A year of Trump: how much has changed in the past year?

The American President has confused everybody with his State of the Union Speech.

In delivering(announce/declare-घोषणा करना) his first State of the Union speech on Capitol Hill, President Donald Trump spoke of many small victories(success/triumph-विजय) that he chalked up(ready/prepare-तैयार) to his administration’s record over the past year. Yet the biggest surprise to many may have been the fact that they saw before them a Commander-in-Chief who unwaveringly(firmly/tightly-दृढ़ता से) stuck(adhere/cling-चिपकना) to the script and eschewed(renounce/keep off-परहेज) his usual provocative(irritating/annoying-उत्तेजक) style on social media. While “Twitter Trump” has lashed out(assault/attack-हमला) at Democrats on immigration reform(improvement) and the federal government shutdown earlier in January, “Teleprompter Trump” issued a generous call for bipartisanship in policy making. Where Mr. Trump has actively promoted, on social media, Russian involvement in resolving problems with North Korea, Syria, Ukraine and terrorism, he said in his Congressional(welcome) address that Russia and China were rivals(opponent/contender-प्रतिद्वंद्वी) that challenged U.S. economic interests. 

Most strikingly(surprising/astonishing-आश्चर्यजनक ढंग से), Mr. Trump assured(persuade/ensure-आश्वासन) his audience that prospective immigrant families would benefit(welfare/profit-लाभ) from his proposed reform(amelioration/correction-सुधार), yet just three months ago he had vowed(pledge/promise-कसम खाई) on Twitter that the Extreme Vetting(scrutinize/examine-पुनरीक्षण) Programme for migrants from certain countries was being stepped up(intensify-आगे आना) to fourth gear. The divergence(separation/expansion-विचलन) between Mr. Trump’s two assessments of the current scenario(story/script-परिदृश्य) is troubling also because the softer version of Americana he outlined(figure/define-रूपरेखा) in the State of the Union speech is in stark contrast(just opposite-बिलकुल विपरीत) to his inaugural speech a year ago when he famously spoke of “American carnage(massacre/slaughter-नरसंहार)”. The question is, how much has really changed in the intervening(middle) year? 

Considering his administration’s successes(achievement/triumph-सफलता) first, at the top of the list is the passage in Congress of his tax-cut proposal that he claimed(assert/demand-दावा) put more money back into American workers’ pockets and built the foundations of a stronger economy. Leaving aside the fact that it was the 12th largest tax cut in post-World War I history, and not the largest as Mr. Trump claimed, it is quite likely that his voter base appreciates(admire/applaud-सराहना) his adherence(stickiness/cling-चिपकना) to the Republican fiscal mantra. On the linked subject of growth and jobs, the economy expanded by 2.3% in 2017, which is less than it did in 2014 or 2015. Mr. Trump’s first year saw more than two million jobs created, yet that falls short of any of the last six years of his predecessor’s(ancestor/forefather-पूर्वज) tenure. 

Mr. Trump’s decision to revoke(cancel/nullify-वापस लेना) the previous administration’s decision to shut down the U.S. prison in Guantánamo Bay may have been a throwaway to policy hawks, but it could turn out to be self-defeating to the extent(limit/range-सीमा) that it serves as a recruitment tool for terrorist groups. While Americans will continue to debate these complex(intricate/difficult-जटिल) questions of domestic policy, the attention of the world, including India, must have been on Mr. Trump’s call to end the sought-after visa lottery and “chain migration”. Given the context of a hardening immigration policy, which could potentially affect legal migration, these remarks will likely make the American Dream seem like a mirage(illusion/vision-माया) to separated loved ones and hopeful professionals on distant shores.