Trump and Congress

ABSTRACT

In examining Donald Trump’s presidential leadership, this article focuses on determining his efficacy as a political leader evident through three critical turning points in his presidency. His presidency began with a key legislative defeat, followed by a rare policy victory and in 2019, he controversially shutdown the government in a failed attempt to gain congressional funding for the US-Mexico border wall. By comparing the GOP attempt to reform healthcare with the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, this article demonstrates how Republican legislative success relied upon a unified approach between Congress and the White House, with clear, long-established policy goals. Analysis of the longest government shutdown in US history provides insight into Trump’s leadership style, presidential power and relationship with Congress. In all three cases, Trump’s rhetoric failed to effectively support Republican policy efforts or convince Americans that their course of action was best. Indeed, Trump’s rhetoric and actions often proved more contradictory and damaging to Republican efforts and to the overall future of the party. This article concludes that Trump inexperience and character was ill-equipped to be an effective political leader, evident in his few legislative achievements and the toxic environment of hyper-partisanship he left behind.

KEYWORDS:

• Leadership
• partisan
• healthcare
• tax cuts
• government shutdown

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 See: Clua-Losada and Keck (2021).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Laura Ellyn Smith

Dr Laura Ellyn Smith is a presidential historian. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor teaching the American Presidency at Richmond, The American International University. She also teaches American Politics at Canterbury Christ Church University, while pursuing a second doctorate – a DPhil in History analysing the development of US presidential power at Oxford University, St. Anne’s College. She graduated with a PhD in History from the University of Mississippi. She gained a Distinction in her MA in U.S. History and Politics at University College London, where she was awarded the Americas Excellence Award. She graduated with First Class Honors for her BA in American Studies with a Year Abroad from the University of Leicester. Her list of publications can be found on her ORCiD page and include op-eds on current politics, an article analysing Barack Obama through the lens of the transformational presidency and a White House Studies article comparing Franklin D. Roosevelt and James K. Polk as imperial presidents. She also has two forthcoming book chapters respectively on Obama’s foreign policy in Cuba and FDR’s support of baseball during World War Two. Furthermore, she has contributed on the 2020 election to the latest edition of the Encyclopedia of the American Presidency.