Stone Washington
President Trump: Year 1
By Stone Washington
"We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow. A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions."
"Together, We will make America strong again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And yes, together, we will make America great again."
~President Donald J. Trump, Inauguration Address (20 January 2017)
Background to President Trump's exceptional 1st year in office
With Christmas behind us and the 2017 year coming to an end, President Donald Trump and his Administration have unarguably produced a mountain of outstanding accomplishments for the American people. In many respects, President Trump has achieved far greater goals and has pushed the nation through a faster rate of success in his political victories than any other U.S President in history. Beginning with Trump's Inauguration on my birthday, Friday January 20th 2017, the seeds of unparalleled greatness have been sown into America's modern History as the 45th President begins to fulfill his campaign promise to make America a great nation once again. This article seeks to chronicle the President's most remarkable successes upon taking the oath of office, beginning with his first Executive Order following his Inauguration ceremony, leading up to Friday December 22nd, where the President signed his first ground-breaking legislative achievement into law. This article draws key information from an informative WND article entitled, "Big List of 168 Trump accomplishments in 337 days" .
January
Regulation Reform – Before his first official day in office, following his Inauguration ceremony, President Trump signed his first executive order, seeking to manage the Federal regulatory process at the outset of his Administration by ensuring that the President's appointees or designees have the opportunity to review any new or pending regulations. Trump's order mandated that for every new regulation, two existing regulations must be revoked. Taking on Tech Giants – Following his Inauguration, President Trump would meet with the nation's top technology leaders, including Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Bill Gates of Microsoft and Jeff Bezos of Amazon, which would highlight another important meeting the President had in July 2017. My Father wrote a compellingly interesting article on this meeting, specifically examining the corrupt oligopoly that Amazon has become under CEO Jeff Bezos.
Aborting Abortionists – President Trump cracked down on the lead sponsor of the killing of infants, Planned Parenthood, by signing an executive order that revived the Mexico City Policy, which serves to defund the International Planned Parenthood Federation and other organizations that promote foreign abortions overseas. Rebuilding Military and Border – President Trump signed Executive Orders to begin the rebuilding of the U.S Military, while placing a freeze on the hiring of federal officials following the 2016 Election. Trump also greatly expanded the deportation priorities of federal border patrol officials, signing an Executive Order that includes people who "have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense," covering anyone who entered the country illegally.
President Trump signs bill that cracks down on Planned Parenthood
Trump Task Force – The Trump Administration created a government task force in every agency with the mission of removing "job killing regulations" and to increase "economic opportunity," according to the President, which has saved an annual $645 million, compared to wasting an average of $120 billion from 22,700 regulations during Barack Obama's presidency. Travel Ban -The Trump Administration first implemented its controversial Travel Ban upon Trump signing an executive order banning people from seven countries regarded by the Obama administration as "havens for terrorism" from entering the U.S. for 90 days and blocked all refugees from the Middle East for 120 days while the Administration assessed its security process. President Trump gave special priority to aid persecuted Christians in these and other Middle Eastern countries to gain asylum into the U.S over other refugees. Terminating TPP – The President notably removed the United States from the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), being the only country to do so.
February
Law Enforcement – President Trump signed three major executive orders to better enhance law enforcement in America, "The first strengthens the law against international crime organizations. The second combats anti-law-enforcement crimes. The third seeks a strategy for reducing crime in general, including, in particular, illegal immigration, drug trafficking and violent crime," according to the article. Same-sex bathrooms – President Trump overturned one of Barack Obama's executive orders that allowed for transgender individuals to use the bathroom of their choice in public schools. Saving the Military -President Trump signed a beneficial deal with Lockheed Martin to drastically reduce the price of F-35 fighter jets, purchasing the first 90 planes at $725 million below budget, with billions of dollars in additional savings expected in the future. Finance and regulatory reform – Congress was urged by the President to remove the advisory powers of the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) over the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial oversight provision, created by Obama. In relation to this, President Trump removed a Dodd-Frank provision that required oil companies, like Exxon Mobil, to disclose their taxes and fees paid to foreign governments, saving the companies an annual $385 million. My father's essay on the subject demonstrates that fake Indian Sen. Elizabeth Warren stole $5 billion with her newly created, corrupt CFPB.
March
Reforming Government – President Trump signed an executive order to perform an audit on every executive branch agency, for the purpose of reducing spending and waste, along with improving services. Housing market – American homebuilder confidence rose to its highest levels in nearly 12 years, a reflection of the Trump Administration strengthening the jobs market and improving wages, which created a greater demand for homes.
April
Pro-life cabinet – Beginning in April, President Trump appointed multiple cabinet officials who are notable pro-life advocates including, Dr. Charmaine Yoest, the former president of Americans United for Life, chosen as Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services, replacing a strong Planned Parenthood supporter, and Valerie Huber, an abstinence education advocate, was appointed in June as chief of staff to the assistant secretary for health at the HHS. Attacking Abortion – The Trump Administration cut off U.S. funding of the United Nations Population Fund, which has links to diabolically vicious abortion programs across the World, such as China's one-child policy (which recently became a two-child policy in 2015). By this move, more than $32 million was shifted from this program toward the U.S. Agency for International Development. On this topic, Trump signed the first national pro-life bill in the past decade, devised by Republicans in Congress to annul a recent Obama Administration regulation that would have prohibited states from choosing to withhold funds through Title X family planning awards based on whether a local clinic also performs abortions.
Aiding Veterans – Working with VA Secretary David Shulkin, Trump signed the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 to authorize $2.1 billion in additional funds toward enabling veterans who either live more than 40 miles away from the closest eligible VA medical facility, experience wait times of more than 30 days to schedule an appointment, or meet other special criteria, to instead be treated outside the broken VA system. Defeating ISIS – Working alongside the Defense Department, President Trump orchestrated the dropping of the largest non-nuclear bomb in existence, MOAB (the "Mother Of All Bombs") over a series of ISIS bases and tunnels in Afghanistan. This killed 94 ISIS militants and destroyed many weapon stockpiles and resources valuable to the terror group.
Capturing Illegal Aliens – It is noted by the article that in the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, "arrests and deportations of criminal aliens such as MS-13 members were up 38 percent compared with the last year of the Obama administration. ICE conducted a crackdown on the gangs that resulted in the arrests of nearly 1,400 people. The Trump administration also cooperated with Central American countries to combat MS-13 recruitment in the region. An estimated 6,000 MS-13 gang members were arrested during the president's first five months." In conjunction to this, President Trump has cut funds toward Sanctuary cities including, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, who have intentionally harbored illegal immigrants from federal officials.
ICE has now effectively enforced immigration laws in those areas. This, while Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the DOJ have employed harsher guidelines for U.S attorneys to use in the prosecution of illegal immigrants in court. By the end of the month, then Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly announced that illegal border crossing in the U.S has decreased by 40 % in the first month of Trump's presidency. By Trump's 100th day in office, crossings had decreased by 73 %, thanks to the president's policies deterring people from attempting to enter the country.
Investing in American-Made products – President Trump signed into law his coveted "Buy American and Hire American" executive order, prioritizing the interests of American businesses and workers as first and foremost for the U.S market. According to the article, "'Buy American' protects American industry from unfair competition by targeting the abusive use of waivers and exceptions to laws on the books. Trump's 'Hire American' effort calls for the reform of visa programs, ensuring that they no longer displace American workers, while fully enforcing laws governing the entry of foreign workers." Offshore oil – President Trump reversed an Obama mandate that restricted the practice of offshore drilling in the Artic and parts of the Atlantic ocean, instead seeking for America to benefit from the natural resources in these areas. Supreme Court – On Monday April 10, 2017, upon being chosen by President Trump, former federal Judge: Neil M. Gorsuch took the judicial oath for his nomination to become an Associate Justice for the Supreme Court of the United States, replacing the late Antonin Scalia. Gorsuch is considered by many to be the most conservative member of the court since Justice Clarence Thomas.
May
Battle against Islamic Terror – Shortly after Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime used chemical weapons against civilians, President Trump authorized air-strikes against the airbase that launched the devastating chemical attacks, destroying 20 percent of Syria's operational aircraft. Religious Freedom – On the National Day of Prayer, President Trump signed an executive order that removed restrictions that the IRS placed on tax-exempt religious organizations, under the burden of the Johnson Amendment. The order also made it easier for employers not to provide contraceptives if they bared religious objections, allowing Attorney General Jeff Sessions greater authority regarding religious liberty policy.
Housing Market – According to a section of the article, "The U.S. Census Bureau found housing sales recently have doubled compared to the same period under President Obama. The annualized housing sales rate for May 2017 was 610,000, compared to just 376,000 in 2009. New home prices hit a record high in May, according to the Commerce Department. In 2011, houses for sale were on the market an average 84 days. This year, it's just 45 days." In addition to this, Americans personal income on average rose by 0.4%, compared to a predicted 0.3%. First Foreign Trip – President Trump would embark on his first ever foreign trip overseas, visiting Saudi Arabia and convincing leaders there to invest $110 billion in an arms deal with the U.S, in addition to $350 billion over the next 10 years. President Trump also gave a major speech to 50 Middle Eastern countries at a global summit, urging them to re-double their efforts toward eradicating radical Islamic terror groups.
June
Veterans Administration reform – President Trump created the first ever VA hotline, fully operated by Veterans, created to assist Veterans in the U.S. In addition to this, Trump signed the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act to allow senior officials in the VA the ability to fire failing employees and to establish safeguards toward protecting whistleblowers. The VA reportedly fired more than 500 employees since January 2017 and suspended nearly 200 as part of the President's ongoing effort to restore integrity and accountability for Veteran citizens. Annihilating Amnesty – President Trump removed the controversial Obama mandate known as Differed Action for Parents of Americans (aka DACA), a program that granted amnesty to 4 million illegal aliens. This move sparked great praise from many conservatives and sharp rebuke from liberals. Nudging NATO to pay up – According to NATO's security General, Jens Stoltenberg, Trump's urging of NATO members to pay their fair share of financial support for the military alliance has resulted in an increasing of allied contributions of $10 billion.
President Trump and Secretary Shulkin speaking on the Veteran Affairs Accountability Act
Rejecting Paris Climate Accord – President Trump, pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate agreement, which, according to a study conducted by NERA Consulting, could have further crippled the United States economy by nearly $3 trillion, along with the fact that 6.5 million industrial sector jobs could have been lost and 3.1 million manufacturing sector jobs, which the President has repeatedly pledged to restore to hard-working Americans, not take away. Trade and inflation – The Trump Administration reopened beef exports to China for the first time in decades, allowing an estimated $2.5 billion-dollar market to be created for producers and ranchers in the U.S. On another note, the rate of inflation has decreased to 1.6%, the lowest in 8 months. Keystone Oil Pipeline – After passing through Congress, the President approved the Dakota Access Pipeline project and the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada, which will create more than 42,000 jobs and $2 billion in earnings. The Dakota Access Pipeline, transporting 500,000 barrels of oil a day, has begun to revitalize the North Dakota economy.
July
Crack-down on Opioid Crisis – Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared the "largest health-care fraud takedown operation in American history," when the DOJ charged more than 400 people, including doctors and medical facilities, guilty of prescribing unnecessary opioids to drug addicts that fueled the ongoing drug epidemic in America. Lobbying Restrictions – Fulfilling one of his "First 100 days" promises, President Trump signed an order that banned lobbyists from ascending to positions in the government for 5 years, in addition to a life-time ban on foreign lobbyists. Battling ISIS – Thanks to the renewed leadership and guidance from the executive, the U.S military has successfully pushed ISIS forces out of their safe haven in Mosul and has removed ISIS members from the Philippines. Investing in Natural Resources – President Trump fulfilled a campaign promise to remove the burdensome "Steam Protection Rule," established by Obama to restrict coal and oil miners. The President also invested heavily in oil and gas development on federal lands. Undermining Unemployment and GDP Growth – Under the Trump Administration, America has attained a 4.4% record low unemployment rate, compared to Obama's 9.5% record high rate. America's GDP rose 2.6%, more than doubling its rate of growth during the first quarter of the year.
August
Securing the Second Amendment – According to the article, "In August, the Justice Department terminated Operation Choke Point, an Obama program encouraging banks not to do business with 'high risk' businesses, which was used to target gun dealers." From Welfare to Wealthy – Under the Trump Administration, 1.1 million Americans have exited the food stamp program, compared to Obama. Veterans Reform – President Trump signed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act, serving to streamline the gruelingly long process that veterans undergo when appealing disability benefits claims with the VA. Trump also signed the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, providing educational benefits to Veterans, service members and their family members, including tuition, fees, books, and housing. Ban on Transgenders in Military – President Trump, in conjunction with Secretary of Defense General Mattis, reversed an Obama mandate and officially banned transgender individuals from serving in the military.
Improving U.S manufacturing and Job Growth – According to the article, "During Trump's first six months, the manufacturing index was the highest it had been since 1983 under President Reagan. The National Association of Manufacturers' Outlook Survey showed the highest two-quarter average, of 91.4 percent, for manufacturing optimism in the survey's 20-year history. The Institute for Supply Management reported its June barometer of manufacturing rose to 57.8, the fastest pace in three years." President Trump's Administration is responsible for ushering in nearly 1.3 million new jobs into the nation in his first 200 days in office, compared to America losing 4.1 million jobs under Obama's first 200 days, according to figures from The Bureau of Labor Statistics.
September
Stock Market Success – Throughout the first week of September, the Dow Jones Industrial Average recorded 34 record highs. It reached more than 22,400 points in mid-September, equivalent to a $4 Trillion gain since President Trump was inaugurated in January. The NASDAQ also saw many record spikes throughout the month. Standing up to the United Nations – President Trump delivered his first speech to the U.N General Assembly, declaring, "I put America first and you should do the same with your nations," echoing his America First platform before the nations of the World. Trump denounced Socialism and Communism, using the crisis in Venezuela as a prime example of its horrible repercussions, and called for greater attention toward sanctioning and denuclearizing North Korea. Sanctioning North Korea – President Trump is notable for pushing China to cut off its Central Bank from dealing with North Korean banks. Trump also made Kim Jung Un back off of his threats to blow up Guam in a nuclear strike.
President Trump addresses the United Nations for the first time
October
Military Defense – The Department of Defense invested approximately $400 million dollars toward improving America's missile defense programs. Reevaluating the EPA – According to the article, "Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt announced Oct. 9 a new set of rules that will override the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's drive to curb global Climate Change. The agency is moving to undo, delay or block more than 30 environmental rules, the largest regulatory rollback in the agency's 47-year history." Uninstalling the Iran Nuclear Deal – President Trump officially decertified the 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement, signed by Barack Obama. President Trump often called it the worst deal ever drafted and vowed to undue it since the election, instead seeking a path of denuclearization for Iran. Tackling Obamacare – Trump signed a major executive order on Oct. 12th, ordering three federal agencies to rewrite overbearing healthcare regulations while encouraging the establishment of cheaper health plans available to be purchased across state lines and unbound by restrictive Obamacare rules and regulations. This order allows small-business owners, trade groups and other organizations to unite and purchase cheaper health insurance.
November
Denouncing Communism – President Trump proclaimed Nov. 7, the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, as the National Day for the Victims of Communism. Restoring government transparency – On Nov. 9th, the federal government released to the public more than 13,000 documents from its files on President John F. Kennedy's assassination, under orders from President Trump, in addition to three prior releases of documents throughout October, when the president allowed the immediate release of 2,800 records by the National Archives.
Trip to Asia – On November 3rd, President Trump embarked on the longest trip to Asia of any American President in the last 3 decades. President Trump embarked upon the historic journey in order "to demonstrate the Administration's commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and to strengthen U.S. alliances and partnerships" according to WhiteHouse.gov. The President met with many major foreign leaders in the Indo-Pacific region over the duration of his visit, including: President Xi Jinping of China, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, and President of Vietnam Tran Dai Quang. Addressing rogue North Korea – President Trump designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terror on November 20th. In addition to this, the Treasury Department, headed by Steven Mnuchin directed banks in the U.S to cut off all ties to North Korea.
Chart of President Trump's Historic trip to Asia
December
Tax Reform – President Trump, upon working with Republicans in Congress, passed the largest tax-cut in American History on Friday December 22nd. The House passed the tax bill on November 16th, followed by the Senate on December 1st. This achievement has been hailed as the Trump's first major legislative victory and one that will bring Americans billions in returns on taxes. National parks – President Trump signed two executive orders on Dec. 4th that gave back nearly 2 million acres of land to the state of Utah by modifying executive orders devised by President Obama, greatly reducing the amount of land the federal government controls in the state. Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's true capital – On December 6th, Donald Trump became the first President to recognize Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel and announced that America would move its embassy there in the near future. Record Regulatory Reform – President Trump announced that his Administration has far exceeded its promise to eliminate regulations, breaking the record for removing the greatest number of regulations than any other President, surpassing Harriet Truman's record. Federal agencies also achieved $8.1 billion in lifetime net regulatory cost savings, the equivalent of $570 million per year. Abandoning the EPA -Since Trump's Inauguration, more than 700 government officials have abandoned their positions in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Conclusion
President Trump's first year in office has undeniably ushered in a new era of American exceptionalism and greatness, unseen in the 241 years that America has existed. Trump's America First policy has placed the nation as the center of attention on the World stage and has undone great swaths of Obama's detrimental globalist agenda, crippling the U.S for the past 8 years. President Trump's agenda has only grown stronger with time over the year, from major accomplishments such as: inspiring the lowest unemployment levels in 17 years, virtually defeating ISIS in 3 months, inspiring and signing the greatest tax-cut in U.S history, along with orchestrating many record highs in the stock market. With a legendarily successful year behind him, Donald Trump is on track to becoming the greatest President in American History, as he continually surpasses the accomplishments of his Republican and Democrat predecessors, making Trump, in my opinion, already after his first year in office, the great U.S. president in history.
President Trump celebrates success with Congressional Republicans
*N.B.: This article is based in part on the World Net Daily article, "Big List of 170 Trump Accomplishments in 340 Days." WND, www.wnd.com/2017/11/4621979/.
© Stone Washington
December 30, 2017
"We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow. A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions."
"Together, We will make America strong again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And yes, together, we will make America great again."
~President Donald J. Trump, Inauguration Address (20 January 2017)
Background to President Trump's exceptional 1st year in office
With Christmas behind us and the 2017 year coming to an end, President Donald Trump and his Administration have unarguably produced a mountain of outstanding accomplishments for the American people. In many respects, President Trump has achieved far greater goals and has pushed the nation through a faster rate of success in his political victories than any other U.S President in history. Beginning with Trump's Inauguration on my birthday, Friday January 20th 2017, the seeds of unparalleled greatness have been sown into America's modern History as the 45th President begins to fulfill his campaign promise to make America a great nation once again. This article seeks to chronicle the President's most remarkable successes upon taking the oath of office, beginning with his first Executive Order following his Inauguration ceremony, leading up to Friday December 22nd, where the President signed his first ground-breaking legislative achievement into law. This article draws key information from an informative WND article entitled, "Big List of 168 Trump accomplishments in 337 days" .
January
Regulation Reform – Before his first official day in office, following his Inauguration ceremony, President Trump signed his first executive order, seeking to manage the Federal regulatory process at the outset of his Administration by ensuring that the President's appointees or designees have the opportunity to review any new or pending regulations. Trump's order mandated that for every new regulation, two existing regulations must be revoked. Taking on Tech Giants – Following his Inauguration, President Trump would meet with the nation's top technology leaders, including Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Bill Gates of Microsoft and Jeff Bezos of Amazon, which would highlight another important meeting the President had in July 2017. My Father wrote a compellingly interesting article on this meeting, specifically examining the corrupt oligopoly that Amazon has become under CEO Jeff Bezos.
Aborting Abortionists – President Trump cracked down on the lead sponsor of the killing of infants, Planned Parenthood, by signing an executive order that revived the Mexico City Policy, which serves to defund the International Planned Parenthood Federation and other organizations that promote foreign abortions overseas. Rebuilding Military and Border – President Trump signed Executive Orders to begin the rebuilding of the U.S Military, while placing a freeze on the hiring of federal officials following the 2016 Election. Trump also greatly expanded the deportation priorities of federal border patrol officials, signing an Executive Order that includes people who "have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense," covering anyone who entered the country illegally.
President Trump signs bill that cracks down on Planned Parenthood
Trump Task Force – The Trump Administration created a government task force in every agency with the mission of removing "job killing regulations" and to increase "economic opportunity," according to the President, which has saved an annual $645 million, compared to wasting an average of $120 billion from 22,700 regulations during Barack Obama's presidency. Travel Ban -The Trump Administration first implemented its controversial Travel Ban upon Trump signing an executive order banning people from seven countries regarded by the Obama administration as "havens for terrorism" from entering the U.S. for 90 days and blocked all refugees from the Middle East for 120 days while the Administration assessed its security process. President Trump gave special priority to aid persecuted Christians in these and other Middle Eastern countries to gain asylum into the U.S over other refugees. Terminating TPP – The President notably removed the United States from the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), being the only country to do so.
February
Law Enforcement – President Trump signed three major executive orders to better enhance law enforcement in America, "The first strengthens the law against international crime organizations. The second combats anti-law-enforcement crimes. The third seeks a strategy for reducing crime in general, including, in particular, illegal immigration, drug trafficking and violent crime," according to the article. Same-sex bathrooms – President Trump overturned one of Barack Obama's executive orders that allowed for transgender individuals to use the bathroom of their choice in public schools. Saving the Military -President Trump signed a beneficial deal with Lockheed Martin to drastically reduce the price of F-35 fighter jets, purchasing the first 90 planes at $725 million below budget, with billions of dollars in additional savings expected in the future. Finance and regulatory reform – Congress was urged by the President to remove the advisory powers of the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) over the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial oversight provision, created by Obama. In relation to this, President Trump removed a Dodd-Frank provision that required oil companies, like Exxon Mobil, to disclose their taxes and fees paid to foreign governments, saving the companies an annual $385 million. My father's essay on the subject demonstrates that fake Indian Sen. Elizabeth Warren stole $5 billion with her newly created, corrupt CFPB.
March
Reforming Government – President Trump signed an executive order to perform an audit on every executive branch agency, for the purpose of reducing spending and waste, along with improving services. Housing market – American homebuilder confidence rose to its highest levels in nearly 12 years, a reflection of the Trump Administration strengthening the jobs market and improving wages, which created a greater demand for homes.
April
Pro-life cabinet – Beginning in April, President Trump appointed multiple cabinet officials who are notable pro-life advocates including, Dr. Charmaine Yoest, the former president of Americans United for Life, chosen as Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services, replacing a strong Planned Parenthood supporter, and Valerie Huber, an abstinence education advocate, was appointed in June as chief of staff to the assistant secretary for health at the HHS. Attacking Abortion – The Trump Administration cut off U.S. funding of the United Nations Population Fund, which has links to diabolically vicious abortion programs across the World, such as China's one-child policy (which recently became a two-child policy in 2015). By this move, more than $32 million was shifted from this program toward the U.S. Agency for International Development. On this topic, Trump signed the first national pro-life bill in the past decade, devised by Republicans in Congress to annul a recent Obama Administration regulation that would have prohibited states from choosing to withhold funds through Title X family planning awards based on whether a local clinic also performs abortions.
Aiding Veterans – Working with VA Secretary David Shulkin, Trump signed the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 to authorize $2.1 billion in additional funds toward enabling veterans who either live more than 40 miles away from the closest eligible VA medical facility, experience wait times of more than 30 days to schedule an appointment, or meet other special criteria, to instead be treated outside the broken VA system. Defeating ISIS – Working alongside the Defense Department, President Trump orchestrated the dropping of the largest non-nuclear bomb in existence, MOAB (the "Mother Of All Bombs") over a series of ISIS bases and tunnels in Afghanistan. This killed 94 ISIS militants and destroyed many weapon stockpiles and resources valuable to the terror group.
Capturing Illegal Aliens – It is noted by the article that in the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, "arrests and deportations of criminal aliens such as MS-13 members were up 38 percent compared with the last year of the Obama administration. ICE conducted a crackdown on the gangs that resulted in the arrests of nearly 1,400 people. The Trump administration also cooperated with Central American countries to combat MS-13 recruitment in the region. An estimated 6,000 MS-13 gang members were arrested during the president's first five months." In conjunction to this, President Trump has cut funds toward Sanctuary cities including, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, who have intentionally harbored illegal immigrants from federal officials.
ICE has now effectively enforced immigration laws in those areas. This, while Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the DOJ have employed harsher guidelines for U.S attorneys to use in the prosecution of illegal immigrants in court. By the end of the month, then Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly announced that illegal border crossing in the U.S has decreased by 40 % in the first month of Trump's presidency. By Trump's 100th day in office, crossings had decreased by 73 %, thanks to the president's policies deterring people from attempting to enter the country.
Investing in American-Made products – President Trump signed into law his coveted "Buy American and Hire American" executive order, prioritizing the interests of American businesses and workers as first and foremost for the U.S market. According to the article, "'Buy American' protects American industry from unfair competition by targeting the abusive use of waivers and exceptions to laws on the books. Trump's 'Hire American' effort calls for the reform of visa programs, ensuring that they no longer displace American workers, while fully enforcing laws governing the entry of foreign workers." Offshore oil – President Trump reversed an Obama mandate that restricted the practice of offshore drilling in the Artic and parts of the Atlantic ocean, instead seeking for America to benefit from the natural resources in these areas. Supreme Court – On Monday April 10, 2017, upon being chosen by President Trump, former federal Judge: Neil M. Gorsuch took the judicial oath for his nomination to become an Associate Justice for the Supreme Court of the United States, replacing the late Antonin Scalia. Gorsuch is considered by many to be the most conservative member of the court since Justice Clarence Thomas.
May
Battle against Islamic Terror – Shortly after Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime used chemical weapons against civilians, President Trump authorized air-strikes against the airbase that launched the devastating chemical attacks, destroying 20 percent of Syria's operational aircraft. Religious Freedom – On the National Day of Prayer, President Trump signed an executive order that removed restrictions that the IRS placed on tax-exempt religious organizations, under the burden of the Johnson Amendment. The order also made it easier for employers not to provide contraceptives if they bared religious objections, allowing Attorney General Jeff Sessions greater authority regarding religious liberty policy.
Housing Market – According to a section of the article, "The U.S. Census Bureau found housing sales recently have doubled compared to the same period under President Obama. The annualized housing sales rate for May 2017 was 610,000, compared to just 376,000 in 2009. New home prices hit a record high in May, according to the Commerce Department. In 2011, houses for sale were on the market an average 84 days. This year, it's just 45 days." In addition to this, Americans personal income on average rose by 0.4%, compared to a predicted 0.3%. First Foreign Trip – President Trump would embark on his first ever foreign trip overseas, visiting Saudi Arabia and convincing leaders there to invest $110 billion in an arms deal with the U.S, in addition to $350 billion over the next 10 years. President Trump also gave a major speech to 50 Middle Eastern countries at a global summit, urging them to re-double their efforts toward eradicating radical Islamic terror groups.
June
Veterans Administration reform – President Trump created the first ever VA hotline, fully operated by Veterans, created to assist Veterans in the U.S. In addition to this, Trump signed the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act to allow senior officials in the VA the ability to fire failing employees and to establish safeguards toward protecting whistleblowers. The VA reportedly fired more than 500 employees since January 2017 and suspended nearly 200 as part of the President's ongoing effort to restore integrity and accountability for Veteran citizens. Annihilating Amnesty – President Trump removed the controversial Obama mandate known as Differed Action for Parents of Americans (aka DACA), a program that granted amnesty to 4 million illegal aliens. This move sparked great praise from many conservatives and sharp rebuke from liberals. Nudging NATO to pay up – According to NATO's security General, Jens Stoltenberg, Trump's urging of NATO members to pay their fair share of financial support for the military alliance has resulted in an increasing of allied contributions of $10 billion.
President Trump and Secretary Shulkin speaking on the Veteran Affairs Accountability Act
Rejecting Paris Climate Accord – President Trump, pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate agreement, which, according to a study conducted by NERA Consulting, could have further crippled the United States economy by nearly $3 trillion, along with the fact that 6.5 million industrial sector jobs could have been lost and 3.1 million manufacturing sector jobs, which the President has repeatedly pledged to restore to hard-working Americans, not take away. Trade and inflation – The Trump Administration reopened beef exports to China for the first time in decades, allowing an estimated $2.5 billion-dollar market to be created for producers and ranchers in the U.S. On another note, the rate of inflation has decreased to 1.6%, the lowest in 8 months. Keystone Oil Pipeline – After passing through Congress, the President approved the Dakota Access Pipeline project and the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada, which will create more than 42,000 jobs and $2 billion in earnings. The Dakota Access Pipeline, transporting 500,000 barrels of oil a day, has begun to revitalize the North Dakota economy.
July
Crack-down on Opioid Crisis – Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared the "largest health-care fraud takedown operation in American history," when the DOJ charged more than 400 people, including doctors and medical facilities, guilty of prescribing unnecessary opioids to drug addicts that fueled the ongoing drug epidemic in America. Lobbying Restrictions – Fulfilling one of his "First 100 days" promises, President Trump signed an order that banned lobbyists from ascending to positions in the government for 5 years, in addition to a life-time ban on foreign lobbyists. Battling ISIS – Thanks to the renewed leadership and guidance from the executive, the U.S military has successfully pushed ISIS forces out of their safe haven in Mosul and has removed ISIS members from the Philippines. Investing in Natural Resources – President Trump fulfilled a campaign promise to remove the burdensome "Steam Protection Rule," established by Obama to restrict coal and oil miners. The President also invested heavily in oil and gas development on federal lands. Undermining Unemployment and GDP Growth – Under the Trump Administration, America has attained a 4.4% record low unemployment rate, compared to Obama's 9.5% record high rate. America's GDP rose 2.6%, more than doubling its rate of growth during the first quarter of the year.
August
Securing the Second Amendment – According to the article, "In August, the Justice Department terminated Operation Choke Point, an Obama program encouraging banks not to do business with 'high risk' businesses, which was used to target gun dealers." From Welfare to Wealthy – Under the Trump Administration, 1.1 million Americans have exited the food stamp program, compared to Obama. Veterans Reform – President Trump signed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act, serving to streamline the gruelingly long process that veterans undergo when appealing disability benefits claims with the VA. Trump also signed the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, providing educational benefits to Veterans, service members and their family members, including tuition, fees, books, and housing. Ban on Transgenders in Military – President Trump, in conjunction with Secretary of Defense General Mattis, reversed an Obama mandate and officially banned transgender individuals from serving in the military.
Improving U.S manufacturing and Job Growth – According to the article, "During Trump's first six months, the manufacturing index was the highest it had been since 1983 under President Reagan. The National Association of Manufacturers' Outlook Survey showed the highest two-quarter average, of 91.4 percent, for manufacturing optimism in the survey's 20-year history. The Institute for Supply Management reported its June barometer of manufacturing rose to 57.8, the fastest pace in three years." President Trump's Administration is responsible for ushering in nearly 1.3 million new jobs into the nation in his first 200 days in office, compared to America losing 4.1 million jobs under Obama's first 200 days, according to figures from The Bureau of Labor Statistics.
September
Stock Market Success – Throughout the first week of September, the Dow Jones Industrial Average recorded 34 record highs. It reached more than 22,400 points in mid-September, equivalent to a $4 Trillion gain since President Trump was inaugurated in January. The NASDAQ also saw many record spikes throughout the month. Standing up to the United Nations – President Trump delivered his first speech to the U.N General Assembly, declaring, "I put America first and you should do the same with your nations," echoing his America First platform before the nations of the World. Trump denounced Socialism and Communism, using the crisis in Venezuela as a prime example of its horrible repercussions, and called for greater attention toward sanctioning and denuclearizing North Korea. Sanctioning North Korea – President Trump is notable for pushing China to cut off its Central Bank from dealing with North Korean banks. Trump also made Kim Jung Un back off of his threats to blow up Guam in a nuclear strike.
President Trump addresses the United Nations for the first time
October
Military Defense – The Department of Defense invested approximately $400 million dollars toward improving America's missile defense programs. Reevaluating the EPA – According to the article, "Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt announced Oct. 9 a new set of rules that will override the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's drive to curb global Climate Change. The agency is moving to undo, delay or block more than 30 environmental rules, the largest regulatory rollback in the agency's 47-year history." Uninstalling the Iran Nuclear Deal – President Trump officially decertified the 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement, signed by Barack Obama. President Trump often called it the worst deal ever drafted and vowed to undue it since the election, instead seeking a path of denuclearization for Iran. Tackling Obamacare – Trump signed a major executive order on Oct. 12th, ordering three federal agencies to rewrite overbearing healthcare regulations while encouraging the establishment of cheaper health plans available to be purchased across state lines and unbound by restrictive Obamacare rules and regulations. This order allows small-business owners, trade groups and other organizations to unite and purchase cheaper health insurance.
November
Denouncing Communism – President Trump proclaimed Nov. 7, the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, as the National Day for the Victims of Communism. Restoring government transparency – On Nov. 9th, the federal government released to the public more than 13,000 documents from its files on President John F. Kennedy's assassination, under orders from President Trump, in addition to three prior releases of documents throughout October, when the president allowed the immediate release of 2,800 records by the National Archives.
Trip to Asia – On November 3rd, President Trump embarked on the longest trip to Asia of any American President in the last 3 decades. President Trump embarked upon the historic journey in order "to demonstrate the Administration's commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and to strengthen U.S. alliances and partnerships" according to WhiteHouse.gov. The President met with many major foreign leaders in the Indo-Pacific region over the duration of his visit, including: President Xi Jinping of China, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, and President of Vietnam Tran Dai Quang. Addressing rogue North Korea – President Trump designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terror on November 20th. In addition to this, the Treasury Department, headed by Steven Mnuchin directed banks in the U.S to cut off all ties to North Korea.
Chart of President Trump's Historic trip to Asia
December
Tax Reform – President Trump, upon working with Republicans in Congress, passed the largest tax-cut in American History on Friday December 22nd. The House passed the tax bill on November 16th, followed by the Senate on December 1st. This achievement has been hailed as the Trump's first major legislative victory and one that will bring Americans billions in returns on taxes. National parks – President Trump signed two executive orders on Dec. 4th that gave back nearly 2 million acres of land to the state of Utah by modifying executive orders devised by President Obama, greatly reducing the amount of land the federal government controls in the state. Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's true capital – On December 6th, Donald Trump became the first President to recognize Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel and announced that America would move its embassy there in the near future. Record Regulatory Reform – President Trump announced that his Administration has far exceeded its promise to eliminate regulations, breaking the record for removing the greatest number of regulations than any other President, surpassing Harriet Truman's record. Federal agencies also achieved $8.1 billion in lifetime net regulatory cost savings, the equivalent of $570 million per year. Abandoning the EPA -Since Trump's Inauguration, more than 700 government officials have abandoned their positions in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Conclusion
President Trump's first year in office has undeniably ushered in a new era of American exceptionalism and greatness, unseen in the 241 years that America has existed. Trump's America First policy has placed the nation as the center of attention on the World stage and has undone great swaths of Obama's detrimental globalist agenda, crippling the U.S for the past 8 years. President Trump's agenda has only grown stronger with time over the year, from major accomplishments such as: inspiring the lowest unemployment levels in 17 years, virtually defeating ISIS in 3 months, inspiring and signing the greatest tax-cut in U.S history, along with orchestrating many record highs in the stock market. With a legendarily successful year behind him, Donald Trump is on track to becoming the greatest President in American History, as he continually surpasses the accomplishments of his Republican and Democrat predecessors, making Trump, in my opinion, already after his first year in office, the great U.S. president in history.
President Trump celebrates success with Congressional Republicans
*N.B.: This article is based in part on the World Net Daily article, "Big List of 170 Trump Accomplishments in 340 Days." WND, www.wnd.com/2017/11/4621979/.
© Stone Washington
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