What A Difference A Week Makes

I often hear people say that it does not make a difference who you vote for.

"All politicians are the same. It doesn't matter who you vote for."

The last week should prove how wrong that view is. In his first week in office, Donald Trump has shown what a difference a week makes.

Perhaps it is because he is not a politician. However, you cannot dispute the fact that he is turning the Washington, D.C. that we knew under Barack Obama on its head.

Consider a sampling of what Trump did in his first week as President.

• Issued an executive order aimed at rolling back some of the most onerous regulations involving Obamacare. At the same time, he is pushing hard on Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
• Froze the implementation of all federal regulations currently awaiting approval.
• Instructed the Department of Homeland Security to commence immediate construction of a border wall with Mexico using existing federal funds to get started.
• Signed an order abandoning the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership and also stated that he wants to begin renegotiating NAFTA with Mexico and Canada.
• Instituted a freeze on the hiring of new federal workers, except for the military and border control agents.
• Kickstarted the Keystone XL Pipeline that the Obama administration had blocked. He also prioritized the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota that has been the subject of protests.
• Began the process of withholding federal funding to sanctuary cities.
• Temporarily halted refugee admissions for 120 days to improve the vetting process capped refugee admissions at 50,000 per year. Despite all the outrage from Democrats and the media about how "extreme' this measure is, it should be noted that the countries affected by the refugee ban are the same countries that were designated as terrorist threats in a bill signed by President Obama. The 50,000 number is also about the average number of refugees that have been admitted to the United States since the year 2000 as you can see in the graph below. You do not hear these facts in the media. 

• Once again made it the policy of the United States (first introduced by President Reagan) to prohibit federal foreign aid to family planning organizations that counsel on or provide abortions.
• Reportedly is taking steps to cancel President Obama's last minute release of $221 million to the Palestinian Authority and is also reportedly supporting a move of the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

What is particularly interesting in all these actions is that they are almost all 180 degrees opposite of what President Obama was doing.

They are also significant because each action was something that Trump campaigned on.

What can we take from all of this?

Donald J. Trump is clearly not your average politician and he seems intent on actually doing what he said he was going to do.

It doesn't make any difference on who you vote for?

Get ready for Week 2. 

Are you ready for a Supreme Court nomination?

When I have been asked what kind of President I think Trump will be, my answer has been that he probably has a 20% chance to be great, a 20% chance to be a disaster and a 60% chance to be average. In my opinion, Hillary had a 0% chance to be great and a 20% chance to be a disaster.

Why does Trump have the ability to be great? Quite simply he is willing to go where others won't. He is willing to challenge the status quo. He also does not appear to have the personality to settle. That will either serve him well or be his ultimate undoing in a town where settling is the status quo.

Many, many weeks lie ahead for President Trump.

However, his first week shows us what a difference a week can make.