Four years ago, I wrote a synopsis of Barack Obama's tenure in the White House. I described him as the Jackie Robinson of politics; the adult in the room who, like his hero Abraham Lincoln, sought out the better angels of those around him. Whether you agreed with his policies or not, no one could question the man's integrity of his moral compass, which was always pointed north.
The man who will depart the White House January 20 is in every way imaginable the polar opposite of Obama. Bereft of a moral compass and possessing the acuity of an adolescent, the American carnage that Trump spoke of in his inaugural address would end up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. When Joe Biden takes the oath of office at 12 noon tomorrow, there will be more troops in Washington D.C. then there are in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria combined.
This is Donald Trump's America: a nation so divided that every capital in every state is on heightened alert; one third of the electorate is convinced that the incoming administration is illegitimate; and the majority of the GOP has been reduced to the political equivalent of a punch line. Everything this man touches dies. Everything. He will leave office the first president ever to be impeached twice.
To compare Nixon to Trump is to do a disservice to Nixon. Though he was a corrupt president, Nixon was at least an institutionalist who had some actual achievements to his credit: the EPA, diplomatic relations with Communist China, taking the U.S. off the gold standard among them. Trump had no respect for the institutions of this country; he attacked them every chance he got. There's little doubt that had he won a second term in office, the damage he could've wrought would've been irreversible.
Trump's supporters point to his accomplishments as justification for looking past his "short comings." Let's look at those "accomplishments."
The Wall: His signature campaign promise, like all the others, came up short. Not only didn't Mexico pay for it, it turns out that of the 452 miles of wall construction, all but 47 was for replacement of existing structures. That's right, only 47 miles of new construction on a border 2,000 miles long. Oh, and the price tag? $15 billion, two thirds of which Trump stole from the military budget. Quite a return on investment, wouldn't you say? Now you know why this guy filed for bankruptcy six times.
The tax cuts: The only significant piece of legislation Trump signed into law at the end of 2017 turned out to be biggest steal since the days of Arthur Laffer. The top corporate tax rate was slashed from 35 percent to 21 percent and top marginal tax rate was reduced from 39.6 percent to 37 percent. 98 percent of the benefits went to the top 2 percent of the country, and homeowners got screwed because the deduction for state and local property tax was capped at $10,000. The law also adds about $1.9 trillion in new debt over the next ten years. And the boost to the economy? Negligible at best. In fact, most of Corporate America used the wind fall they received to buy back company stock.
The economy: Despite Trump's assertions, he did NOT have the greatest economy in the history of the country. Not even close. In fact, overall economic growth during the first three years of his administration was about the same as economic growth during the last seven years of the Obama administration. GDP under Obama averaged 2.2 percent. Under Trump it was 2.5 percent. That's a difference of literally .3 percent. As far as job growth is concerned, the economy added an average of 186,000 jobs per month under Obama vs. an average of 182,000 per month under Trump. Basically, Trump took Obama's economy and for most of his term in office managed not to fuck it up. If you're wondering which president had the best economy in the modern era, that distinction belongs to Bill Clinton: 4 percent GDP growth and 22.7 million jobs added, all with higher marginal corporate and personal tax rates.
America First: Trump's trade wars may have stoked his base, but they did not achieve the results that were intended. Tariffs imposed on goods from foreign countries like China were not paid for by those countries; rather than were passed on to consumers, the way all tariffs are. The trade deficit, which Trump campaigned on reducing, actually went up during his administration. As for the manufacturing sector, job growth was no better than it was during the Obama years. The unintended consequence of Trump's America First policy was that America often went it alone.
Health Care: Remember what Trump said about Obamacare? He was going to repeal it on day one and replace it with something better. Four years later, not only hasn't the ACA been repealed, Trump never did come up with a replacement. Every time he was questioned about it, his answer was always the same: a new plan was two weeks away. Bottom line, there never was never going to be a replacement for Obamacare because Republicans were never interested in coming up with one. And Trump was too lazy to come up with his own.
The Judiciary: Yes, Trump appointed three justices to the Supreme Court with the expectation that it would overturn Roe v. Wade. Well, guess what? Even with six conservatives on the bench, Roe is still the law of the land. But the effort wasn't a total waste. Mitch McConnell did appoint over 200 judges to the district and circuit courts, most of whom will make Biden's life a living hell the next four years.
So much for his "accomplishments." As for his legacy, Trump leaves behind a nation hopelessly fractured and polarized to such an extent that there is barely a community that isn't teetering on the brink. White nationalism is now considered the number one threat to America; politicians have come under attack; family members have stopped talking to each other; institutions are being undermined; and our allies are understandably alarmed over what has happened to this once venerable republic, while our adversaries smile at their good fortune. Not since the Civil War has the nation stood this close to the precipice.
Racism, sexism, nativism, homophobia, corruption, sedition, this is Trump's legacy. Whether or not he is convicted in the Senate - and I still have my doubts he will - he must not be allowed to set foot in the Oval Office again. America barely survived four years with him at the helm. If he gets another four, the longest living example of representative democracy will be finished.
Twelve years ago, the nation looked to a Democratic president to repair the damage caused by a Republican administration. Now it looks to another Democratic president to heal the wounds caused by a truly small and vindictive man. The damage that Trump has done will take years to repair. More than just our reputation has been tarnished. The nation is battling the worst pandemic in over a century and an economy in which millions of people and tens of thousands of businesses struggle to hang on. Biden has his work cut out for him.
To the current president, I say good riddance to bad rubbish. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
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