What has Donald Trump promised he will do in his first 100 days in the White House?
The president-elect made a series of promises in a speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, just last month.
But how many of his promises are possible? Based on this address and other times he has talked about his presidential priorities, this is what we can expect.
The first 100 days:
Pledge: Start process of “removing the more than two million criminal, illegal immigrants”
Can it be done? It might be difficult, mainly because there are only an estimated 178,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records currently at large in the US. Even if there were two million, beginning a mass deportation on that scale would be hard. However, he could start to recruit and train the thousands of extra people needed to enact such a deportation – although it is not immediately clear how he would afford the billions some have suggested it would cost.
Pledge: Denying visa-free travel to countries who refuse to take back their citizens
Can it be done? Yes, under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 he has the right. In fact, President Barack Obama has used the act to block visas for certain groups during his tenure – although he kept it to very specific groups, like people under UN travel bans and those helping the Syrian government commit human rights abuses, not entire countries.
Pledge: Repealing every Obama executive order
Can it be done? Yes – his vow to overturn the executive orders would be within his powers bequeathed by the office. President Obama made 32 executive orders during his time in office, including one lifting the remaining sanctions on Burma.
Pledge: Restrictions on White House officials becoming lobbyists
Can it be done? In theory he would need the support of Congress, which some have suggested is unlikely considering its impact on members’ future earning potential.
Pledge: Term limits for members of Congress
Can it be done? This idea was first tabled back in 1994 by the GOP and still hasn’t come to fruition. Whether Mr Trump can do it remains to be seen.
Pledge: Cancellation of all payments to UN climate change programmes
Can it be done? Mr Trump has widespread support for scrapping the payment to the Green Climate Fund amongst his Republican colleagues – who have retained control of both Houses – so he won’t face much opposition should he choose to repeal it. His distrust of the Paris Agreement is also shared with many Republicans. But the deal has been ratified so it’s now international law, and would take him four years to withdraw from it.
Pledge: Using that money to fix US infrastructure
Can it be done? Most likely – putting money into infrastructure has been a popular campaign pledge for both Mr Trump and Hillary Clinton. But Mr Trump will need every cent he can find to fund the $1tn (£800bn) plan he unveiled in the last days of the campaign.
Pledge: Label China a currency manipulator
Can it be done? Mr Trump could sign an executive order labelling the country a currency manipulator on his first day in office. However, it is likely it would have little impact beyond annoying China.
He has also controversially vowed to build a wall on the southern border, paid for by Mexico. Right up until the campaign’s final days, he has reassured his supporters this will happen, although it’s not clear how or when.
Another priority, although it wasn’t in his Gettysburg speech, is the renegotiation of trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico.
He says these deals are responsible for shipping American jobs overseas.
Mr Trump has also vowed to forge a closer relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has praised as a strong leader. Mr Putin has spoken of his hopes for the “restoration of relations” with the US.
And the president-elect has vowed to rip up the Iran nuclear deal, although it is not clear how soon he will walk away from a deal that involved six world powers and 12 years of planning.
What opposition will he face?
President Trump will not only assume power with a Republican-controlled House and Senate – a luxury his predecessor had for only two years – but with a Supreme Court vacancy to fill.
But many Republicans have refused to back him, so although his party is in its strongest position for more than a decade, he assumes the leadership of a party in revolt.
And that’s before you consider the resistance he will encounter in Democratic ranks.
He also enters the White House as one of the most unpopular presidential candidates in recent history, after a string of controversial remarks about women and Hispanics, among others.
BBC
