One year after winning the election, has Trump changed America?

One year after winning the election, has Trump changed the United States? Less than a year after Trump entered the White House, the staff who followed him have left one after another, and the only person in this photo is himself...

Less than a year after Trump entered the White House, the staff who followed him have left one after another, and the only people in this photo are himself and Vice President Pence. (Photo source: Associated Press)

[Qiao Bao Comprehensive News] In November last year, Trump, a real estate tycoon with no political experience, defeated political veteran Hillary Clinton in one fell swoop and won the presidential election, which surprised countless people. One year later, Trump, who vowed to make "America great again," has been in the White House for nearly 10 months. Has America become greater?

Dissatisfied with the status quo, most people refuse to support Trump

Recently, the polling agency Gallup compared some of the poll results now and a year ago, and found that some situations are getting better, while others are getting worse. The good thing is that people's confidence in the U.S. economy has increased significantly. The Gallup Economic Confidence Index has increased from -11 when Trump won to +3 in October this year, and reached a peak of +11 in January this year.

At the same time, however, public satisfaction with the country's current situation has declined. Before and after Trump was elected last year, 28% of those surveyed expressed satisfaction with the current situation in the country, while this proportion dropped to 21% in October this year. Although the October survey was conducted after the Las Vegas shooting, the September survey also showed a decline in public satisfaction.

The public’s basic view of Trump is still more negative than positive, and more than half of the people do not support him. The latest survey results from the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Washington Post also show that 59% of people do not support Trump. Now, his approval rating is only about 37%.

Promises are difficult to fulfill

In the past year, the changes Trump promised during the campaign have basically not been realized, including building a wall on the US-Mexico border, repealing Obamacare, cutting taxes, and investing heavily in improving infrastructure.

> Trump has been planning to repeal the Obamacare law since he came to power. After several efforts, it has come to no avail. The tax reform is still in the process of advancement. Optimistic estimates suggest that it may be completed before the first anniversary of his official taking office.

There is also the Iran Nuclear Agreement. Although Trump has repeatedly said that he will abrogate the agreement as soon as he takes office, so far, the Iran Nuclear Agreement is still in effect. Only last month, Trump refused to confirm that Iran complied with the Iran Nuclear Agreement and threatened to withdraw. This makes the future of the Iran Nuclear Agreement full of uncertainty.

The economy continues to strengthen

In the year since Trump was elected, the overall U.S. economy has continued to develop smoothly. The unemployment rate has dropped to a low of 4.1%, the stock market has hit new highs, and the gross domestic product (GDP) has grown steadily.

Since the election day in November last year, the U.S. stock market has experienced a "Trump trend". The Dow Jones Index has risen by nearly 29%, and the S&P 500 Index has risen by 21%, and continues to set new historical highs.

Data from Goldman Sachs show that in the 12 months after Trump was elected, the S&P 500 index ranked fourth since 1936. Presidents who performed better than Trump include Bush Sr., Kennedy and Clinton.

After a turbulent first quarter, U.S. GDP growth in the third quarter reached 3% on an annual basis, slightly lower than the 3.1% in the second quarter. It was the first time in three years that GDP growth reached or exceeded 3% for two consecutive quarters, although there is still a big gap from the 5% promised by Trump.

The labor market has also continued to strengthen. The unemployment rate has dropped from 4.8% last year to a low of 4.1%, and the job market is close to the full employment level.

Trump and his team claim that if comprehensive tax reform can be carried out in the next few weeks or months, it will inject more vitality into the US economy. However, the tax reform bill has not yet been finalized, and there may still be variables.

Domestic rift deepens

During last year's presidential election, the confrontation between the Democratic and Republican parties rose to an unprecedented level, and the entire country was severely divided. In his victory speech, Trump vowed to work with Democrats and other critics to bring the country together.

However, in the past year, Trump has not given much thought to how to unite. He has continued to criticize people from all walks of life, including football players who kneel during the national anthem, late-night TV hosts, the mayor of the capital of Puerto Rico, Democrats, even Republicans and his staff. Obviously, Trump’s controversial loudmouth style during the campaign has not changed much in the past year.

In the past year, Trump’s most effective campaign tool during the election, Twitter, has remained his convenient weapon to attack people from all walks of life and caused divisions in Congress. Democrats are increasingly challenging Trump directly and are always at odds with him on key issues such as health care.

A Gallup survey conducted days after Trump was elected found that 77% of Americans believed the country was divided on major values, a record high. Since then, the United States has shown no tendency to heal the rift. Trump's inauguration was boycotted by massive protests across the United States, and crowds on the far left and far right have since become increasingly active. In August this year, a far-right march in Charlottesville resulted in the death of a female protester who was opposing the march when she was hit by a car. The man responsible was a far-right white supremacist.

The relationship between the United States and Russia has deteriorated

Compared with a year ago, the relationship between the United States and Russia has become more complicated. During the campaign, Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as "a strong leader" and declared that he hoped to maintain a good personal relationship with him.

Now, he has to agree with the findings of the US intelligence agency: Russian hackers invaded the email system of the Democratic National Committee in an attempt to interfere in the US presidential election and make the result favorable to Trump.

Only a few weeks after Trump took office, Flynn, his hand-picked national security adviser, suddenly resigned due to secret talks with the Russian ambassador to the United States. Recently, several former members of the Trump campaign team were criminally charged in connection with the "Russia scandal." Although the current investigation cannot prove that Trump is involved, the situation may become more and more complicated as the investigation deepens.

In April this year, the relationship between the United States and Russia took a turn for the worse due to the chemical weapons attack in Syria. The United States believed that it was the work of the Syrian government forces supported by Russia, while Russia pointed the finger at the Syrian opposition supported by the United States. Trump even ordered U.S. warships to launch cruise missiles at Syrian government forces' airports, and Russia quickly dispatched warships to the Mediterranean to prepare for a counterattack.

Trump said he hoped he could start to trust Putin, but said "that may not last long."

On November 8, Pence went to Texas to express condolences to the families of the victims of the Sutherland Springs shooting. (Photo source: Associated Press)

Pence celebrates the first anniversary of Trump’s election victory: Trump has made great achievements

Vice President Pence published an article titled "It has been a year of accomplishments" in "USA Today" on Wednesday, explaining his views on the changes that have taken place in the United States one year after Trump's victory. Pence said that one year ago, Trump won a historic victory. What is even more historic is what he has achieved this year.

The following is the main content of his article:

This is the year to take action. We set out to make America great again.

Thanks to the president’s leadership, the U.S. economy is growing. U.S. businesses added nearly 1.5 million jobs. The manufacturing industry has also ushered in its most confident moment in 20 years. Stock indexes hit new highs. Pensions increased by nearly $5 trillion. After eight years of weak economic growth, the economic growth rate in the first two quarters increased by at least 3%.

The U.S. economy is recovering as President Trump takes decisive action to enable a new era of prosperity and development.

We liberated America's energy, approved pipelines, and under President Trump, the "war on coal" is over.

We appoint judges to federal courts to uphold the Constitution and all the freedoms God has given us. President Trump installed Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

President Trump has also taken decisive action to ensure the safety and security of the American people at home and abroad. We are securing our borders. Enforce our laws and remove gang members, drug dealers and violent criminals from our streets.

The President puts our veterans first. He signed legislation that restores accountability to the Department of Veterans Affairs and gives veterans access to the world-class care they deserve.

We are rebuilding our military. President Trump has signed the largest defense spending bill in nearly 10 years. We are working with Congress to pass the largest defense investment package since the Reagan era.

As America's strength returns, the president has achieved tangible results on the international stage.

Our NATO allies contribute even more to our mutual defense. The Islamic State (ISIS) is collapsing. The president set a red line against chemical weapons in Syria, safeguarding U.S. credibility. He informed Iran, making it clear that the United States could not ensure the continuation of the Iran nuclear deal. Our government has brought unprecedented economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea.

>This has been a year of achievement and we are just getting started. Before the end of the year, we will pass historic tax cuts for the American people. Under President Trump’s leadership, I know this: We will make America great again.

Biden talks about the 2016 election: I regret that I am not the president now

Former Vice President Joe Biden recently accepted an exclusive interview with American TV talk show queen Oprah (Oprah Winfrey) and expressed regret that he did not participate in the 2016 presidential election.

According to the "Daily Mail" report, the 74-year-old Biden accepted an exclusive interview with the Oprah cable channel OWN Network earlier this week, and part of the interview clips were exposed on Thursday morning. He said in the interview: "I am not the president now, and I regret it, because I think we can actually have a lot of opportunities."

Biden further said: "I think the United States actually has excellent innate conditions."

Biden was the vice president during the term of former President Obama, and previously served as a federal senator from Delaware for 36 years. In October 2015, at a time when there was a heated discussion within the Democratic Party about who would run for president, Biden, who was quite optimistic, announced that he had no intention to participate in the party's primaries due to family reasons, even though he said that he saw the obvious weaknesses of the Democratic candidate Hillary during the election process, and he himself had high support in several swing states where Hillary had a weak influence, such as Pennsylvania and Florida.

In May 2015, Biden's eldest son, Beau Biden, died of brain cancer at the age of 46. Beau Biden was the Attorney General of Delaware during his lifetime and left behind a son and a daughter. The pain of a white-haired man sending a black-haired man was a serious blow to Biden. He thought over and over again and finally decided not to represent the Democratic Party against Trump, who was running on behalf of the Republican Party.

Regarding missing the opportunity to enter the White House, Biden told Oprah on the show: "I have no regrets about the decision I made, because it was the right decision for my family."

The loss of his son was not the only major family tragedy that Biden encountered in his political career. In December 1972, six weeks after he ran for the Senate election, his wife Neilia Hunter and daughter Naomi died in an accident. Biden's eldest son Beau Biden and second son Hunter Biden were also injured.

When it comes to candidacy for the presidential election, Biden said that interested candidates must ask themselves two questions: "First, do you really believe that you are the most qualified candidate at the moment? I believe that I do. However, am I ready to devote all my heart, all my soul, and all my attention to this challenge?" I know my answer is no. "

At the time, even Obama said that if Biden ran, he would have a hard time choosing between his deputy and the former secretary of state.

Biden's biography "Promise Me Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose" will be published soon.

Biden said in the interview that he was devastated when his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident, but his mother Catherine “Jean” Finnegan Biden comforted him and said: "In every tragic event, something good will happen, if you look for it seriously."

Biden said: "My mother's idea is like this. We have been taught to stand up since childhood. If you are knocked down, stand up and keep moving forward."