Columns, Opinion

BURKE: Trump is trying to fix America’s economy

President Donald Trump recently reached a deal with the CEO of Intel, Brian Krzanich, to give green light to a brand new factory in Arizona, a project that will potentially invest $7 billion into the United States economy. The move will create 3,000 jobs, certain to boost the local economy.

Krzanich talked about how the new administration’s tax and regulatory policies were the main selling points in moving forward with the factory. Intel already has two other factories in Arizona, which makes the company one of the largest private employers in the state.

What Trump promised on the campaign trail was to make sure that America came first. In economic matters, he has done just that. He reached deals with other companies such as Ford and Carrier to keep their factories in the United States instead of outsourcing the work to places like Mexico and China.

Within the first few days of his presidency, tech leader Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank, made a $50-billion investment in the American economy that would create 50,000 jobs in the long run.

Regardless of your opinion on the current president’s position on social issues, there is no denying that this is a man who knows how to keep industry leaders happy. It seems as though that every meeting he has had with leaders of big businesses ends with a deal that is positive for the American worker.

There are currently citizens of the United States who dismiss everything Trump does because of what he has said in the past and what he stands for socially. I completely understand where these people are coming from. What I don’t understand is when people root for him to fail in all aspects of his presidency.

I think that one would hope that he succeeds, especially when it comes to his economic endeavors. Personally, as a college student, I will soon need a real, full-time job. It was next to impossible for people like myself to find jobs coming out of school from 2007-2009 because the economy was hit with the worst downturn since the Great Depression. The point here is this: if Trump’s economy is booming, most of America’s citizens will benefit.

For a second, put aside the wall, the Muslim travel ban and the defunding of Planned Parenthood.

As far as social issues go, I don’t think that I could disagree with the man more. However, part of being a rational person is giving credit where credit is due. So far, Trump is sticking to his promise to put the American worker back in the driver’s seat. I know that Americans will appreciate an economy that supports a middle class because it currently is vanishing.

According to the Pew Research Center, the middle class has fallen from 62 percent of Americans in 1970 to just 43 percent of Americans in 2014. The percent of Americans in the upper-income tier numbered 49 percent in 2014, compared to just 29 percent in 1970.

Trump is coming at the same issue that Bernie Sanders was addressing in his presidential campaign, although they are calling it by a different name. Trump talked about bringing back the middle class, while Sanders advocated for the redistribution of wealth from the upper class.

Both things rely heavily on the return of the middle class to America. When the top one percent of America holds nearly half of the wealth, there are bound to be troubles. Like it or not, Trump is actually trying to fix that problem.

So far, Trump has been good for the average American worker. Our new president still has a long way to go before people can say that he is creating an economy that will be strong for years to come, but he is most certainly on the right path.

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One Comment

  1. Thoughtful article with a balanced perspective. Refreshing!