

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

We have lost none. Other countries leadership may be pissed that we are no longer their doormat but that isn't losing standing, that is finally standing up.

That's all about to change

 

[Franklin Pierce]

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

Looking back on Trump's first (and as of 4:38 on 11/4/20, likely his only) term, how did he perform compared to your expectations the day after his election in 2016? And in what ways? I was very surprised and pleased with the economy under his leadership. Also very surprised and pleased with the peace deals and no new wars. He is the least aggressive president in terms of conflict in my lifetime. Tax breaks were great. Hope they will survive the Biden admin (wish in one hand...) I'm including party affiliation just to see if he won anyone over.

I didn't vote for him in 2016, but I voted did not meet expectations because he ran on 3 things. Build the wall, drain the swamp and lock her up.

 

[n_huffhines]

I would say he met my expectations as I assumed he'd be an incompetent dunce who would embarrass our nation.

I'm with you. He met my expectations but my expectations were not great. I figured he'd do a few off-the-wall good things that no insider would do, and that happened. I figured he'd spend like a dem. I figured he'd try to control the economy like a dem. I figured he'd play up identity politics, which he did. I figured it'd be a long national embarrassment, which it was.

I did not see Gorsuch coming. Best SCOTUS appointment of my life, probably. I did not see multiple impeachments. I did not see him ****ing with dreamers, which have 75% of Americans in their corner. I did not see him letting dems control so much through legislation. I mean, he let them write his replacement for NAFTA and it was ********. The relief bills this last year...use the power of veto, numb nuts.

 

[Grand Vol]

I figured he'd try to control the economy like a dem.

I would say about 50-50 with that. The tariffs weren't especially good, but it did bring China to the table to negotiate.

But I'd say his deregulation was the high point.

I figured it'd be a long national embarrassment, which it was.

On both sides, Huff.

I did not see Gorsuch coming. Best SCOTUS appointment of my life, probably.

I think ACB will surprise you in the long run.

I did not see him ****ing with dreamers, which have 75% of Americans in their corner.

As a good thing or a bad thing? I thought his answer of "it's the job of Congress to take care of this" was spot on and letting the EO expire showed exactly how partisan the courts were. He's right though, it was on Congress to pass legislation to present to him on the Dreamer stuff. Which never happened.

 

[n_huffhines]

I would say about 50-50 with that. The tariffs weren't especially good, but it did bring China to the table to negotiate.

But I'd say his deregulation was the high point.

On both sides, Huff.

I think ACB will surprise you in the long run.

As a good thing or a bad thing? I thought his answer of "it's the job of Congress to take care of this" was spot on and letting the EO expire showed exactly how partisan the courts were. He's right though, it was on Congress to pass legislation to present to him on the Dreamer stuff. Which never happened.

Sure, but we're talking about one person ITT, and it's the most accountable person on the planet.

He didn't "let it expire." He ended it knowing congress wouldn't fix it. We all know congress, no matter who controls it, isn't fixing it. Obama failed to do better than put a band-aid on it, and Trump just ripped the bandaid off, even though congress can fix it with the bandaid still on. It was all political BS playing with people's lives.

The deregulation was nice but doesn't make up for all the other ********. By his 3rd year almost all our GDP growth came from government spending. He inherited an economy that was improving and he slowed it to a crawl and all his acolytes will blame external factors but the signs were there before the pandemic.

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

 

[Roustabout]

If that's your take, so be it. But i think DJT provided the timbers and the nails to the media.

Bogus Russia investigation? Quid pro quo? Trump did himself no favors.

 

[LouderVol]

I said did not meet expectations leans right.

I say that because I expected far worse. I really figured another big war, because Murika, or bigger gun bans.

But also from the stand point of fiscal conservatism he failed bigly. Bigly bigly bigly. The worst ever some say, just ask anyone.

Otherwise it's hard to say much about meeting exceedingly low expectations.

 

[ajvol01]

I said did not meet expectations leans right.

I say that because I expected far worse. I really figured another big war, because Murika, or bigger gun bans.

But also from the stand point of fiscal conservatism he failed bigly. Bigly bigly bigly. The worst ever some say, just ask anyone.

Otherwise it's hard to say much about meeting exceedingly low expectations.

You expected far worse and you voted did not meet expectations?

 

[calban]

Not sure he's done yet.

 

[LouderVol]

You expected far worse and you voted did not meet expectations?

Expectations can be positive or negative.

 

[hog88]

Expectations can be positive or negative.

I fully expected that he would be a disaster. In some ways he was but all in all he did a pretty good job.

 

[LouderVol]

I fully expected that he would be a disaster. In some ways he was but all in all he did a pretty good job.

In a relative world, he didnt fail completely as I expected. But in an absolute sense he was stil a failure.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

 

[hog88]

In a relative world, he didnt fail completely as I expected. But in an absolute sense he was stil a failure.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

I don't consider his term a failure, he failed on a few fronts but overall it was a success. Especially considering the opposition he faced even within his own party.

 

[LouderVol]

I don't consider his term a failure, he failed on a few fronts but overall it was a success. Especially considering the opposition he faced even within his own party.

Doesnt effing matter what challenges he faced. He's the effing president. The stuff you mentioned comes with the territory. "His party" dont owe him ****.

It's his job to make things better. Just because things didnt get as bad as they could have doesnt mean a lot to me.

 

[Vol Main]

I voted for Trump in 16. I did not vote for him this year. My expectations were fairly low last election in that my primary goal was for Hillary to not win. Trump met that expectation. He had the opportunity to appoint three justices to the SC, and I think he successfully nominated two solidly conservative justices (Gorsuch and ACB). I had hoped he would bring his outsider status to reform and streamline the gov spending bloat, but he has successfully grown the federal deficit in each of his four years. If he does not end up winning a second term, he will leave the white house with the US having increased the national debt by 35+% in his four years. We will have added an equal amount to our national debt in Trump's four years as we had during our entire history through George W Bush's first term. That is ultimately why I didn't vote for him this year. He turned out to be another deficit spending politician who only cared about the federal budget deficit until he had an opportunity to do something about it.

Republicans only care about deficit spending when a Democrat is in the White House, letting out the contracts and writing the checks. When there's a Republican in the White House, their deficit spending goes on a Moon shot. All the GOP big bugs go for a roll in U.S. Treasury checks.

 

[hog88]

Doesnt effing matter what challenges he faced. He's the effing president. The stuff you mentioned comes with the territory. "His party" dont owe him ****.

It's his job to make things better. Just because things didnt get as bad as they could have doesnt mean a lot to me.

Sorry, I have a tendency to look at the big picture. He didn't fail.

Trump was unprepared for the office and everything that it entails, he thought it would be easy. Or he never thought he would win and didn't prepare.
Trump initially hired the wrong people, he hired establishment people loyal to the system and they were wrong for what he said he wanted to do.
Trump needed to be the bigger man when it came to his critics and yes he failed miserably at that.
But all in all, he reduced taxes, didn't start any new wars, didn't try and be a dictator, so he didn't do bad.

 

[Grand Vol]

He didn't "let it expire." He ended it knowing congress wouldn't fix it. We all know congress, no matter who controls it, isn't fixing it. Obama failed to do better than put a band-aid on it, and Trump just ripped the bandaid off, even though congress can fix it with the bandaid still on. It was all political BS playing with people's lives.

Trump was 105% correct when he said it was Congress' responsibility to fix the immigration system. Still doesn't change the fact a judge has no authority to tell the President he can't undo an EO from a previous Administration.

 

[LouderVol]

Sorry, I have a tendency to look at the big picture. He didn't fail.

Trump was unprepared for the office and everything that it entails, he thought it would be easy. Or he never thought he would win and didn't prepare.
Trump initially hired the wrong people, he hired establishment people loyal to the system and they were wrong for what he said he wanted to do.
Trump needed to be the bigger man when it came to his critics and yes he failed miserably at that.
But all in all, he reduced taxes, didn't start any new wars, didn't try and be a dictator, so he didn't do bad.

Not not effing up, doesnt win praise from me. Especially when in several of those cases you mentioned he ended up there because of incompetence rather than by design. President isnt the place for that.

 

[hog88]

Not not effing up, doesnt win praise from me. Especially when in several of those cases you mentioned he ended up there because of incompetence rather than by design. President isnt the place for that.

He didn't "eff" up everything.