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25 Biggest Failures of the Trump Presidency

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Donald Trump was one of Barack Obama’s most vocal critics. He was quite proud of forcing the then president to release his birth certificate after claiming he was not fit to lead the country. But when it came time to prove his worth as the country’s leader, he had more failures to show than achievements. Here are the top 25 biggest trump presidency failures.

1. Withdrawing from the Paris agreement

The United States of America joined the likes of Syria and Nicaragua when President Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Over 200 countries signed the agreement in an attempt to curtail greenhouse gas emissions to contain global warming to two degrees Celsius. It was met with worldwide and nationwide criticism and led many to view the US and Trump as protecting the interest of fossil fuel shareholders.

2. Muslim travel ban

Within the first week of Trump being in office, he implemented a travel ban of travelers coming from six Muslim-majority countries: Libya, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen. It wreaks havoc within the country as well as abroad. Federal courts in California and Hawaii cited the travel ban to be unconstitutional and put a hold on it. Appeals to take the matter up to the Supreme Court have already begun.

3. Getting Mexico to pay for the border wall

The great wall was Trump’s rallying cry during his campaign. He vehemently promised voters that he will build a wall and Mexico will be the one to pay for it. Estimates put the total cost of the border wall close to $25 billion dollars to account for materials, labor, land acquisition, repairs, and new construction. Mexico was adamant that they would never pay for the border wall.

4. Repealing Obamacare

Getting rid of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, was a central goal to all Republicans who ran for office that year, including Trump. But drafting a new bill to replace Obamacare brought more challenges. It received numerous objections from senators and reported tension between Mr. Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Speaker Paul Ryan, efforts to replace Obamacare hit a roadblock.

5. Championing LGBT rights

Donal Trump tweeted in July 2016 claiming he would “fight for you” and arguing that Hilary Clinton would only be a disaster for LGBT rights. However, the administration failed to deliver on its promises. Medicaid Services and Centres for Medicare rolled back a rule recognizing same-sex marriage for visitation rights in care facilities. Trump also signed an executive order that bans transgender people from serving in the military.

6. Federal debt

During this presidential campaign back in 2016, Trump promised to eliminate the federal debt within eight years. Instead, it has skyrocketed because of Trump’s $1.9 trillion tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. He has since used the growing debt to threaten Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid with budgetary cuts.

7. Trade deficit

It is during Trump’s presidency that Americans saw the highest trade deficit in its history. The country is now buying more goods and services from other countries than what it sells to the rest of the world. Bringing down the country’s trade deficit was one of the things Trump promised during his campaign but failed to achieve during his time in office.

8. Tax law

Most Americans remain divided when the new tax law was passed in 2017. Public opinion leans a little more towards the negative, especially when it came to light that more tax breaks were going to be granted to wealthier Americans and the risk that was created for Social Security and Medicare.

9. Changes to SNAP

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a federal program aimed to help no- and low-income people have better access to quality food. The changes proposed by the Trump administration to the program worried a lot of people on how it would impact poor families, particularly children from low-income households.

10. False or misleading claims

The world is witness to Trump’s troubled relationship with truth and facts. He has a well-documented record of embellishing many of his accomplishments. Since being elected as president, Trump has made at least 15,400 misleading or false claims, according to an analysis done by The Washington Post. He has falsely yet repeatedly claimed that he is responsible for the “greatest economy” in United States history. He has also taken credit for the steady economic growth that already began during the previous administration.

11. Charlottesville fiasco

One of the most controversial moments of Trump’s presidency was his response to the deadly neo-Nazi rally which took place in Charlottesville, Virginia. His response sheds light on his controversial record when it comes to white supremacy and race relations. And it highlighted his struggle to bring the entire country together after tragedies. He blamed both sides for the violence that ensued which resulted in the death of a counterprotester, Heather Heyer. He was criticized by both sides for his failure to swiftly condemn white supremacist violence.

12. America’s global image

Under the leadership of Trump, America’s global image has steadily declined due to his tendency to insult US allies and siding with dictators. A report from the Institute for Economics and Peace stated that confidence in American leadership has significantly declined since Trump was elected into office. Trump’s antics which include pulling out of important landmark international agreements such as the Paris Agreement have pushed many important allies away and left the US isolated.

13. Separating families

During his campaign, Trump promised a hardline approach when it comes to reducing undocumented immigration into the US. His efforts to uphold that promise was met with international criticism and accusations of violating international law set by the UN and human rights abuses. His zero-tolerance approach on illegal border crossing caused at least 5,000 families to be separated, with children being placed in cages. Despite an executive order to stop family separation in June 2018, the fallout from the incident is still ongoing.

14. Death of children in US custody

One such fallout was the widespread condemnation of the conditions inside the detention facilities which led to the death of six migrant children. Children were forced to sleep on the floor in very crowded facilities, no adequate access to food or adequate health care, and extremely poor sanitation conditions.

15. Corporate investments

Trump said that corporations are going to invest their tax-cut savings. Instead, they spent a lot more money trying to buy back their shares of their own stock than they invested in facilities and new equipment. The stock buybacks didn’t do much to boost the economy but it did increase bonuses to executives and payouts to rich investors.

16. Tax cut for middle America

The tax cut that Trump promised to middle-class American families never materialized. In fact, a preliminary analysis of the effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act predicted that by 2027 most Americans will end up paying more.

17. Outsourcing jobs

Trump promised to crack down on companies who were outsourcing jobs abroad and to keep jobs in the country. But because of his new tax law, it gave companies the incentives to expand their operations overseas. The resulting trade wars also helped to encourage companies to move their productions abroad.

18. Increasing wages

A lot of Trump supporters were promised an increase in wages up to $4,000 for the average American family. What happened instead was wages remained flat, adjusted for inflation. Meanwhile, corporate profits continue to soar high and the wealthy become even richer.

19. Approach to foreign policy

When it comes to dealings with other nations, Trump has a decidedly peculiar, almost reckless, approach. Most of his foreign policy strategies do more harm than good to American alliances. This is clearly evident in how he tackled state relations with Iran and his decision to pull out US troops in Syria.

20. Nuclear deal and Iran

The administration’s decision to withdraw the country from the 2015 nuclear deal resulted in chaos throughout the Middle East. US allies heavily who signed the deal condemned the decision. Trump has failed to curtail Iran’s aggression within the region. A series of incidents in the Persian Gulf resulted in escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington and helped sparked fears of an all-out war.

21. Pulling out US troops in Syria

Trump also made the decision to pull the troops out of Northern Syria, effectively abandoning US-allied Kurdish forces who took most of the brunt during the US-led campaign to fight ISIS. It resulted in a humanitarian crisis and left a security vacuum that Iran, Russian, and Syrian president and accused war criminal Bashar al-Assad benefited from.

22. Impeachment

On December 18, President Trump was impeached in the House of Representatives. The House approved two articles of impeachment against Trump. One was for abuse of power, the other was for obstruction of Congress. He urged Ukraine to conduct investigations on his political rivals by withholding $400 million of congressionally-approved military aid from the country, which was in the midst of fighting an ongoing war against pro-Russian separatists.

23. Response to the coronavirus pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, every time Trump speaks, he only adds to the fear and chaos happening all around. He initially told Americans the virus was not serious. Then, he asserted his hunches about the available data. After which, he gave an assurance that a vaccine would be available within 12 to 18 months. Plus, he even forbade Europeans from entering the country. And he wrongly announced that Google was working on a website to help with testing. After every statement made by Trump, there was a need to clarify everything he said.

24. Mass testing

The administration’s incompetence was highlighted once again during Trump’s actions (or inactions) during the pandemic. The biggest glaring failure of the administration was in failing to have enough tests available to determine the infected and to screen others for possible exposure. In contrast, South Korea was conducting thousands of more tests per day than the US. The lack of tests led to authorities failing to understand the scope of the pandemic and to take necessary steps to curb its spread.

25. Numerous embarrassing gaffes

Trump once confused 9/11 with 7 Eleven during a campaign rally back in 2016. He mistook the Virgin Islands as a separate nation and not part of US territory. During a press briefing, he inaccurately stated that the 1918 Spanish Flu helped end World War II. And to celebrate his wife’s return to the White House after a stint in the hospital for a kidney condition, Trump misspelled Melania, referring to her as Melanie. These and many more helped erode the credibility of Trump’s position.

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11 Comments

11 Comments

  1. ROBERT A PHELPS

    August 29, 2021 at 2:50 am

    Trump failures? REALLY!!! Where did you people come from under ROCK!! These saw call Failures, are NOT Failures! This American and Veteran see’s these as success. Made this country Strong and Proud and supported American people. So, since President Biden is in office, this person, struck down most, if not all of these saw call Failures! Factual! LIES this article states of each. People, need to pull your head out of your ass! its’s getting really bad, and American’s have already died. Because, of these saw call Failures being reversed. Your saw call President Biden and his vice President true idiote’s. President Trump will be back in 2024 to cleanup this democratic administration and hopefully, the voters who voted for this senile man come to their senses!!

    • Cheryl Shouse

      March 19, 2022 at 11:03 pm

      I think most everyone can see this is all b…s… Trump did so many of the things he promised he would , he has to be the greatest president in MY lifetime (61 years). All these things listed only helped our country. I wish China Joe would have spent his first and however more he may serve at the beach on vacation. Our country and our pocketbooks would be alot better off!!

      • Emily

        November 7, 2022 at 2:58 am

        He didn’t do ANY of the things promised. Manufacturing? He lost 170,000 jobs. He nearly KILLED agriculture with his tariffs that drove overseas purchasers to buy elsewhere. All of the above are true. We know what you liked. He gave you permission to be vile to people you don’t like. And that, horrifically, is enough for you.

      • David

        December 11, 2022 at 4:33 am

        This is just the tip of the iceberg, many of his uneducated followers are rebutting this list but facts do not lie. Historians who rate all presidents equally throughout history voted him the worst president in the modern era. And if he was so great why didn’t he get re-elected. Cmon people wake up.

        • moe

          June 3, 2023 at 1:43 am

          he is the goddamn biggest idiot blow hard bully coward no leader this great country has or ever will have seen

    • Ruth L Mackey

      May 14, 2023 at 11:48 am

      Trump is our biggest disaster!!!! The world views Trump as a joke. Trump is only about ‘Trump’ not the people’s interests!!!

    • Philip

      November 15, 2023 at 12:42 pm

      Can’t argue with brain washed

    • Philip

      November 15, 2023 at 12:42 pm

      Can’t argue with brain dead

  2. Pete

    September 27, 2021 at 2:52 pm

    I disagree strongly with most of your listed failures of Trump. He did a lot of good for this country, stopped illegal border crossings, reduced taxes, stopped flights coming in from China at the beginning of the Pandemic, reduced inflation, created jobs for low & middle income workers, reversed the Iran Nuclear deal, pulled our troops out of Syria, they were in harms way, you should know that!
    Muslim travel ban from Libya, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen. No wreaks havoc within our country, it was welcomed by most Americans who know that many Terrorist resided in those countries and hated Americans. He did this and many more things even during the 2 fake political Impeachment hearings.

    • Schmoots

      January 28, 2022 at 3:49 pm

      He let many American’s travel back from China with no tracking, testing, etc. Made fun of the pandemic, refused to set an example by wearing a mask, received his vaccination behind closed door, Instigated the Jan 6th attack on our capital, etc, etc, etc. TOTAL failure in my book. How many thousands of people died because of his Covid policies (or lack of)????

  3. Catherine Short

    July 5, 2023 at 5:43 am

    I might be late coming to this conversation and truth be told, I really don’t even have a dog in the fight. I’m Australian and have lived all my life in Australia and from where I sit, America you got rid of Trump just in time. He was flushing your country down the shitter and the only people that would have been left floating would have been Trump and all his rich mates. The best thing to happen to your country in a long time is Joseph Biden. He loves you and your country he has devoted his life to working for all of you. He sees your struggles and has the political experience to implement policies that benefit everyone. The only thing stopping your country from being great again, are all the crazy MAGA lunatics who keep voting no to every bill put forward designed to benefit the people who need it most. Open your eyes and stop watching Fox News. Its ok. You made a mistake. You were conned by one of the best con artists on the planet. There’s no disgrace in that. A lot of people fell for his bullshit. But its time to move forward and put this disaster behind you.

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Technology

Virtual Reality Exhibit Carne Y Arena: The Refugees’ Plight

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carne y arena

In some ways, we are all familiar with the human plight of refugees and immigrants. Still, sometimes, it’s easy to turn a blind eye when we’re all preoccupied with our daily lives.

Carne y Arena, an immersive virtual reality experience about the human condition of immigrants and refugees, was available at KANEKO on Sept. 10, 2022. Kaneko collaborated with Emerson Collective, PHI Studio, and Legendary Entertainment to bring CARNE y ARENA to Nebraska after several sold-out runs in the United States and abroad. The exhibit pays tribute to the migrant’s border crossing in a way that emphasizes the value of being mindful of your surroundings and paying attention to what is happening around you.

It is the brainchild of Academy Award-winning author and director Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Carne y Arena was the first VR experience chosen as part of the festival’s Official Selection when it debuted at the 70th Festival de Cannes in 2017. 

Iárritu said that his conversations with numerous immigrants from Latin America who managed to cross the border served as the foundation for Carne y Arena. 

“During the making of this project, I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing many Mexican and Central American refugees,” Iñárritu said in an interview shared by the Nasher Sculpture Center

The director said the refugees’ life stories “haunted” him, and so he invited some of them to collaborate with him on the project. Iñárritu says he intended to experiment with VR technology to explore the human condition and, in doing so, break the dictatorship of the frame—or the perspective within which things are observed. He wanted to claim the space to allow the observer to go through a “direct experience walking in the immigrants’ feet, under their skin, and into their hearts.”

The Interactive Experience at Carne Y Arena

carne y arena virtual reality
Image Credit: Bradley Hook on Pexels

Carne y Arena is an interactive experience so that visitors can use their hands to feel the migration process and learn about critical moments that led up to that point in a migrant’s journey.

According to the Nasher Sculpture Center, the immersive experience was a 20-minute solo journey that focuses on a multi-narrative virtual reality sequence. In fact, it’s based on true accounts as reenacted by Central American and Mexican refugees. That said, the lines between subject and bystander are blurred and are bound together through the state-of-the-art immersive tech. Just as visitors walk through a vast, sand-filled space, they witness a fragment of a refugee’s personal journey.

Docubase also described the virtual experience in detail. According to their account, there were three sections available during the experience. Participants left their shoes and other things in a locker in the “detention room”. After donning a headset, headphones, and a backpack device, participants entered a sand-filled, dark, and spacious area where they experienced a 6.5-minute virtual reality scenario that took them to the Chihuahuan Desert. Participants in the VR experience joined a group of migrants escorted by a coyote across the border into the US. In a different chamber, a video art installation reflected the experiences of migrants and refugees who fled El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, making up the third part of the experience.

Throughout the run of Carne y Arena, virtual and live programming took place, with additional community partners presenting content and events related to their exhibitions and programs. The exhibit areas were designed to allow only one person at a time to move through them, limiting encounters and respecting distances safely and comfortably.

Kaneko also mentioned that the exhibit was unsuitable for minors under 13.

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Top Stories

What Is Tiktok Pink Sauce? The Viral Condiment, Explained

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tiktok pink sauce

TikTok’s pink sauce went viral. What’s going on? 

TikTok creator Chef Pii is the connoisseur behind a mysterious pink sauce that has exploded over the internet, resulting in discourse and memes. The narrative is as odd as the so-called sauce, and it continues to perplex internet detectives and users alike. 

What is TikTok Pink Sauce?

What is tiktok pink sauce? by Chef Pii

On June 11, Chef Pii, a Miami-based private chef and social media influencer, posted a short TikTok of herself dipping a chicken tender into a bowl of bright pink sauce. That one video garnered more than 755,000 views. That’s how the journey of a product she invented called “pink sauce” started. 

The TikTok creator released videos featuring the sauce, trying it with different foods, and showing the packaging. According to the videos, the sauce is priced at US$20. It quickly became a craze. But this is mainly because Chef Pii refused to share how the sauce tasted. She often had other reviewers taste it, but she provided cryptic answers on how it tastes. 

In late June, Chef Pii released a TikTok video addressing that concern. A day later, she revealed the ingredients, posting a graphic outlining each: dragon fruit, sunflower seed oil, honey, chili, and garlic.

Nutritional labels – and errors

Creator @sseaansvv recently raised further questions, investigating deeper the pink sauce saga. The TikTokker called “Pink Sauce Lady” for errors in her nutritional label. They also claimed that “there are not enough preservatives” within the sauce “to make shelf stable.”

Sean SVV also wrote in her second video’s caption, “I’m genuinely rooting for her to get a license, fix the errors before selling it legally.”

Another TikTokker, @annareportsnews, also posted a video the same day saying that the serving size per container is unrealistic. She also mentioned that the label doesn’t specify that the sauce should be refrigerated.

America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandates manufacturers of dressing and condiments to apply for registration. The FDA sets standards on labels, testing methodologies, manufacturing practices, and scientific protocols.

In April 2022, FDA issued the revised guidelines for nutritional fact labels on food and drink products. Serving size is among the updates for the label. However, the FDA doesn’t allow pre-market approval for food products.

A few days later, Chef Pii announced in a video that they were fixing the issues. 

She apologized for the label errors and stressed fixing the nutritional labels for all future bottles of the sauces. She also emphasized that she appreciates the support her sauce has received and that she is operating a small business and is trying to reduce the price of the sauce.

The nutritional label is also available for viewing on her site, which previously didn’t seem to be the case.

Twitter Memes About the Controversial Pink Sauce

Recently, the internet has become crazy with pink sauce. People post everything from memes to analysis, while others express the desire to try the sauce. On Twitter, “Pink Sauce” is currently trending.

Links: 

https://twitter.com/oluwatoji/status/1550049864658161664
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/1549916891409514498

Even Netflix has posted about the sauce.

But the story does not end there. 

Chef Pii took to Instagram Live, YouTube, and TikTok to answer users’ questions. Likewise, she spoke to various media outlets, such as NBC, Washington Post, and Buzzfeed, to defend her unique product.

During her Instagram live, the chef said, “What do you mean by FDA-approved? But, I don’t sell medical products. The “Pink Sauce” isn’t a medical product and it don’t contribute to your health.”

That response stirred Twitter again, causing “F in FDA” to trend across the app.

https://twitter.com/UberFacts/status/1551748826574323712

On July 27, Chef Pii emailed all pink sauce customers about the new terms and conditions. The email addressed the Pink Sauce Supporters and said they are working to fix the issues surrounding allegations and claims against the condiment. 

Chef Pii also explained that she is now cooperating with the FDA and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. And she is waiting on official approval for the sauce and updating the packaging to ensure “preciseness.”

And for other stories and news, read more here at Owner’s Mag!

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Business

Merck Seagen Buyout: What to Know About the Deal

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Team talking about merck seagen buyout

Merck is currently in talks to acquire Seagen, a biotech company. The Wall Street Journal reports that the transaction is valued at $40 billion. And what happens if Merck acquires Seagen, and how would this acquisition benefit cancer research and treatment? Read more about the Merck Seagen buyout here.

Merck Seagen Buyout

Merck and Seagen are still deciding on their share prices. So far, talks have yet to reach an agreement on $200 per share. Both companies want to settle and finalize their deals before Merck announces its quarterly earnings on July 28. At the time of writing, Seagen’s stock was at $176.19.

With an estimated market value of $235 billion, Merck is looking to expand its presence in the cancer treatment space. The Merck Seagen Buyout could play a major role in that strategy. Since Seagen specializes in targeted cancer therapies, the acquisition would give Merck access to a broader range of oncology products.

Shareholder reactions to the new deal are overwhelmingly positive, and the stocks have been up since talks about the deal have been made public.

But this is not the first time that Merck and Seagen have made the news. Back in 2020, they collaborated because of cancer treatments. Seagen has a drug conjugate (ladiratuzumab vedotin) which would be used in conjunction with Merck’s Keytruda.

Merck reveals that Keytruda is its highest-selling product. It’s immunotherapy for cancer.

And this deal could help Merck offset the possibility of reduced sales because it will lose patent protection in 2028.

As promising as this deal is, there could be scrutiny from antitrust officials since there might be a litigation case from the Federal Trade Commission or Justice Department.

The Seagen buyout isn’t the only deal Merck has made recently. They’ve been busy closing another deal, but with Orion too.

Seagen

As a cancer biotech company, Seagen has therapies to ensure that patients benefit from the treatment and reduce any adverse side effects. Their treatments involve the therapy attacking tumors with toxins.

Merck partnering with Seagen isn’t a bad idea considering that Seagen made $1.4 billion in sales in 2021, most of it coming from Adcetris and Padcev (a treatment for urothelial cancers).

Merck-Orion Deal

In the middle of the Merck Seagen Buyout, Merck has recently partnered with Orion for the ODM-208 and other drugs. These drugs are related to the production of steroids. Orion found how it can combat hormone-dependent cancers and further developed this inhibitor.

Their deal includes that they should develop ODM-208 and promote it to the public together. And Orion will receive a $290 million payment from Merck.

Although they’re co-developing and marketing the new inhibitor, Orion will oversee the manufacturing side.

Co-developing the ODM-208 can help Merck with its current research and treatments for prostate cancer. President and CEO of Orion, Timo Lappalainen, says that this partnership will benefit Merck’s goals of treating cancer worldwide.

Other Ventures: Merck’s Role in the Pandemic

You may have heard about COVID-19 pills, which are a form of treatment for those diagnosed with mild to moderate COVID-19. Merck introduced an antiviral COVID-19 pill to the public. The name: Molnupiravir.

The COVID-19 pill is not a replacement for a vaccination. Instead, it stops the replication of the COVID-19 genetic code and keeps the patient out of the hospital. Not yet FDA-approved, Molnupiravir has been authorized for emergency use since December 23, 2021.

And for other stories, read more here at Owner’s Mag!

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