The United States has had 46 presidents, including the current one, Joe Biden. These presidents have played an essential role in the growth and development of the United States. Whereas Barrack Obama and Donald Trump’s leadership seem similar, they are different in several ways, and the difference is vital in the economic growth and development of the United States. This paper will compare and contrast two presidents in the country, the 44th and first president of African origin and the 45th President, Donald Trump.
Similarities
The first similarity between the leadership of these two presidents is their foreign policies. Both the presidents decided to implement a foreign policy that saw the United States steadily leave the Middle East. These two presidents had a plan to reduce the military expenditure in the middle, which allowed the Middle East countries to deal with their problems. Additionally, according to Are Trump and Obama really that different (2021), they moved closer to Asia and implemented social and economic activities together as these two presidents left the Middle East.
Another similarity to note between these two presidents is that they both had an urgency to repair the domestic situation in the United States. President Obama was insistent on developing their nation by setting up projects to enable local development, including medical aid, for example, Obamacare. On the other hand, President Donald Trump was interested in making America great again. During the administration of these two presidents, they were interested in creating a business environment that would support blue color jobs; the presidents were interested in doing more at home than they were doing abroad (Is Trump or Obama best for the economy? 2021). Therefore, the two presidents are similar in that they were both interested in the welfare of the American people.
Another area that shows similarities between these two administrations is the immigration policy. Just like the Republicans under the leadership of Donald Trump sent many undocumented people back to their homes, the Obama administration also did its fair share of sending undocumented people out of the United States. Although none of the administrations was interested in claiming the number of immigrants they had sent home, both played a role in reducing undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Differences
Several differences are identifiable between the Obama and Trump administrations, and most of the differences can be tied to their economic policies. The Obama administration supported multilateral trade and trade treaties among three or more countries, intending to create more business opportunities for businesses. Obama negotiated the Trans-Pacific Partnership with the hope that it would increase business opportunities for the people. On the other hand, the Trump administration favored bilateral trade. Therefore, in “Is Trump or Obama best for economic?” (2021), Donald Trump withdrew from the Trans-Pacific partnership after coming into power. Notably, this is a clear indication that President Trump was inclined to bilateral trades instead of Obama’s multilateral trade ventures.
Another difference relates to the healthcare sector in the United States. In his efforts to improve the health of the American population and make access to quality health care affordable, President Obama approved the Affordable Care Act. However, the Act’s effects have been short-lived since President Donald Trump came into power; most of his activities have been directed toward weakening the Affordable Care Act. Most Trump supporters claimed that the Act increased the cost of health care which was becoming too expensive for some citizens. Moreover, most of the supporters argued that it was good to do away with the Act (Bostdorff, D. M. (2017).
In conclusion, there is no doubt that there are notable differences and similarities between the Obama and Trump administrations. Different scholars have analyzed these similarities and differences from various angles. Interestingly, their similarities are apparent in their foreign policies, the urgency to repair the domestic economy, and the immigration policy. On the other, the differences revolve around the trade and the health care sector. Although these two administrations had extensive similarities and differences, they both strived to look out for the well-being of the American population.
References
Are Trump And Obama that different? Hoover Institution. (2021).
Bostdorff, D.M. (2017). Obama, Trump, and reflections on the rhetoric of political change. Rhetoric and Public Affairs, 20(4), pp. 695-706.
Is Trump or Obama best for the economy? The Balance. (2021). Web.