What Clinton and Trump Have Pledged to Do in First 100 Days as President
No matter who wins, the new president will have a busy first three months.
— -- The presidential election will be over in a week, but candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have for months laid out the major issues they want to tackle in their first 100 days as president.
Throughout their campaigns, Clinton and Trump have made promises on key issues that matter to voters — health care, government reform and raising the minimum wage. Each expects to be very active during the first three months in the Oval Office.
Here’s a look at what Trump and Clinton have promised to achieve in the first 100 days of their presidency:
Donald Trump
Many of Trump’s pledges revolve around the goal of reforming or replacing Barack Obama’s policies, bolstering national security and improving the country’s reputation internationally. The Republican nominee has argued that Clinton represents another four-year term for the Obama, and Trump has vowed to radically change the direction of the country, beginning with his first day in office.
During the campaign, Trump has repeatedly said he will “repeal and replace ‘Obamacare,’” “immediately suspend the admission of Syrian refugees,” “order a review of every single regulation issued over the last eight years,” “begin lifting all regulations that are hurting our workers and our businesses,” “terminate every single unconstitutional executive order signed by President Obama,” “restore the rule of law to our land,” “begin implementing plans for construction of a wall along our southern border” and “get rid of” international gangs of thugs and drug cartels — all on his first day.
In the subsequent 99 days, Trump has promised to “drain the swamp” — the campaign’s term for rooting out corruption in Washington. A major pledge of his is a “constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of congress.” Representatives and senators may currently serve an unlimited number of two- and six-year terms, respectively. Additionally, Trump has proposed a law barring government officials from lobbying the government within five years of their service.
“We don’t win on trade” is a frequent refrain heard at Trump rallies, and in response, the real estate mogul has said he will renegotiate NAFTA and withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Trump has said he will “renegotiate” the Iran nuclear deal and call a NATO summit to update the organization’s mission and rebalance members’ “financial commitments.”
On taxes, he has pledged “the biggest tax cut since Ronald Reagan.” The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 and Tax Reform Act of 1986, passed during Reagan’s presidency, simplified the tax code and lowered marginal tax rates by more than 20 percent for most citizens. Trump has called for business tax rates to be reduced to 15 percent.
Other Trump proposals in the first 100 days include an elimination of Common Core in public schools nationwide and the nomination of a Supreme Court justice to replace the late Antonin Scalia.
Hillary Clinton
Clinton has assured voters that she is committed to governing all Americans, not just those who voted for her, and many of her plans involve “reach[ing] out to Republicans” around the country and in Washington to repair relationships after what has been a bruising campaign.
“One of the things I will do from the very beginning, the very first day of my administration … is to make sure everybody in the country knows I’m the president of every American,” she said in a speech on Sept. 30 in Florida. “Every single person.”
She has vowed to nominate a diverse Cabinet "that looks like America" and features as many women as men. She has an eye on the vacancy on the Supreme Court and has said she will appoint a justice with “real life experience.”
The former secretary of state’s foreign policy proposals include negotiating with both Russia and Syria to establish no-fly zones over Syria to “provide safe zones on the ground.” She has said she would invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States for a visit to work toward “strengthening and intensifying our relationship.”
Clinton has promised her administration would introduce “comprehensive immigration reform” that allows some undocumented immigrants to work their way toward citizenship. She has vowed to raise the federal minimum wage and make changes to the Affordable Care Act by capping the costs of prescription drugs.
An additional piece of Clinton’s platform includes addressing student loan debt by promoting income-based repayment and a reduction of interest rates on federal loans.