According to Forbes, New York Magazine, Time, and Inside Higher Education, Donald Trump sent letters to high schools and colleges attended, plus SAT College Board personnel, threatening them with legal action if they released his academic records. One certainly might wonder why a 78-year-old man elected to the highest office in the U.S. would spend time focusing on this issue, which is relatively meaningless compared to one’s strength of character, integrity, honesty, and work ethic.
The grading that really matters is the grades the American public gives Mr. Trump during his first 100 days of office or 180 days -- according to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 playbook -- as the time designed for Trump to implement their proposals. Trump’s actions will be graded by the world for eternity.
America’s 335 million citizens, especially the ~51 percent of voters who voted for someone else to become USA’s 47th president, deserve a five-week report card on Trump’s 2.0 endeavors. Recall Trump said at the 2024 Republican National Convention he was running for president “for all of America, not half of America because there is no victory in winning half of America.”
Twenty-nine issues have come front and center before the public since Jan. 20. Let’s see what the majority of citizens think of Trump’s 2.0 presidency to date:
- A Feb. 19 Quinnipiac poll revealed the majority of Americans feel Trump has failed on seven issues: immigration, economy, foreign policy, trade, federal workforce, Russia-Ukraine war, and Israel-Hamas conflict.
- According to a new Pew Research Center survey, 56 percent of U.S. adults disapprove of Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship (February 21).
- Since January 20, Trump has signed 64 executive orders and issued 27 proclamations while more than 70 lawsuits have been filed against Trump for his – most constitutional law professors have said- anti-democratic and anti-constitutional actions. Hence, a February 14 Pew Research Center survey found that “65 percent of U.S. adults say it would be `too risky’ to give Trump more power to deal directly with many of the nation’s problems.”
- According to Data for Progress, a super majority of voters oppose Trump’s proposal to take ownership of Greenland, Canada, Panama Canal, and Gaza.
- A YouGov poll revealed that the vast majority of Americans oppose Trump ending humanitarian aid to foreign countries (USAID), abolishing the Department of Education, and disbanding OSHA (ibid).
- Only 24 percent of Americans approve of Donald Trump withholding congressionally appropriated funds (ibid).
- President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance said judges should not have the power to review or block executive actions; 3 out of 5 Americans disagree (ibid).
- Of the 16 federal bodies (e.g., NASA, FBI, CIA, FEMA, USAID, DOGE-Department of Government Efficiency, etc.), the one that is the least favorable by Americans is DOGE, created by Mr. Trump (ibid).
- In separate Quinnipiac and Pew Research Center polls, 54-55 percent of voters think Elon Musk has too much power in making decisions affecting America (Politico, Feb. 19).
- Only 12 percent of Americans think Trump should seek out billionaires’ policy advice (AP/NORC poll).
- Two-thirds of consumers think Trump isn’t focused enough on the prices of products, which he said would be lowered on January 20 (CBS News).
- A majority to a supermajority of Americans oppose Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on goods imported from Mexico, Canada, and Europe (ibid), identified by the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board as “the dumbest trade war in history” (February 1-2).
- Trump shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), whereby farmers purchase $2 billion in agricultural products annually, and research is conducted at institutions like Iowa State University, Virginia Tech, and hundreds of other major universities (KCCI Des Moines).
- Due to Trump’s actions, the National Federation of Independent Business’s uncertainty index for small businesses recently reached its third highest level, coinciding with Stanford’s index of policy uncertainty for big businesses (Wall Street Journal, Feb. 12).
- Trump’s program to deport immigrants illegally residing in America receives 59 percent approval (CBS News); Trump hits a home run with this issue.
To date, Trump has failed to serve the majority of Americans on 28 of 29 issues that are of importance. Evidence is replete Trump has not fulfilled his promise of being a president “for all of America.”
There are two additional developments that need to be mentioned. First, support for Trump by farmers, teachers, civil servants, CEOs, adults aged 18-44, and people 65 and over is rapidly declining. Secondly, a February 3-16 Gallup poll revealed Trump has a 45 percent job approval rating, which is 15 percent below the historical average for 10 other presidents elected since 1953.
With five weeks down in Trump 2.0 and 203 weeks to go, as Alexander Pope said in his 1733 poem, “hope springs eternal” ... though it seems unlikely.
Steve Corbin is a professor emeritus of marketing at the University of Northern Iowa.
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