Donald Trump has enough of a record as president at this point to compare it to Obama’s. On domestic issues, the competition is lopsided, as follows:
- THE ECONOMY: Obama and his team saved us from a second Great Depression. Unemployment was slightly over four percent by the time he left office. Trump gave us an unnecessary stimulus and promised it would lead to an investment boom. It didn’t; the growth rate, after a temporary improvement, has returned to a normal roughly 2.5 percent. ADVANTAGE: OBAMA.
- INEQUALITY: Obama taxed the wealthy. Trump gave them a huge tax cut. ADVANTAGE: OBAMA.
- CLIMATE CHANGE: Obama’s investments in clean technology are a frequently overlooked part of his legacy. Trump thinks climate change is a Chinese hoax. ADVANTAGE: OBAMA.
- NATIONAL UNITY: Obama did his best to be a unifying figure, even though right-wing media successfully overcame him on that point. Trump exposes and exacerbates our divisions every day; it’s the only way he knows how to operate. ADVANTAGE: OBAMA.
- EDUCATION: Obama’s Race to the Top program had some benefits, and he pushed for transparency and reasonable controls on for-profit providers. Trump hired Betsy DeVos to enable profiteers and fraudsters and make life harder for students with mountains of debt. ADVANTAGE: OBAMA.
- CORRUPTION: Obama ran a remarkably clean administration. Trump? Not so much. ADVANTAGE: OBAMA.
- IMMIGRATION: Obama’s efforts at bipartisan comprehensive reform nearly succeeded, but ran afoul of a GOP majority in the House. Trump’s antics on immigration have led to nothing but a national disgrace. ADVANTAGE: OBAMA.
You get the picture. Tomorrow, I will post on foreign policy, where the two legacies are more mixed.