Opinion: Five-week report card on Trump 2.0

By Steve Corbin, Professor Emeritus of Marketing, University of Northern Iowa

Only an insecure person would send letters to high schools, colleges and SAT College Board personnel threatening them with legal action if they released their academic records. It’s sad that a 78-year-old man is obsessed about his grades, which is relatively meaningless as compared to one’s strength of character, integrity, honesty and work ethic.

So goes the reality — according to Forbes, New York Magazine, Inside Higher Education and Time — of Donald Trump blocking grades from public view.

But, there comes a time when a president’s performance is publicly graded and that is during the first 100 days of office, 180 days according to Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 playbook designed for Trump to implement and every day thereafter to eternity.

America’s 335 million citizens, especially the ~51 percent of voters who voted for someone else to become USA’s 47th president, deserve a five-week report card on Trump’s 2.0 endeavors. Recall Trump said at the 2024 Republican National Convention he was running for president “for all of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning half of America.” Let’s see what the majority of citizens think of Trump’s 2.0 presidency:

1. A Feb. 19 Quinnipiac poll revealed the majority of Americans feel Trump has failed on seven issues: immigration, economy, foreign policy, trade, federal workforce, Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas conflict. Grades = F, F, F, F, F, F and F.

2. Since Jan. 20, Trump has signed 64 executive orders and issued 27 proclamations while more than 70 lawsuits have been filed against Trump for his – most constitutional law professors have said -- anti-democratic and anti-constitutional actions. Hence, a Feb. 14 Pew Research Center survey found “65% of U.S. adults say it would be `too risky’ to give Trump more power to deal directly with many of the nation’s problems.” Grade = F.

3. According to Data for Progress, a super majority of voters oppose Trump’s proposal to take ownership of Greenland, Canada, Panama Canal and Gaza. Grades = F, F, F and F.

4. A YouGov poll revealed the vast majority of Americans oppose Trump ending humanitarian aid to foreign countries (USAID), abolishing the

Department of Education and disbanding OSHA (ibid). Grades = F, F and F.

5. Only 24 percent of Americans approve of Donald Trump withholding congressionally-appropriated funds (ibid). Grade = F.

6. President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance said judges should not have the power to review or block executive actions; 3 out of 5 Americans disagree (ibid). Grade = F.

7. Of the 16 federal bodies (e.g., NASA, FBI, CIA, FEMA, USAID, DOGE-Department of Government Efficiency, etc.), the one that is the least favorable by Americans is DOGE, created by Mr. Trump (ibid). Grade = F.

8. In separate Quinnipiac and Pew Research Center polls, 54-55 percent of voters think Elon Musk has too much power making decisions affecting America (Politico, Feb. 19). Grade = F.

9. Only 12 percent of Americans think Trump should seek out billionaires’ policy advice (AP/NORC poll). Grade = F.

10. Two-thirds of consumers think Trump isn’t focused enough on prices of products, which he said would be lowered on Jan. 20 (CBS News). Grade = F.

11. A majority to a super majority of Americans oppose Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on goods imported from Mexico, Canada and Europe (ibid); identified by the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board as “the dumbest trade war in history” (Feb. 1-2). Grades = F, F and F.

12. Trump shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), whereby $2 billion in agricultural products are annually purchased from farmers and research is conducted at institutions like Iowa State University, University of Iowa and hundreds of other major universities (KCCI Des Moines). Grade = F.

13. Due to Trump’s erratic actions, National Federation of Independent Business’s uncertainty index for small businesses recently reached its third highest level, coinciding with Stanford’s index of policy uncertainty for big businesses (Wall Street Journal, Feb. 12). Grades = F and F.

14. Trump’s program to deport immigrants illegally residing in America receives 59 percent approval (CBS News). Grade = A

To date, Trump has failed on 27 of 28 issues of importance to Americans. Support for Trump by farmers, teachers, civil servants and CEOs is rapidly declining.

A Feb. 3-16 Gallup poll revealed Trump has a 45 percent job approval rating, which is 15 percent below the historical average for 10 other presidents elected since 1953.

Evidence is replete Trump has not fulfilled his promise of being a president “for all of America,” not even for half of America.

But, with five weeks down in Trump 2.0 and 203 weeks to go, as Alexander Pope said in his 1733 poem, “hope springs eternal” ... though it seems unlikely.

Contact Steve Corbin at Steven.B.Corbin@gmail.com