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What would Trump’s America look like

SHAFAQNA – If all goes according to his plan on January 20, 2017 Donald Trump will stand on the same spot where Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy went before.

Mr Trump, at 70 the oldest person to assume the presidency, will then raise his right hand and place his left hand on a Bible held by Chief Justice John Roberts, a man he has repeatedly called a “disaster”.

He will then take the Oath of Office, swearing to execute the power of the presidency to the best of his ability.

At this solemn moment past presidents have been inspired to flights of soaring oratory that will be remembered for centuries.

Lincoln promised to “bind the nation’s wounds” in the midst of the Civil War.

Kennedy told Americans: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

And Franklin D Roosevelt told them: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Mr Trump will tell them they are going to “win”.

His first 100 days could unfold like this:

What will Donald Trump do on his first day in the Oval Office?

On Inauguration Day President Trump will escort Barack Obama to the departure ceremony on the Capitol lawn. A short chat is expected to be frosty but there will be a handshake for the cameras.

Once Mr Obama has vacated the premises Mr Trump will immediately begin rescinding Mr Obama’s executive orders on immigration, which were intended to give quasi-legal status to five million illegal immigrants.

After his inaugural parade ends at the White House, Mr Trump may pick up the phone in the Oval Office and begin calling the chief executives of major companies like Ford and Nabisco, threatening to impose tariffs of 35 per cent on their products if they relocate jobs outside America.

Who will stand at his side as vice president?

Mr Trump has said he will choose a “political person” as his running mate, most likely a governor or member of Congress.

A campaign official has even offered a short-list, naming Susana Martinez, the governor of New Mexico, Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina, and Rob Portman, the senator from Ohio.

Mrs Martinez and Mrs Haley have both been critical of Mr Trump, though, and indicated they are not interested in the vice presidency. Mr Portman is currently running for re-election, and said on Wednesday that he would not accept the nomination.

While they could well reverse course, Mr Trump may have to seek alternatives. They could include a former rival like Chris Christie, a loyal Trump surrogate but another brash Northeasterner, or Marco Rubio, who would offer generational, geographic and racial diversity but may still be smarting from Mr Trump’s “Little Marco” attacks.

Will Muslims be banned?

Yes. It won’t happen on day one but Mr Trump has said his temporary ban on foreign Muslims entering the United States will be in place by the end of his first 100 days.

Mr Trump said he would “make big changes quickly”. He told the New York Times: “I know everyone won’t like everything I do but I’m not running to be everyone’s favourite president.”

What about the wall?

It’s another priority. Mr Trump’s aim is to have a design for the wall fully completed in the first 100 days and then building will start.

Very early on he intends to call in representatives of the Mexican government and begin bilateral talks. He believes using the Oval Office as an intimidating  venue to negotiate will help him convince Mexico that they should pay for the wall.

He will threaten to block Mexican immigrants in the US from sending money home to their families unless Mexico agrees to assume the building costs, which could be up to $10 billion.

While he acknowledges that such policies are sure to result in further protests, that is a price he is willing to pay.

A Nato summit, and America First

Mr Trump said in his recent foreign policy address that he would call a Nato summit after taking office to pressure allies who had failed to hit spending targets and move the focus of the bloc away from Russia and onto terrorism and migration.

“We’re rebuilding other countries while weakening our own,” he said, insisting that  America’s foreign policy had been “a complete and overriding disaster” over the past two decades.

Donald Trump advocates America first approach to foreign policyPlay!01:32

He would implement his “America First” brand of foreign policy by pressuring allies to pay up, and threatening China with high tariffs to protect US manufacturing.

How will he get his message out?

Roosevelt had his fireside chats over the radio, Ronald Reagan made masterful use of television and Mr Trump has used social media like no American politician before him.

He has already attacked world leaders like Angela Merkel over Twitter, and may not be able to resist the occasional swipe at those who stand in his way.
He has said he may tweet less as commander-in-chief, but expect the occasional taunt or boast to float out of the Oval Office and into the Twittersphere.

Will he modify the White House?  

No, Mr Trump is not going to chose to live in the luxury hotel he is building down the road from the White House rather than the presidential residence itself.

Though the colonial style may not match his gaudy tastes, Mr Trump has said he is thrilled by the idea of moving into such a historic home.

Expect him to make a few modifications, though. The fence out front of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue may be just a bit higher once Mr Trump moves in.

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