Good things from the Trump administration.

[Dave Gray]

With each outgoing president, particularly ones I didn't vote for, I like to try and look back and see what I can appreciate about them.  It's easy to start to like a guy after he's been gone for 10 years, but it's tougher to see good in a political adversary on their way out the door.

With GWBush, I think you look back to his AIDS in Africa stuff and say that is his most positive legacy.

With Trump, it's tough, since he's such an agitator, but I think that the most positive thing about his administration is his handling (or lack of agitation, maybe) in the Middle East.  I don't think you can credit him so much with what he did, but more with what he didn't do.  He didn't escalate military conflict around the world and I hope there's a lesson to be had there.

[Sunstroke]

IMHO...the best thing that came out of the Trump administration is that he was so repulsive to so many, that voter turnout jumped through the roof. I am hopeful that America can maintain that level of election give-a-shit-ness moving forward.

[Fau Teixeira]

I mentioned in another thread that I think Trump was a do-nothing, achieve-nothing president and at least in the area of starting wars that was a good thing.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

A few things.....

Many presidents promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, Trump actually did.

“Warp speed” was the only aspect of the pandemic that was handled by this administration competently. 

No new wars, is definitely a plus.

There was one or two pardons I agreed with at the time they were granted, but don’t recall who. 

There was a few times (2 or 3) where I was surprised that Trump did something that I agreed with but don’t recall the exact policies/actions.
. 

[masterfins]

I saw a piece, on main stream news, the other day about Trump backing out of the Iran nuke deal, and that the sanctions he imposed have really hurt Iran to the point that if Biden goes back into a deal with them it will be much more beneficial in terms to the US. So this has been a good move for the US.

Also, I believe the Trade battles with China have been beneficial to the US, overall.  Most past Presidents have been afraid to be hard on trade talks because there will always be some sort of backlash that will hurt some industry in the US.

So, I think in retrospect he has been hard on foreign countries and leaders that have taken advantage of the US in the past.  Even North Korea has been quiet for the past couple years.

[Dolphster]

Like Dave and Hoodie said, not being an agitator in the Middle East or starting new wars was a positive.    Not going to argue cause and effect or direct responsibility on this one, but some of his deregulation of industry accomplishments came largely without the doomsday predictions that a lot of environmentalists, etc. were convinced were going to happen and they did play a part in some of the economic successes and stock market successes that were recognized in the past 4 years.  No, I'm not saying that the stock market did well solely because of Trump but it certainly didn't do well "in spite" of him either. 

Oddly, at the top of my list of "good things" from the Trump administration is that for as big of an asshole of a human being he is, he didn't fuck things up as bad as he could have.  He certainly contributed to the division along racial and other lines that we are seeing.  But he didn't initiate them.  Our screwed up society had already started that snowball rolling down the mountain before he took office.  But he (and many others) have certainly thrown fuel on that fire. 

I identify as an American way ahead of where I identify myself with a political designation.  So I wish Biden the very best and hope that he can lead this country to further prosperity and peace.  I think he is most likely more moderate than the right thinks he is and more moderate than the left hopes he is. 

[Dave Gray]

^ A lot of this is true.

It's hard to directly attribute large economic systems or even any system really to one person, especially when you're talking about a positive.

I understand that there were positive prison reforms under Trump, but I don't know enough about them to speak intelligently.  And I think that Hoodie was right -- there were some pardons early in the administration that I felt were just.

[Sunstroke]

I think he is most likely more moderate than the right thinks he is and more moderate than the left hopes he is.   

I used almost exactly that description when I was telling a friend about Biden.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I used almost exactly that description when I was telling a friend about Biden.

Absolutely, Biden is no progressive.  Obama picked him to be VP to appeal to moderates. 

[Dave Gray]

He tried to combat the laziness and entitlement mentality Obama instilled in this country and make people work.  

This is bullshit trolling.

[Pappy13]

I survived 45. That's all I have to say.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

12 good things and 2 negative things from the Trump administration......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M6CXhUS-x8

[ArtieChokePhin]

Let's keep some stats in mind as to what was going on at the end of Trump's term:

-Gas is currently at $2.39 per gallon (was under or just over $2 per gallon during most of Trump's term)

-Interest rates are 2.25% for a 30 year mortgage

-The stock market closed at 30829.40 despite the fact that we have been fighting COVID for 11 months

-The GDP Growth for the third quarter was over 33%

-The economy is recovering well

-No new wars or conflicts the past four years

-North Korea has behaved themselves.  Only recently were they testing missiles again.

-ISIS has faded into borderline non-existence

-Four peace treaties signed in the Middle East

-The housing market is the strongest it's been before the crash of 2007-2008

-Homes have gone up in value at an unbelieveable rate.  It is a seller's market

-Unemployment sits at 6.7% despite COVID (was under 3% for much of Trump's term)


Let's see where we are at on January 21, 2025.

[Dave Gray]

Let's keep some stats in mind as to what was going on at the end of Trump's term:

-Gas is currently at $2.39 per gallon (was under or just over $2 per gallon during most of Trump's term)

-Interest rates are 2.25% for a 30 year mortgage

-The stock market closed at 30829.40 despite the fact that we have been fighting COVID for 11 months

-The GDP Growth for the third quarter was over 33%

-The economy is recovering well

-No new wars or conflicts the past four years

-North Korea has behaved themselves.  Only recently were they testing missiles again.

-ISIS has faded into borderline non-existence

-Four peace treaties signed in the Middle East

-The housing market is the strongest it's been before the crash of 2007-2008

-Homes have gone up in value at an unbelieveable rate.  It is a seller's market

-Unemployment sits at 6.7% despite COVID (was under 3% for much of Trump's term


Let's see where we are at on January 21, 2025.

I saw this copy/pasted on Facebook today and have been tearing it up in my head, all day.  There are a few things here that just rub me wrong and this is all a way to prop Trump up for successes that either 1) are cyclical, 2) aren't his responsibility at all, or 3) aren't even successes.

Firstly, Trump doesn't get a asterisk for "despite COVID".  COVID existing isn't Trump's fault, the same way that getting in a car accident might not be your fault.  But it's your fault if you recklessly cancel your insurance.  Trump cut us off at the knees to fight COVID by disbanding the safeguards we had in place.  And similarly, even if you get in an accident, it's your fault if you further damage your car by driving it after it's been wrecked, without properly addressing the damage.

Presidents all face hardships.  Wars, disease, market corrections, natural disasters, etc.  And the impetus of what occurs might not be your fault, but the response is.  He had no national response at all, and if fact, just lied to people about the severity which made it way worse.  There are multiple countries who have all but eliminated COVID and their economies are back.  Trump doesn't get to say that things were great before, because he's responsible for the after.

-----

That rant aside, the next thing is that half of these things are not even positive and these are mostly complex systems that don't make sense to tie to a president.  Super low gas prices AREN'T A GOOD THING.  It might be good for you to fill up your tank, but there's a larger issue at stake that's causing low prices and probably has to do with a shocking decrease in demand vs overproduction because of an overseas conflict between Middle East states and (I believe) Russia where they're trying to crash prices to drive the other out of business.  You want prices on commodities to be stable and predictable, rather than low.  High prices aren't great either, but this shows a great lack of understanding about how the price of gas works.

The same is true with interest rates.  Monetary policy is set by the Fed and low interest rates are a response to a lagging economy.  It's not like Trump did something good to cause borrowing rates to be low.  Or even that low rates are good.

----

Next thing:

This entire list is based on the falsehood that we're in pretty good economic shape, which is just absolutely false.  Unemployment claims were 900,000 this week.  This is the weakest economy to be inherited by a president ever.  Things like the stock market and housing prices are some indicators, but these are no longer instruments of regular working people.  Lots of people don't own stocks or homes that are suffering, so high housing prices only serve to keep them slaves to renting.  There is a YIN to every YANG on this list.  It's great that you can sell your house at a high price -- but it also means someone else might be priced out of buying it.

Even growth -- yeah, no shit there's growth.  We have had economic collapse.  There's nowhere to go but up.  I'm not saying that none of this matters, but it's intellectually lazy to look at a list of stats that don't have anything to do with a President like some kind of checklist to be compared against administrations.

----

On the wars front, yeah -- that's pretty much Trump.  He oversees the military, so that's definitely a feather in his cap.  He was fortunate enough not to have a crisis land on his doorstep, like 9/11, but he gets credit just the same.

[Sunstroke]

Let's keep some stats in mind as to what was going on at the end of Trump's term:

-Gas is currently at $2.39 per gallon (was under or just over $2 per gallon during most of Trump's term)

-Interest rates are 2.25% for a 30 year mortgage

-The stock market closed at 30829.40 despite the fact that we have been fighting COVID for 11 months

-The GDP Growth for the third quarter was over 33%

-The economy is recovering well

-No new wars or conflicts the past four years

-North Korea has behaved themselves.  Only recently were they testing missiles again.

-ISIS has faded into borderline non-existence

-Four peace treaties signed in the Middle East

-The housing market is the strongest it's been before the crash of 2007-2008

-Homes have gone up in value at an unbelieveable rate.  It is a seller's market

-Unemployment sits at 6.7% despite COVID (was under 3% for much of Trump's term


Let's see where we are at on January 21, 2025.

I'm seeing this as the go-to meme for the far right on my FB feed today...

I would disagree, or at least question the conditions that apply (example: You say the economy is recovering well. By what standard?) for many of these points.

I would also be interested in which of these items that you feel Trump is responsible for...and how. Remember, we are talking about a serial liar who has spent the better part of his 74-ish years either taking credit for shit he had nothing to do with, or denying any responsibilities for the shit he actually did.