10 things that changed with Donald Trump in the United States in his first year as president
A quarter of Donald Trump's presidential term has passed, long enough to be able to judge his performance so far.
There have been promises kept, promises broken, and promises ignored.
In addition, the president enters his first anniversary with a 39% approval rating in the polls, the lowest of all US presidents in his first year.
But has anything changed in the United States with the policies of Donald Trump?
He is a businessman with no political experience who when he arrived in Washington said he would "make an impact." Did you do it?
1. Immigration
The Trump administration tackled the immigration issue fairly quickly with its controversial executive order closing the country's border to migrants from a number of primarily Muslim nations. The order was quickly suspended by the courts.
Since then, the White House has presented two new immigration orders, adding some countries to the list of those that have access prohibited - among them Venezuela - and removing one from its list: Sudan.
The latest measures, so far at least, have weathered legal challenges.
Anti-immigration efforts have also been redoubled: as of October 2017, there were 143,470 arrests of undocumented immigrants, an increase of 30% over the previous year.
Trump also announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (or DACA) program, established in the Obama era, which granted residency status to some 700,000 undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children.
The order was temporarily suspended by a court and is the subject of ongoing negotiations in Congress.
Trump is pushing for drastic changes to the US immigration system, including reducing the total number of immigrants and ending the visa lottery system, and is trying to limit the ability of current US residents to bring family members. residing abroad to the country.
Democrats, however, firmly resist these measures.
As for the wall on the border with Mexico - perhaps the most memorable promise of the Trump campaign - its financing is still in doubt and it is most likely that the money to pay for it will come out of the pocket of US taxpayers and not Mexico.
What impact has it had?
The president has broad authority on immigration and border matters, and has used them, despite some courts trying to clip his wings.
Still, there is nothing Trump wants more than to stand in front of a gleaming new wall on Mexico's border.
2. The courts
Trump had the opportunity to make his mark in the highest judicial court in the country a few months after taking power.
But the president's judicial accomplishments extend beyond his selection of Neil Gorsu ch to the Supreme Court.
Senate Republicans have refused to confirm Obama's nominees for state and district courts during the last two years of his term, leaving an unprecedented number of vacancies for Trump to fill.
All of these judges will have life appointments, which has ensured that after a year in office Trump has already succeeded in cementing an enduring conservative legacy in the US judiciary.
It's also one reason Republicans are keen to maintain control of the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections.
If the Democrats win control, Trump's ability to place his people on the federal bench would be drastically restricted.
What impact has it had?
With good fortune and political willpower, the stars have lined up for conservatives to make their mark on the judiciary.
Some feared that Trump could not be trusted when it came to the selection of nominees, but the president has exceeded expectations.
3. Infrastructures
In his inaugural address, Trump outlined an ambitious new infrastructure investment program.
"We will build new streets and highways, bridges, airports, tunnels and railroads throughout our beautiful nation," he said.
"We will take our people out of state subsidies and put them to work, rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor."
Since then, Trump's grand infrastructure plan has always been found "around the corner." And it is that Congress and the Administration first focused on health care reform and then on tax reform.
For now, the conversation about infrastructure has remained empty words.
In fact, the phrase "it's infrastructure week" has become a common joke in Washington.
What impact has it had?
Where would Trump be today if he had started his administration with a bipartisan infrastructure program that had been met with overwhelming public support instead of travel bans and a long, scathing battle over the healthcare system?
4. Health
Trump's efforts against Obama's health care reform - called Obamacare - to replace it with a conservative plan suffered dramatic legislative failures.
However, the administration took significant steps to weaken the foundations of the Democratic law.
The president suspended payments to insurance companies that were meant to insure the poorest and sickest Americans.
Republican congressmen also dynamited Obamacare by rejecting the requirement that all Americans purchase health insurance.
The measure could lead to healthier citizens going without insurance until they get sick, which would increase premiums.
Last October Trump declared opioid addiction a public health emergency, but no further resources have been earmarked to address the situation.
What impact has it had?
It has taken him a year but Trump is taking steps toward repealing Obamacare. However, it has not made progress on a proposal to replace it.
5. Trade
In meetings with foreign leaders the president repeatedly emphasized "reciprocal" trade and encouraged friendly nations to buy US-made products.
The president quickly ended his country's participation in the Trans-Pacific Economic Cooperation Agreement (TPP) and began talks with Canada and Mexico to restructure the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), whose negotiations are currently under pressure.
The US and Canada are also embroiled in a trade dispute over the Canadian sale of various products, prompting Canadians to file a formal complaint against the US with the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Although Trump spoke of confrontation with China during his campaign, there have been no actions against the largest US trading partner. Meanwhile, the US trade deficit with China rose to US $ 35.4 billion in November.
The country's total trade deficit in November was US $ 50.5 billion, the highest in five years, suggesting that the total indicator for 2017 could also reach the highest level in five years.
Although Trump campaigned to close the US trade gap, the expansion in the deficit can be attributed in large part to the country's continued economic growth.
What impact has it had?
Trump has hinted that he will take major trade measures, but the main change in the first year has been the abrupt halt on the country's support for expanding global free trade.
6. Tax reform
Trump ended 2017 with a major legislative achievement: a campaign-promised tax overhaul that slashes taxes for businesses and for many Americans.
The total cost of the fiscal changes is estimated to be about US $ 1.5 trillion in 10 years.
Yet some of Trump's more ambitious goals were scrapped: There is little to stimulate foreign factories to relocate to the United States.
There are also major losers from the president's tax reform, primarily individuals in the highest-paying states, primarily Democrats, who will lose the ability to deduct state and local taxes above the $ 10,000 limit.
Trump is enjoying recent announcements from large corporations that they will transfer some of their tax savings to their employees and clients, although polls continue to show that many Americans think the new law will not help their finances.
What impact has it had?
Trump can claim the most substantial change in US tax law in 16 years and have put into effect the kind of massive corporate tax cut Republicans had been seeking for decades.
7. Environment
During Trump's first year there was a significant reduction in the number of federal regulations and this was especially noticeable in matters related to the environment.
Shortly after taking office, he gave final approval to several projects to build pipelines, which had been delayed for years. It also allowed for oil and gas exploration in large wilderness areas in Alaska and off the US coasts (with the exception of Florida, where a Republican also rules).
The government's environmental agency (EPA) also struck down rules passed during the Obama era that limited emissions from coal plants, though these changes may be stopped in the courts.
According to the New York Times, the Trump administration has sought to reverse at least 60 federal regulations related to the environment and so far it has succeeded 29 times.
On June 1, Trump announced that the US would abandon the Paris Agreement on climate change, although the goals that the country had agreed to were not mandatory.
What impact has it had?
President Obama had taken important steps to raise federal environmental standards, despite Republican objections in Congress. Now Trump is using that same authority to reverse them.
8. Economy
Donald Trump's first year as president has been full of good economic news. As Trump himself often notes, the stock market is reaching record highs.
Unemployment, which reached 4.8% when he took office, fell to 4.1%, its lowest level in 17 years. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reached 3.2% in the third quarter of 2017, its highest point since the first quarter of 2015.
These figures are generating a lot of economic optimism. The Consumer Confidence Index reached its highest level in 17 years last November.
However, much of this success is due to actions taken during the Obama administration, something that most Americans recognize, according to a Quinnipiac poll that showed that 49% of those who believe that the economy is in "excellent condition or good "they attribute it to Obama, while 40% attribute it to Trump.
What impact has it had?
Trump is hopeful that good economic numbers will eventually convince those who did not vote for him that he knows what he's doing. You have three more years to try to convince them.
9. Foreign policy
Trump promised during his campaign a foreign policy that puts "America First" and demands that allies make greater financial and military efforts.
During a speech to the NATO allies in Belgium, he surprised by refusing to support the clause by which the organization's partners defend each other from external aggressions.
Trump also exchanged highly public insults with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, calling him "little rocket man" and threatening the Asian country with "fire and fury."
The most notable use of military force during Trump's first year was the missile attack on a Syrian air base, in response to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government.
In both Syria and Afghanistan, Trump has released his generals to continue their military missions. During the year the so-called Islamic State was defeated in many areas and its influence was limited.
The president also threatened to cut aid to Pakistan if it does not do more to support the US fight against Islamic militants.
Trump put his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in charge of the peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis but his most dramatic action was to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which generated applause in that country but the condemnation of the Palestinians and great part of the international community.
What impact has it had?
Although from the rhetorical point of view, Trump has made stronger foreign policy statements than any of his predecessors, in terms of real policies the paradigm shift so feared by some and desired by others has not occurred.
10. Tone change
There has never been an American president like Donald Trump.
There was never a head of state who had no political or military experience nor was there, at least in modern times, someone so outspoken or disruptive on the national and world stage.
Many of Trump's supporters were looking for just that: They voted for the candidate who told them that the current system was broken and that the other politicians were fake.
They asked for something different and that's what they got.
Trump himself claims that he is "defining the modern presidency" with his free use of social media, his impromptu campaign speeches, and his disregard for many of the historic traditions of American politics.
In some ways his presidency has been conventional: His election of judges, tax cuts and efforts to lower regulatory standards are typically Republican. But Trump's way of operating and his way of communicating have been unique.
What impact has it had?
It remains to be seen whether Donald Trump is definitely changing the way he does politics in the US But having served a quarter of his term, what is clear is that US politics is not changing Donald Trump.
