Donald J. Trump’s election as the 45th President of the United States has come at a time of great political polarization – both in the United States and abroad. From issues of globalization and negotiating the role of the U.S. in the world to contentious national debates on the challenges of race, class, and gender in American life, the next president had a packed agenda the moment he took office.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration solidified the practical and symbolic importance of a U.S. president’s first 100 days in office, and ever since, each new president faces enormous pressure to use these first 100 days to shape a national agenda. President Trump made many campaign promises that he vowed to enact the moment he got into office, including repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), expelling undocumented residents and bringing back manufacturing jobs. While Republicans control both chambers of Congress and conservatives will soon have a majority of the Supreme Court, over half of the electorate rejected Mr. Trump’s candidacy, which could potentially limit his policy options and invite severe political backlash.
To facilitate better understanding, Roosevelt House asked experts from Hunter College to provide commentaries on what they view as the main issues, challenges, and opportunities Donald Trump will face in his first 100 days in office.
OPINIONS
The Economic Impact of the First 100 Days of the Trump Administration
By: Howard Chernick, Professor Emeritus of Economics
Asian Americans and the First 100 Days of Trump
By: Margaret M. Chin, Professor of Sociology, Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center; Ph.D., Sociology, Columbia University
John J. Chin, Professor of Urban Policy and Planning; Director of Graduate Program in Urban Planning
Facing the Realities of Geo-Political Division in the Age of Trump: The Metropolitan Future and the Need for Collaborative Models of Governance
By: Jill Simone Gross, Associate Professor, Hunter College; Ph.D., Political Science, CUNY Graduate School
Regrettably, America’s Foreign Aid Program Must Exit the Democracy-Promotion Business
By: Rob Jenkins, Professor of Political Science, Hunter College & The Graduate Center
Only Trump can go to China: Is a [new] New World Order Possible?
By: Michael Lee, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Hunter College
Mr. Trump, You Can Still Be President For Us All
By: Michael A. Lewis, Professor of Social Work, Hunter College
Immigration Enforcement: What Lies Ahead for Trump
By: Lina Newton, Associate Professor of Political Science, Hunter College
Opportunity Knocks: The Terrain of a Trump Presidency
By: Andrew J. Polsky, Ruth and Harold Newman Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Hunter College, and Professor of Political Science, Hunter College & The Graduate Center
100 Days of Refugees, History, and Crimes against Humanity
By: Jill Rosenthal, Assistant Professor of History, Hunter College; PhD, Emory University, 2014
Trump is a Challenge for Us All: Democrats of All Stripes
By: Sanford F. Schram, Professor of Political Science, Hunter College and Professor of Sociology, CUNY Graduate Center
Trump and the ‘Bromance’ of Autocrats
By: Jillian Schwedler, Professor of Political Science, Hunter College and CUNY Graduate Center
President-Elect Trump Needs to Tell Congress to Do Its Job and Fix the Dysfunctional Budget Process
By: Charles Tien, Professor of Political Science, Hunter College & The Graduate Center
Trump Must Have a Global Women’s Agenda
By: Shyama Venkateswar, Distinguished Lecturer, Hunter College and Director, Public Policy Program, Roosevelt House
The President as Demagogue
By: John R. Wallach, Professor of Political Science, Hunter College and CUNY Graduate Center
The writing and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute or Hunter College.