October 22, 2016, 01:41 pm
Trump outlines first 100 days
By Jonathan Easley
Donald Trump on Saturday outlined an agenda for his first 100 days in the White House, seeking to kick-start his struggling campaign with a major policy address meant to draw contrasts with Hillary Clinton.
Speaking from Gettysburg, Pa., the site of President Abraham Lincoln’s famed 1863 Civil War address, the GOP presidential nominee hewed closely to the well-worn tropes from his stump speeches, vowing to flush the corruption out of Washington and bring American jobs back beginning on his first day in the Oval Office.
The site of the speech was symbolic, as Trump cast himself as a leader in the mold of Lincoln who would unite the country during a time of hardship and division.
“We now find ourselves at that very special fork in the road,” Trump said. “Do we repeat the mistakes of the path or do we choose to believe that a great unwritten future still lies ahead for us and our beloved country?
“I’m asking he American people to rise above the noise and clutter of American politics and to embrace that great faith and optimism that has always been the central ingredient of American character.”
Trump’s aides announced the speech in a hastily arranged conference call with reporters late Friday night, as the campaign looks for new ways to go big in the final 17 days before the election.
One aide compared the speech to the GOP’s 1994 "Contract with America," the Republican plan spearheaded by then-Rep. Newt Gingrich that helped the party win back the House.
But there was very little new in Trump's "contract with American voters," and the GOP nominee spent the first quarter of his 40-minute speech settling old scores and lashing out at his enemies.
Trump ticked through statistics about voter fraud to warn that the election system is “totally rigged and broken.”
He reiterated his frustration that Clinton is allowed to run for president, saying that she should instead be under federal indictment for mishandling classified material.
Trump hammered the “corrupt” media; disputed the veracity of polls that show him behind; vowed to make life miserable for the businesses and corporations that have crossed him; and said that after the election, he will sue all of the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.
“Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign,” Trump said.
“Total fabrication. The events never happened. All of these liars will be sued after the election is over.”
From there, Trump launched into the string of commitments he is pledging to fulfill over his first 100 days in office.
Everything in Trump’s “contract” had been proposed before, but the GOP nominee repackaged the ideas into a group of legislative measures he said he’d fight to push through Congress.
To clean up Washington, Trump said he would institute term limits for all members of Congress; put a five-year ban on former members becoming lobbyists; a lifetime ban on former White House officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government; and ban foreign lobbyists from raising money for American elections.
On the economy, Trump vowed to renegotiate or scrap the nation’s international trade deals; sanction China as a currency manipulator; lift restrictions on American energy reserves; remove roadblocks he said are preventing investments in infrastructure; and redirect money being spent on climate change programs into other areas of the environment.
And on national security, Trump reiterated his calls for the extreme vetting of refugees and immigrants, and said he would crack down on “sanctuary cities” and cancel President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.
“On Nov. 8, Americans will be voting on this 100 day plan to restore prosperity to our country, secure our communities and honesty to our government,” Trump said.
“This is my pledge to you and if we follow these steps, we’ll once more have a government of, by, and for the people.”
The Trump campaign is hoping the new shine on Trump’s populist pitch will earn them a second look from voters as the campaign heads into the final two weeks of the election.
On Friday night’s phone call with reporters, a Trump aide accused Clinton’s campaign of looking to "sit on their lead, wait out the clock."
That’s a luxury Clinton can afford, as the Democratic nominee has opened up a six-point lead in the RealClearPolitics national average and has the advantage in most of the battlegrounds states that will determine the outcome of the election.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/302335-trump-outlines-first-100-days
