Trump has maintained his campaign promises

The argument

Proponents of this view argue that the central test of a presidency is whether the person elected does what he said he would do, and that on this test Donald Trump has a strong record. Campaigning, on this account, is not mere rhetoric but the offer of a programme; an election is the public's acceptance of that programme; and delivery on it is what makes the resulting government legitimate rather than a bait-and-switch. Judged that way, proponents argue, criticism from the press is beside the point, because the relevant question is performance against his own stated undertakings. They point to a series of pledges carried through: renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, imposing economic tariffs on China, cracking down on immigration, cutting taxes for corporations, appointing pro-life judges to the Supreme Court, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Change Accord, and tearing up the Iran Nuclear Deal. What matters to the argument is less each item's merits than the pattern they form. Each was a commitment made to a particular constituency during the campaign, and each, on this reading, was acted upon rather than quietly shelved once the office had been won – the ordinary fate, proponents suggest, of positions taken in order to win votes. The approval figure is offered as corroboration from the people best placed to judge. Trump's approval rating among Republican voters, reported at 94 per cent, is taken to show that those who elected him consider themselves to have received what they voted for. The inference is that the electorate which issued the mandate is the appropriate auditor of whether it was honoured, and that near-unanimous approval within that electorate is evidence of promises kept rather than promises merely claimed. On this view a president who governs as he campaigned has discharged the core duty of the office, and Donald Trump has been a good president.

Premises

Counter-arguments

Donald Trump ran on a pledge to 'drain the swamp' and remove corruption from American politics. Instead, Trump has refused to publish his tax returns or to the convention of other presidents who put their assets in a blind trust. With administration officials regularly staying at Trump properties, the line between his businesses and his administration remains blurred. Previous presidents have gone to great lengths to keep their families outside of politics and avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Trump's White House has given key advisory roles to family members, including his daughter Ivanka and his son-in law Jared Kushner. There have also instances of key members of his administration failing to declare conflicts of interests and facing accusations of using their positions for profit.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] Trump has not actually followed through with his campaign promises.