"Promises kept!"
The outgoing president keeps repeating it: he kept the promises made four years ago.
When it comes to talking about his accomplishments at the White House, Donald Trump does not hide his satisfaction.
"I am the only candidate who gave you more than he promised during the campaign,"
he boasted in August at a meeting in Arizona.
Read also: US Presidential: Trump against Biden, the face-to-face of enemy brothers
The reality is more nuanced.
Of the hundred or so commitments followed by the PolitiFact site, in its Trump-O-Meter, only a quarter of them - 25 promises - have been kept, one in five promises is partly honored and nearly half have been broken up.
At the end of his first term, his predecessor Barack Obama had kept 37% of his promises, 14% of them were partially and 16% had not been honored.
The remaining percentages are divided between delayed commitments and those in progress.
As Donald Trump puts his mandate on the line on November 3,
Le Figaro
reviews what has happened to his ten most emblematic electoral promises.
Building a wall on the Mexican border
In campaign.
The idea appeared in the mouth of the billionaire as soon as his candidacy was announced in June 2015:
"I'm going to build a great wall - no one builds walls better than me, believe me - I will build it inexpensively." .
I will build a big wall on our southern border.
And I will make Mexico pay for it. ”
To the White House.
At the end of September, a wall had been erected over some 550 kilometers.
The border with Mexico stretches for more than 3,000 kilometers and, for the most part, the construction has replaced an already existing barrier.
Mexico never agreed to fund the project.
With Congress failing to allocate sufficient funds, the Trump Administration drew on the defense budget to carry out construction.
Balance sheet.
Broken promise.
Revoke and replace Obamacare
In campaign.
This is one of the main commitments of the Republican candidate: to return to the reform of the health system of his predecessor.
"From day one of the Trump administration, we will call on Congress to immediately repeal Obamacare,"
the Republican wrote on his campaign site.
To the White House.
On his first day in the Oval Office, Trump effectively signed a presidential executive order against the Affordable Care Act.
His efforts to repeal the law subsequently met with opposition from three Republican senators.
Failing that, the Trump Administration has endeavored to empty the reform of its substance.
A conservative Texas judge has since ruled that the text had in fact become unconstitutional.
The case is in the hands of the Supreme Court.
The judges are due to rule in the coming months.
Balance sheet.
Broken promise.
Lower taxes
In campaign.
"Everyone will receive a tax cut, especially the middle classes
,
"
promised the Republican in an interview on CNN in the course of 2016.
To the White House.
At the end of 2017, Congress adopted a major tax reform.
This provided for tax cuts to the tune of $ 1,450 billion over ten years.
"The biggest tax cut in history,
" boasted the tenant of the White House.
According to the Tax Policy Center, 80% of American taxpayers actually saw their taxes cut the following year.
It has increased for 5% of taxpayers.
Only 70% of these tax cuts went to the 5th quintile - the richest 20% - and 34% of the gains went to the richest 1%.
In return, the budget deficit has exploded.
In 2019 it was close to 1000 billion dollars.
Balance sheet.
Promise partly kept.
Quit the Paris climate agreement
In campaign.
“This deal gives foreign bureaucrats control over how and how much energy we can consume in our country.
No way !"
Donald Trump was angry when he announced at the end of May 2016 his intention to leave the Paris climate agreement.
To the White House.
Once in the White House, he reaffirms his desire to exit the climate agreement on June 1 in Pittsburgh.
“I was elected to represent the people of Pittsburgh, not Paris,”
comments the president.
The withdrawal cannot be initiated for legal reasons before the third anniversary of entry into force, on November 4, 2016. When the day comes, the Trump administration walks the talk.
Chance of the calendar, the withdrawal will be effective a year later, the day after the presidential election.
Balance sheet.
Promise kept.
Renegotiating the Iran nuclear deal
In campaign.
“I've been doing business for a long time.
I've made lots of wonderful deals.
That's what I do.
Never, never in my life, have I seen a transaction as incompetent as our agreement with Iran, ”
complained Donald Trump at a meeting in Washington in September 2015, promising to renegotiate an Iranian nuclear agreement signed two times. months earlier in Vienna.
To the White House.
The president tore up the agreement in May 2018 to the chagrin of the other five signatory countries.
The unilateral reinstatement of sanctions against the Iranian regime has escalated tensions in the region, especially in the Strait of Hormuz.
Faced with the inability of the West to save the text, Tehran finally freed itself from the restrictions in the summer of 2019. Then, the elimination of General Soleimani and the prospect of a victory for Joe Biden buried any chance of negotiating a new agreement.
Balance sheet.
Broken promise.
Relocating the US Embassy to Jerusalem
In campaign.
The candidate made a commitment in March 2016 in front of the Aipac, a powerful American pro-Israel lobby:
“When I am president, the days when Israel were treated like a second-class citizen will be over.
We will move the US Embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem. ”
To the White House.
In December 2017, Donald Trump recognized the Holy City as the capital of Israel and ordered the transfer of the embassy there.
It opened its doors on the following May 13 to mark the 70th anniversary of the creation of Israel.
The tenant of the White House is honoring a promise that two of his predecessors, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, failed to keep.
Balance sheet.
Promise kept.
Limit legal immigration
In campaign.
At the end of August 2016, Donald Trump delivers a strong speech in Phoenix on the theme of immigration:
"We are going to reform legal immigration to serve the interests of America and its workers."
To the White House.
Once president, the billionaire drastically reduced legal immigration.
This fell by 49% during his tenure.
For the 2019 fiscal year - from October 1 to September 30 across the Atlantic - the quota has been set at 18,000 and could be lowered to 15,000 next year.
Far from the 100,000 people welcomed on average annually under Barack Obama.
The Republican once again signed a decree last June freezing the issuance of green cards and certain work visas until 2021.
Balance sheet.
Promise kept.
Prohibit Muslims from entering the territory
In campaign.
"Donald Trump calls for the total and complete stop of the entry of Muslims into the United States, until the representatives of our country are able to understand what is happening"
, let know the Republican candidate in a statement on December 7, 2015 after the shooting in San Bernardino, California.
To the White House.
A week after coming to power, the president signs the presidential decree barring refugees and nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States - Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Somalia and Sudan.
A federal judge blocks its application in the following days.
The president reviews his copy in March and removes Iraq from the list.
A new battle begins.
In June 2018, the Supreme Court validated the text.
Six countries - Nigeria, Burma, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan and Tanzania - added to the ban this year.
Balance sheet.
Broken promise.
Renegotiate the Alena
In campaign.
"I am going to tell our NAFTA partners
(free trade agreement signed in 1994 with Mexico and Canada, editor's note)
that I intend to immediately renegotiate the terms of our agreement to obtain a better one for our workers.
And I'm not saying a little better, but much better, ”
announced candidate Trump in Pennsylvania in June 2016.
To the White House.
Faithful to his “America First” mantra, the President of the United States started a standoff with his two neighbors in his first year.
Negotiations were tense and culminated in the fall of 2018 with the signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement.
Several amendments will be made under Democratic leadership before its ratification by Congress.
The text entered into force this summer.
Balance sheet.
Promise kept.
Make other NATO countries pay
In campaign.
Donald Trump in Florida, July 27, 2016:
“I think NATO is great.
But it needs to be modernized.
And the countries we protect are going to have to pay what they have to pay. ”
To the White House.
From his first summit as President of the United States, in Brussels in May 2017, Donald Trump lobbied his allies reminding them that they had pledged three years earlier to allocate 2% of their GDP to military spending. by 2024. Seven countries reached the quota in 2018. The following year, Alliance members spent an average of 1.48% of their GDP on defense.
The same figure was 1.42% in 2016. Europe and Canada also pledged in 2020 to spend an additional $ 100 billion compared to 2016.
Balance sheet.
Promise kept.
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