Trump Administration

On January 20, 2017, president-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into the highest office in the land regardless of the amount of preparation the country or even he himself has. There has been a variety of feelings Republicans have felt towards the president elect, but for Democrats, they are disappointed and angry. One of the things that both sides have in common, is they fear Trump is not adequate or mentally stable to be President of the United States. His behavior is erratic and unpredictable compared to any other Republican candidate that might have been elected president. His inconsistencies of his statements lead to confusion and even more confusion when they are confirmed by his staff. His statements about illegal immigration and Obamacare leaves many wondering what his stance on these issues really are. This only shows how his attitude and mannerisms can lead to destruction and chaos.

The uncertainties and not knowing can cause fear of established treaties being done away with, in turn, leading to stagnation of investments in the private sector. Threats of a trade war are scaring American exporters. (Reese 2). One example of the effect a trade war can have on American exporters, is the tariffs that can be imposed on Chinese exports. China could retaliate with their own tariffs, and thus affect Iowa and Ohio imports into their own country. These are agricultural states that are highly dependent on development in other countries. Since this is an economic issue, it will certainly get the attention of the Republican establishment. (Reese 2). Another thing is, our allies in Europe will be uncertain on how to proceed and may misunderstand Trump's stances through his statements or tweets. His behavior could cause discrepancies and communication gaps in how he leads and what his goals are. Our allies would most likely leave us alone and America would become isolated and garner no support for a military endeavor. This is a prediction of what can happen with a Trump White House, while the Democrats just watch it come apart and be doomed. However, Donald Trump still has rules and responsibilities to follow. There are still powers to be submitted to and a government to run. His rhetoric can be one thing, but he would need to translate that into legislation. Then time will tell how the Trump administration will deliver. Republicans on one side are putting their faith in some establishment White House officials to bring order to the chaos, even though there are varying in the mix from Trump's family to establishment Republicans. So, it will be difficult to tell who Trump will give an ear to, who will bring order to his chaos, and who he'll ultimately get his advice from?

Now if Trump is incompetent in the role of President of the United States, his chosen White House Officials will have to step in and be the ones who bring the change and work with Congress. If the Trump Administration cannot get things done, the next hope for the Republican establishment is the Republican Congress. Congress would need to be the ones to create and establish new policies. While Trump is doing all the media coverage for the policies that are passed, the White House officials or Congress are the ones who will be doing the real work behind the scenes. This probability is based on the presumption that Trump would be willing to be monitored while the establishment does its own thing. This is highly unlikely due to terrible record of Republicans trying to reign Trump in. So, disorder and chaos is to be expected. Especially because it is a norm in a Republican administration, since they are against government interference, deregulation, instead of working on applicable government programs like a Democrat administration would do. But Trump could be underestimated and bring surprise, just like Reagan and Nixon did. If Trump comes through by draining the establishment in Washington and big banks, that would be shocking. Critics and experts may be in for another surprise, as they have been mistaken in other areas regarding Trump and his administration. Will he complete his promises, or will he ultimately fail? Will there be chaos or success? That all remains to be seen. But whatever happens, he's coming whether we're ready or not.

The article, Trump: Here He Comes, Ready or Not, is more of an editorial piece to me. This opinion piece seems to be to be biased on a democrat's point of view and what someone assumes can happen in the Trump Presidency. The theme of the article is how chaotic and unorderly the Trump administration will be. Even though his outbursts, occasional vulgarity, and not always saying the right thing is an issue, it does not disqualify his potential of being a good president. I believe the American people, those on the Republican side wanted someone who wasn't part of the establishment, wasn't a smooth talker, but a fighter, someone who made them hope again. The argument or prediction that moved me the most was regarding the trade war with China. Trump has kept his promise and is imposing tariffs on China, while they are reacting with tariffs on us as well. These are causing problems for Iowa and Ohio now, and even though it is hurting them now, it can either have the possibility of being short term or long term for them while Trump is trying to resolve fair trade deals with China. So, this article has given me something to think about and research how this trade war is affecting these agricultural states. An alternative to this issue is somehow, numbers and stats would need to be shown to see if this trade war would actually benefit in the long run. Would the future net income make up for the net loss? I would have liked to have read specifically how this would have affected them. Since I do not know much about this issue, I like to see both sides before I can make a conclusion. Since this article has been written, many people can say that not much has been done by this administration. With illegal immigration, there has been uproars to his enforcement of the law, and regard to our European allies, they know we are not to be pushed or underhanded in trade. His trade wars that are going on, many people disagree with, but he just formed a new treaty to rid of NAFTA and instead going with USMCA. So far, what I have seen is his success and not chaos. I believe he is getting things done.

Political power- the ability to get things done by controlling or influencing the institutions of government, (Losco 5). Political power comes into play when the influential and powerful leaders in America have the ability to get things done. In the article, it was expressed Trump was going to have the position to implement his policies, but not be the driving force of it. His administration was to be chaotic and messy. Yes, he was getting the political power, but that was not exactly the question this article posed but what will be done with that influence? Political culture- the dominant values and beliefs of a political community, (Losco 138). The political culture of viewing a Republican administration to be chaotic varies from person to person. Just how viewing a Democratic administration is productive. These political cultures seep into our lives and guide us to viewpoints that can dominate our speech and even writing, as I have an the writer of the article. Political information- a measure of the amount of political knowledge an individual possesses concerning political issues, political figures, and the workings of the political system, (Losco 169). Political information is very important and is helpful to others making decisions and leaning towards a certain political issue. This can apply in section 2, where I felt there was not enough political information to make a solid decision on trade. I could feel intimidated and forget about participating in politics, but as a American citizen, I am now seeking to do my civic duty and be informed.

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