Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question

What will be President Donald Trump's legacy?

The curtain has fallen on the Trump presidency, albeit with an encore in the form of a second impeachment. The nation's Capitol still bears the scars of an open rebellion, the public is still struggling in the midst of a pandemic that some countries have brought under control, and American democracy has been tested in ways previously unimaginable in times of peace. Any one of these failures would be enough to define a president's legacy, but Trump has all of them and more. When all is said and done, what will President Trump's legacy be?

Position 1 of 5
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The double impeachment

This position holds that Donald Trump's defining legacy will be his double impeachment — the first president in history to be impeached twice. It argues that, much as Nixon is remembered for Watergate, this singular distinction will dominate how Trump is remembered.

Position 2 of 5
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Abdication of America's global leadership

Under Trump's "America First" policy, he withdrew from international agreements and institutions, reversing and unravelling decades of US engagement with the international community.

Position 3 of 5
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"Fake News"

Never before has a presidential administration so brazenly altered facts and propagated misinformation to portray themselves in a favourable light.

Position 4 of 5
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Stacking the courts

Trump's judicial appointments will shape the American judicial system for the next two to three decades.

Position 5 of 5
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"Nobody has been tougher on China than me"

Trump put the rise of China under the microscope and will forever be remembered as the president that took an adversarial view of the second-largest economy.