Trump on Day-One
I have friends who’ve told me that while they’re not voting for Trump, he can’t do that much damage because he has to get his ideas through…
I have friends who’ve told me that while they’re not voting for Trump, he can’t do that much damage because he has to get his ideas through Congress and the Courts.
That has provided some comfort — but now we’re hearing that the Trump campaign is preparing the first-day project, which would be an effort to try to do a large number of things right away using the powers of the executive office, using the powers of the presidency.
They’re planning on 25 things — on Day One.
Here’s a partial list:
• Roll Back Environmental Protections — Renounce Paris climate agreement
• Roll Back Abortion Rights
• Go After Immigrants
• Roll Back Gun Control
• “End the war on coal.”
• “Begin swiftly removing criminal illegal immigrants from this country.”
• “Withdraw from Trans Pacific Partnership” TPP
• Withdraw from World Trade Organization
• “Notify our NAFTA partners of my intention to renegotiate the deal.”
• “Designate China as a currency manipulator.”
• “Get rid of gun-free zones [in] schools” and “military bases” — which would require repealing a 25-year-old federal law
• “Defend the unborn.”
• “Repeal Obamacare.”
• Renegotiate Iran nuclear deal — which could give Iran a basis to restart their nuclear plant.
• Meet with Homeland Security officials and generals to begin securing the southern border.
• Suspend Syrian refugee resettlement.
• “Notify all countries that refuse to take back dangerous illegal immigrants that they will lose access to our visa programs.”
• Drop a nuclear bomb
• Instruct Homeland Security to ban Muslims
• Instruct Homeland Security to ban anyone from Countries who foster terrorists — which he could define as Egypt, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia or others.
• Begin deporting 5 million people
• Invoke provision 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and order thousands of local and state agents and police officers to enforce the deportation effort.
And those “checks and balances” you speak of? “These checks are not gone completely, but they’re much weaker than I think most people assume,” Eric Posner, a law professor at the University of Chicago, said. “Congress has delegated a great deal of power to the President, Presidents have claimed power under the Constitution, and Congress has acquiesced.” The courts are slow of course.
Thoughts?