What Donald Trump managed to do in his first week as president
Environment — di Andrea Barolini
Torture, abortion, a wall on the border with Mexico. And then treaties, oil and gay rights. Donald Trump's first week leading the United States.
What Donald Trump managed to do in his first week as president
Torture, abortion, a wall on the border with Mexico. And then treaties, oil and gay rights. Donald Trump's first week leading the United States.
It has been one week since Donald Trump's inauguration at the White House. A week of decisions, announcements, controversies and tweets. The new president of the United States wasted no time, immediately striking the first blows against the policies of his predecessor, Barack Obama. And launching some of the most important (and controversial) measures of his programme.
Friday 20 January – Goodbye to Obamacare
On his first working day, Trump signed measure number one. Even from a symbolic point of view, the newly elected president wanted it to concern Obamacare — that is, the healthcare insurance system reform that the former Democratic president had pushed through in order to solve the problem of the millions of citizens who, lacking adequate coverage, forgo medical treatment.
At the same time, from the moment of the inauguration at the White House, the page dedicated to climate change disappeared from the official website of the American administration, as did the page on LGBT rights (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender), along with the Spanish-language version of the portal itself. Also on his first day as president, Trump announced the revival of shale oil and gas exploitation, despite the environmental risks they entail, and a tightening of temporary residence permits for study and work. He also confirmed the presence in his executive of former US Army generals James Mattis and John Kelly, designated as Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Homeland Security (which includes border control) respectively.
Saturday 21 January – The protests and the CIA
On his second day as president, Trump met an audience of CIA officials, declaring that he was "one thousand per cent" behind them. Meanwhile, millions of people were taking to the streets to protest against his election: the billionaire did not, however, comment on the marches in any way.
Sunday 22 January – Attack on the Nafta treaty
Sunday opened with the announcement of his intention to renegotiate "Nafta" — the North American Free Trade Agreement, a treaty in force since January 1994 by virtue of which a free trade zone was created between Mexico, Canada and the US. A meeting with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto had long been scheduled precisely to discuss the matter, but the head of state, following repeated attacks from the White House (and the reactions they sparked at home), decided not to travel to Washington.
Monday 23 January – The TPP and abortion in the crosshairs
Another free trade agreement, the TPP, found itself in Trump's crosshairs on Monday. The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a trade agreement signed by twelve countries on both sides of the Pacific (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and of course the US). The treaty, signed in 2015, was one of the Obama administration's priorities, which was awaiting its ratification by Congress.
On the same day, Trump also delivered a heavy blow to the right to abortion, signing an executive order that bans the granting of public funding to international non-governmental organisations that support it. A turning point that comes 44 years after the historic decision by the US Supreme Court to legalise abortion in the United States (and two days after the large march by American women for their rights).
Tuesday 24 January – The revival of the pipelines
Tuesday was the day of the revival of two pipeline projects fiercely opposed by environmental organisations around the world. The first is the Keystone XL, which is intended to cross the entire American nation starting from Canada and reaching the southern US — in order to transport oil produced across the border from the tar sands of the province of Alberta: among the most environmentally dangerous sources in existence.
The second pipeline is the Dakota Access, a $3.8 billion project by Energy Transfer Partners LP, strongly opposed by Native American communities.
Signing orders to move forward with the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines in the Oval Office.
Wednesday 25 January – The day of the wall and torture
Wednesday was the day of the wall on the border with Mexico. This is one of the most controversial promises in the American billionaire's programme, with which he aims to curb migration from the neighbouring (and poorer) American nation. But that is not all: Trump also announced an executive order that would severely restrict the granting of residence permits to those arriving from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, according to his entourage.
Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders. Full speech from today @DHSgov: bit.ly/2jSZomhDHS
On the same day the American president also reiterated that he is in favour of using torture as a method for obtaining information from prisoners. Including waterboarding, practised by the CIA in secret prisons against terrorism suspects during the presidency of George W. Bush, and subsequently banned during the Obama presidency.
Thursday 26 January – The tax on Mexican goods
On Trump's seventh day leading the US, the debate shifted to the question of the funds needed to build the wall that will run along the border between Mexico and the United States. Faced with the flat refusal from Enrique Peña Nieto's government, which does not accept the request to contribute to the project, the American president wasted no time and went on the counter-attack. The idea announced is to introduce a 20 per cent tax on all products imported from Mexico: in this way the White House hopes to raise the money needed to complete the construction of the barrier.