One-Half Year of Trump

Newspapers in Japan reviews one-half year of Donald Trump administration with consecutive confusions in executing introverted policies. While the confusions were disseminated to other nations in his diplomacy, President Trump has not achieved eminent outcome in domestic policy such as medical treatment or taxation. His close staffs have left the administration with inconsistent handling of human resource. The historically strange leader does not look like making United States great again.

Mainichi Shimbun reported dismissal of over 600 workers for an air conditioner manufacturer, Carrier, in Indianapolis, IN. The article introduced a speech of Trump at a Carrier factory last December, in which he promised to save 1,100 jobs after criticizing a plan of transferring production lines to Mexico. Although Carrier decided to maintain the jobs in return for $700 million of tax relief right after the Presidential election, Carrier had to fire 600 workers half a year later.

Achievements of Trump administration are limited to something that the President can solely decide. Leaving international framework such as Trans-Pacific Partnership or Paris Agreement on climate change is a typical example. Policies that require negotiation with the Congress have not made good progress. Reviewing Obamacare is one of the clear examples that Trump failed in reaching a deal with the Congress, including Republicans.

Doubt on legitimacy of his Presidency makes the administration weak. Russiagate has been reported in Japan as a major scandal paralleled with Watergate Scandal in Richard Nixon administration. Senior Advisor to Trump or his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has reportedly been losing power in the administration, being involved in a scandal that Russia might have intervened in U.S. Presidential election.

Suffering from consecutive struggle over human relationship within the administration, Trump had to keep on replacing his staffs. White House announced on Friday that Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, left the House. Newspapers in Japan reported Spicer’s frustration with picking of an entrepreneur, Anthony Scaramucci, for White House Communication Director as a main reason of his resignation.

Gossips keep on covering Trump administration. New York Times interview to Trump, in which he referred to Japan’s First Lady, Akie Abe, as not be able to speak English, was distributed to Japanese media as an odd news. A video footage of Trump hitting a reporter, whose face was labeled as CNN, was repeatedly broadcast, making Japanese people pessimistic on U.S. politics in struggle with reporters.