10 Of Trump’s Biggest Broken Promises From His First 100 Days In Office
Reprinted with permission from Alternet.
Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office have been among the more disastrous in American presidential history. Not only has he seen his healthcare bill go down in flames and his discriminatory executive orders overruled in federal court, he has failed the very people who voted him into office.
Politifact has been tracking over 100 such promises, and while Trump has followed through on some, like slashing regulations, he has broken countless others. Here are ten ways he has bamboozeled his base.
1. “Drain the swamp”
Trump didn’t drain the swamp; he flooded it with Goldman Sachs alumni and Bush-era officials, making his the richest cabinet in U.S. history.
2. Get Mexico to pay for a border wall
“Nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively,” Donald Trump said in his presidential campaign announcement. “I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.”
During Trump’s first week in office, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto reiterated that Mexico would not be paying for a wall. As for it being “inexpensive,” the cost is now projected at $15 billion, approximately $120 per household.
3. Repeal and replace Obamacare with “insurance for everybody”
Trump’s failure to deliver a passable health care bill last month was a total blow to his reputation as a dealmaker.
4. Label China a currency manipulator
After meeting with Chinese President Xi at his Palm beach resort Mar-a-Lago, the president completely reversed his “tough on China” position.
5. Eradicate crime in Chicago
Candidate Trump frequently targeted the “carnage” of Barack Obama’s hometown and Hillary Clinton’s birthplace with threats to “send in the feds” once he took office. But Chicago’s murder rate remains high despite Trump’s boasts last August that he could fix the problem “in a week.”
6. Save the coal industry
Despite a policy and production shift, one of Trump’s most audacious claims has been dismissed by top industry executives and some of his biggest supporters.
7. Stay out of the Middle East
Trump’s military strike on a Syrian airbase was a complete 180 from the isolationist rhetoric he campaigned on, a move that has angered some of his most ardent supporters. The policy reversal was espeically hypocritical given his criticism of President Obama in 2013.
8. Not take vacations
“I would not be a president who took vacations. I would not be a president that takes time off,” Trump said in June 2015. As of mid-April, Trump has spent nearly 30 percent of his term staying at or traveling to Mar-a-Lago.
9. Sue his accusers
During the fallout from his 2005 Hollywood Access tape, Trump promised at a campaign rally in Gettysburg, PA: “All of these liars will be sued after the election is over.” Five months later, he is yet to take legal action.
10. Jail Hillary Clinton
The notorious rallying cry to “lock up” his opponent quickly softened post-election; Hillary Clinton even attended his inauguration in January.
Bonus: Two months before his historic upset, Trump promised voters “every dream you ever dreamed for your country” would be fulfilled should he be elected. Let’s just say they’ve had a rude awakening.
Alexandra Rosenmann is an AlterNet associate editor. Follow her @alexpreditor.
This article was made possible by the readers and supporters of AlterNet.
