Successes and Failures of the Presidency of Trump, Obama, Bush, and Clinton

Presidential analysis
Name
Institutional Affiliation
President Trump
As the 45th president of America, President Donald Trump has made significant achievements in just two years in office. One, signing into law of the 2017 tax reform bill which lowered the corporate tax rate to twenty-one percent from thirty-five percent and reduced individual tax rates for all Americans. Two, he facilitated the growth of the economy to 4.2 percent by 2018, which is higher than the three percent growth witnessed over the last ten years (Bedard, 2018, Oct 12). Three, he has facilitated the creation of more than four million jobs, which have reduced the rate of unemployment. Also, his administration has improved healthcare by signing an executive order to repeal the financial burden on citizens without health insurance, advanced the research and treatment of childhood cancers and enabled the FDA to approve more generic drugs.
President Trump has made significant failures as well. One is shutting down the government for a record twenty-nine days, the most extended government shutdown in the history of America, causing the loss of income for millions of employees and devastation of the economy (Bedard, 2019, Jan 20). Two, he has failed in stimulating the growth of the economy by eliciting stagnation of wages, worsening of the stock market and empowering corporate America to take advantage of the working populations, retirees and students (Bedard, 2019, Jan 20). Three, his presidency, has made the United States lose respect from the world by aligning with and praising dictators such as Presidents Putin and Kim Jong-un while sidelining American allies. Additionally, his anti-immigrant policies have resulted in the abuse of human rights by separating immigrants’ children from their parents for long periods; this is according to the Washington Examiner (Bedard, 2019, Jan 20).
President Obama
The Obama presidency can boast of various successes. First, he revamped the economy after the 2008 financial crisis by enacting the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act that injected 789 billion dollars into the economy. Second, he availed healthcare to all citizens through the Affordable Care Act, which sought to ensure every citizen accessed medical care (Rubin, 2012, Oct 29). Third, he strengthened the fight against terrorism by using intelligence gathered by President Bush’s administration to track and kill Osama bin Laden and boosting the use of drones and military tribunal systems. Fourth, he oversaw the overhaul of the biased ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ regulation, which disallowed openly gay individuals from joining the military (Rubin, 2012, Oct 29). Moreover, his leadership boosted the growth of the energy sector through increased development of alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind power, which also protected the environment.
On the other hand, his presidency led to several disappointments. One is his failure to close down the Guantanamo prison. In his campaign, President Obama assured Americans of the shutting down of Guantanamo prison, where suspected terrorists were jailed and. However, he failed to convince the U.S Congress to authorize its closure. Two, he set what is now considered a dangerous president by utilizing executive power more than what was commonly accepted to overturn numerous legislations. Three, his failure to find a lasting solution to the war in Syria led to the deaths of thousands of citizens, marking a stain on his foreign policy. Four, his presidency made miscalculated steps in dealing with Iran by choosing to engage in talks instead of a military option and dragged to impose sanctions, which lead to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons (Rubin, 2012, Oct 29).
President Bush
President George W. Bush achieved various triumphs as the US president. First, his incredible speech that brought Americans together and his swift action after the 9/11 attack made the rest of his tenure as the president the safest against terrorist. His administration worked hard to foil numerous terrorist attacks. Second, he oversaw the enacting into law of the Medicare program, the largest entitlement program aimed at facilitating the access to prescription drugs for all citizens (Blake, 2013, Apr 24). Third, he provided the most substantial tax cut in America, which returned money to citizens. Fourth, his introduction of the “No Child Left Behind” education program ensured all American children accessed proper and quality education. Additionally, according to the Washington Post, he helped to avert an even worse economic crisis in 2008 by bailing out financial institutions through the Troubled Asset Relief...