Examining What Donald Trump Actually Accomplished as President

Donald Trump’s presidency was marked by nonstop controversy and norm-breaking behavior. But behind the headlines, what did Trump tangibly achieve in terms of legislation, policies, and other measurable outcomes as president?

Looking just at concrete results rather than rhetoric provides perspective on Trump’s real record.

In this article, we review major accomplishments across different policy areas to assess what Trump was actually able to deliver during his tenure.

Introduction

Evaluating presidential accomplishments requires looking beyond partisan opinions. Here, we analyze Trump’s tangible achievements using neutral measures like bills signed into law, quantified metrics, and verified outcomes rather than claims or accusations [1]. Major initiatives we will examine include:

• Legislative wins
• Economic and jobs data
• Judicial appointments
• Immigration enforcement
• Foreign policy moves
• Federal regulations rolled back

While supporters and critics debate Trump’s legacy, focusing just on verified actions provides clearer insight into his concrete effects over four years governing.

Legislative Policy Victories

Despite unified GOP control of Congress for two years, Trump’s legislative achievements were limited [2]:

• Tax cuts – Passed tax reform through budget reconciliation in December 2017 lowering rates across brackets.
• Criminal justice reform – Bipartisan bill in 2018 enacted modest sentencing reforms.
• VA reform – 2018 law granted veterans more healthcare provider choice.
• Opioid response – Bipartisan legislation improved addiction treatment access.
• Sex trafficking bill – Allowed victims to sue websites facilitating exploitation.

But Trump failed to repeal Obamacare and did not achieve major immigration or infrastructure plans.

Economic and Employment Data Under Trump

Trump frequently cited positive economic metrics during his term [3]:

• GDP growth – Real GDP grew around 2.5% annually during Trump’s term.
• Unemployment – The unemployment rate dropped from 4.7% when Trump took office to 3.5% in December 2019 pre-pandemic.
• Jobs – Non-farm payrolls increased by 6.6 million during Trump’s term based on BLS data.
• Stock market – The S&P 500 index rose over 47% while Trump was in office.

But gains often continued longer-term trends at a steady pace rather than major acceleration.

Judicial Appointments

With a Republican Senate, Trump appointed a historic number of federal judges [4]:

• Trump successfully appointed 3 Supreme Court justices – Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.
• He appointed 234 total federal judges – 54 Appeals Court and 174 District Court judges.
• This represents the most federal judges appointed by any president in one term.

Judicial appointments proved to be an area where Trump successfully enacted major conservative change.

Immigration Enforcement Actions

Some of Trump’s most contentious policy moves were on immigration [5]:

• Border wall – Built over 450 miles of new physical barriers on the Mexico border.
• Travel ban – Restricted entry from certain Muslim-majority countries, with a modified version upheld by the Supreme Court.
• Remain in Mexico – Forced asylum applicants to wait in Mexico through the Migrant Protection Protocols program.
• Child separation – Instituted controversial policy splitting migrant children from parents detained at border.

Trump followed through on pledges to aggressively crack down on both illegal and legal immigration.

Key Foreign Policy Actions

Trump broke with traditional presidential attitudes on foreign policy issues [6]:

• Israel – Won international praise for brokering normalization pacts between Israel and 5 Arab states.
• China – Imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports but concluded initial “Phase One” trade agreement.
• Military – Boosted military budgets but completed major drawdowns in Afghanistan and Iraq.
• Iran – Withdrew from nuclear deal but failed to secure improved terms or denuclearization.
• North Korea – Met directly with Kim Jong Un but did not reach any nuclear disarmament deal.

Trump challenged establishment foreign policy consensus but without clearly defined end strategies.

Regulations and Government Rolled Back

Trump made major changes to federal regulations and operations [7]:

• Regulations cut – Eliminated 8 old regulations for every new rule issued.
• NEPA reviews – Scaled back environmental impact requirements for federal projects.
• WOTUS rule – Reversed an EPA clean water regulation on industry discharges.
• Paris Agreement – Fulfilled pledge to withdraw the U.S. from the international climate accord.
• Government workforce – Reduced federal workforce by 16,000 through attrition and buyouts.

Slashing red tape and bureaucratic reach delivered on Trump’s small-government promises.

Conclusion

In assessing Trump’s tangible presidential accomplishments, most came through executive actions rather than legislation. Victories like tax cuts and criminal justice reform fell short of his soaring campaign promises.

But appointing judges, cutting regulations, and cracking down on immigration allowed Trump to implement major change unilaterally. Supporters argue he successfully enacted a conservative populist vision despite the “swamp.” Critics emphasize Trump’s self-aggrandizement and norms violated.

But focusing just on verified outcomes separate from the controversy reveals genuine reshaping of America’s economic, legal, and international footing occurred during the seismic Trump presidency.

References

[1] https://millercenter.org/president/trump/key-events

[2] https://www.brookings.edu/interactives/tracking-deregulation-in-the-trump-era/

[3] https://www.whitehouse.gov/trump-administration-accomplishments/

[4] https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/01/13/how-trump-compares-with-other-recent-presidents-in-appointing-federal-judges/

[5] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46824649

[6] https://www.cfr.org/article/trumps-foreign-policies-are-better-they-seem

[7] https://www.brookings.edu/interactives/tracking-deregulation-in-the-trump-era/