Outcomes of Trump’s first year presidency - scandals and confrontations with allies - COMMENT

Baku. 22 January. REPORT.AZ/ In the early of last century the longest hand in global policy belonged to United Kingdom. That’s why everyone sought British footprint and track everywhere. Once this track disappeared US replaced it. Actually, It’s believed that US and UK have the same hand. Nevertheless, only the name of US is mentioned in the global policy and economy. For this reason, the foreign and in many cases internal policy perused by this country nearly affects the existence of other states and powers. In this regard, the activity, behavior, speech of US president is closely being followed, even regraded as an official document. January 20 was the one-year anniversary since Donald Trump took office as 45th president of the United States.

This article is about how 71-year-old head of White House remembered for us during one year of his activity. In general, according to political predictions Donald Trump is considered as unpredictable president in American policy. Even now he is called “president without team”. Though Republican Party is considered as main team, the developments proved that the most loyal members of his team are his family or rather daughter Ivana Trump and son-in-law of Jewish origin Jared Kushner

Trump is also the indicator and result of US democracy and election regulations. As most US citizens he is regarded as pro-American. Over the past year he tried to be committed to the slogan Make America Great Again that he used in his presidential campaign. In the first day of his presidency Trump seemed to have challenges to obey to the protocol rules.

When he was stepping off the plane first in Ben Gurion airport in Tel-Aviv, Israel and then in Rome, Italy Trump tried to hold hand of her spouse, Melania of Slovenian origin, refused to hold. Though it is considered normal, there are protocol rules for presidents. Over the last year US preserved the leading position in terms of economy. According to the latest information released by World Bank, the United States has a $18 trillion (24.3 %) economy. It makes nearly quarter of the global economy. For comparison, China has a $11 trillion economy and ranks the second. As of January 30, 2017, a barrel of Brent oil was $55.48, WTI was $53.06.

On January 19, 2018 the price of WTI oil during of online trading at New York’s NYMEX exchange amounted to $63.22, Brent crude oil equaled to $68.63 at London’s intercontinental ICE market. According to CNN’s poll about the first eleven month of Trump’s presidency, approval rating of Trump equaled to 35% of Americans. 59% of respondents said they disapprove of how Trump is handling his job as president. That's a significant drop from the 45% approval rating that Trump had in March,2017 shortly after taking office. Trump set records for a President at this point in his term. For instance, George W. Bush ended his first calendar year at 86% approval, John F. Kennedy hit 77%, George H.W. Bush reached 71%, Dwight Eisenhower hit 69%, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama all finished their first calendar year with approval ratings between 55 and 59%.

Approval rating in Republican Party amounted to 85% but Democrats at just 4%. One of the promises made by the 45th US President during his presidential campaign was immigration issue. He seemed to pay more attention to this issue over the last year. After being elected in one of his interviews he said: “What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably 2 million, it could be even 3 million, we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate. But we’re getting them out of our country, they’re here illegally.”

He signed an executive order banning entry to the US for citizens from seven countries– Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya – for a period of 90 days. According to statistics 768,000 total murders committed in the United States from 1975 to the end of 2015. Foreign-born terrorists who entered the country, either as immigrants or tourists, were responsible for 3,024 murders caused by terrorists on US soil. Interestingly, none of the people carried out the murders are citizens of seven countries whose entry was banned to US by Trump. It’s also necessary to mention that the Donald Trump is remembered over the last year as a racist president who does not like Muslims. Over the last year, the first terror attack was carried out in New York since September 11 attacks in 2001. On November 1 (Baku time), the driver plowed a pickup truck down a pedestrians in New York killing eight people and injuring more than 12 residents. 29-nine-year-old Uzbek Sayfullo Habibullayevich Saipov accused of terror attack was arrested.

Trump stressed the importance to build a wall on the US-Mexico border in order to stop illegal migrants. He labeled Mexico the most dangerous country in the world. The White House estimated construction of the wall would cost around $20 billion. President Trump referred to Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations as “shithole countries”.

The international community accused him of racism. However, US president said he does not consider himself a racist. United States of America admitted 29,022 refugees under the presidency of Donald Trump which is the lowest indicator for the last 15 years. Moreover, new restrictions limited the number of refugees who could enter the US under refugee program. Most notably, it barred citizens of 11 countries - Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Refugee admissions hovered around 70,000 and 80,000 per year under the George Bush Junior and Barack Obama administrations. In 2016, 94,837 people admitted to US under this program, which applies to those who are persecuted based on their race, religion, nationality or political opinion in their home country.

In 2017 natural disasters caused the greatest damage in US history. Wildfires, freezing temperature, floods and hurricanes cost $306 billion damage across America which shatters the previous US annual record cost of $214.8 billion established in 2005. US hurricanes cost about $265 billion in 2017.

Last year was memorable by escalation of tension between US and North Korea. As head of states threatened each other with “nuclear buttons” this expression may come down in history as one of the symbols of relations between two countries.

Trump is remembered for recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israeli. In 1980 Israel annexed the eastern and western pasts of Jerusalem and declared the capital of Jewish state. However, United Nations Security Council Resolution 478, adopted in 1980, condemned Israel's attempted annexation. US officials for the first time even threatened their allies on Jerusalem issue. It also showed the existence of problems on international issues between Europe and US.

As an international mediator, US failed to contribute to the settlement of conflicts in Azerbaijan, Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine in 2017.

In the first year of Trump’s presidency the relations have significantly chilled with Turkey, one of the United States' closest allies. Turkey blames Washington for defending and arming the terrorists in Syria and Iraq, one of the wings of PKK terrorists. But US denied the accusations and could not show substantial facts against those claims.

US President also continuously speaks against Iran. On July 15, 2015, he said US will leave the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, nuclear deal reached between Iran and six world powers.

One of the memorable events in US history during and after Trump’s presidential campaign was related with Russia. The investigation about members of Trump's presidential campaign for alleged links with Russia is still under investigation. The several members of Trump’s administration became the victims of scandals and were dismissed.

Trump announced that ISIS terrorists cleared from Syria and Iraq. Nevertheless, the White House seeks to build 30,000 forces on the basis of PKK’s wings in Syria. Neither Trump, nor other members of his administration still can’t clarify against whom these forces will fight? Turkish officials said the statements issued on this topic contradict each other.

Several states tried to avoid dependence on US dollar in the past year. It can be presumed that this has also led to the increase of bitcoin, one of the crypto currencies.

Trump said that he will run for president in 2020. Trump did not hold any state positions before. He was a businessman and billionaire. Trump’s personal fortune equals to $ 3.7 billion, wrote Forbes in 2016. He is said to own plenty of real estates.

Thus, over the past year, US president has learned to manage not only millions of dollars, but also relations and cooperation with countries owning billions of funds. For this reason, after becoming president, his relations have changed with countries he had very high level connections as an entrepreneur. It suggests that during his four-year term Trump will improve this habit and in the second term in office he will be mostly remembered in US history as a successful head of state. For that, he needs to make the next three years in office successfully to the end.