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Trump signs executive order in Wisconsin
02:37 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

Trump is approaching his first 100 days in office

He traveled to Wisconsin Tuesday

CNN  — 

As President Donald Trump approaches his first 100 days in office, the White House clearly wants to add to the President’s short list of accomplishments and highlight the populist “America First” rhetoric that has been his strength.

Trump traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin, Tuesday to sign an executive order that would direct his administration to review H-1B visa rules in current trade deals and to encourage the use of American-made products in federal contracts.

“Buy American, Hire American” is the administration’s bumper sticker slogan.

US President Donald Trump holds up a Buy American, Hire American Executive Order after signing at Snap-On Tools in Kenosha, Wisconsin, April 18, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB        (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Trump urges firms to 'buy American' but he doesn't
03:51 - Source: CNN

But, the short speech only served to highlight just how little Trump has done legislatively.

Here is the relevant passage:

NAFTA’s been very, very bad for our country. It’s been very, very bad for our companies and for our workers. And we’re going to make some very big changes or we are going to get rid of NAFTA for once and for all. It cannot continue like this, believe me.

Big things will be happening on trade with other countries over the coming months. And I mean very big. We’re also working with Congress on tax reform and simplification. And we’re on time if we get that health care approval. So press every one of your congressmen. Press everybody. Because we want to get that approval. And it just makes the tax reform easier and it makes it better … And that’s what we want to do.

So we’re in very good shape on tax reform. We have the concept of the plan. We’re going to be announcing it very soon. But health care, we have to get the health care taken care of. And as soon as health care (is taken) care of, we – we are going to march very quickly. You’re going to watch. We’re going to surprise you.

We’ll be making big investments in rebuilding our military and repairing our badly depleted infrastructure. And that will happen soon also. Infrastructure – big infrastructure bill, probably use it with something else that’s a little bit harder to get approved, in order to get that approved. But infrastructure is coming and it’s coming fast.

Quick scorecard on all of these promises:

  • On NAFTA, every indication is that the trade deal that Trump continues to rail against is here to stay and that whatever changes are made will likely be minimal.
  • The attempt to repeal and replace health care repeal is stalled indefinitely, with no sign of progress in the House, let alone the Senate.
  • Ditto tax reform.
  • Also, there is no sign that infrastructure is coming fast, or at all.

Trump promised that he has surprises in store on all of these fronts. The surprise is that three months into his presidency, with Congress in his column, he hasn’t even been able to get any major legislation a vote on the House or Senate floor.

Polls show that voters are starting to notice, and that his promises are increasingly seen not as predictions, but mere puffery.