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17: The First Year
The First Year
As 2001 drew to a close, the focus remained on domestic issues. Trump would eventually sign campaign finance reform into law in November 2001, significantly strengthening his hand for next year’s mid terms. The success of this law would allow Trump to move forward with his drive for electoral reform.
Meanwhile, Trump continued to up the ante in his quest to secure the border. Having already deployed troops to the Mexican border and authorized the creation of ICE, Trump also pushed for the creation of a border fence or “wall”. This would become a controversial issue in 2001 and 2002, before the Trump administration came to a deal that allowed him to secure the border but also win the support of moderates.
However, all this was overshadowed by a new scandal. The Enron scandal. When the Enron Corporation declared bankruptcy, it sparked a new debate on the excesses and corruption withing many American corporations. Thus, in 2002 Trump would turn his attention to reforming the business world and cracking down on corporate fraud. If Trump wanted to make good on his promises, he would need to tackle corruption in both the public and the private sector.
The Enron scandal also allowed Trump to shift the political debate towards an issue he had been concerned about for years, the consolidation of media corporations. First he would have to focus on tackling fraud in the private sector of course, but then he could use public anger to inspire further change in the business world...
As 2001 drew to a close, the focus remained on domestic issues. Trump would eventually sign campaign finance reform into law in November 2001, significantly strengthening his hand for next year’s mid terms. The success of this law would allow Trump to move forward with his drive for electoral reform.
Meanwhile, Trump continued to up the ante in his quest to secure the border. Having already deployed troops to the Mexican border and authorized the creation of ICE, Trump also pushed for the creation of a border fence or “wall”. This would become a controversial issue in 2001 and 2002, before the Trump administration came to a deal that allowed him to secure the border but also win the support of moderates.
However, all this was overshadowed by a new scandal. The Enron scandal. When the Enron Corporation declared bankruptcy, it sparked a new debate on the excesses and corruption withing many American corporations. Thus, in 2002 Trump would turn his attention to reforming the business world and cracking down on corporate fraud. If Trump wanted to make good on his promises, he would need to tackle corruption in both the public and the private sector.
The Enron scandal also allowed Trump to shift the political debate towards an issue he had been concerned about for years, the consolidation of media corporations. First he would have to focus on tackling fraud in the private sector of course, but then he could use public anger to inspire further change in the business world...
- Abraham Washington
- Word Count: 260