The outgoing Trump administration will have killed more prisoners since July of this year than any other administration has done in a full year since 1896. [Daily Beast 12/1/20]
As of December 9, 2020, a Fox News poll found that 47% of registered voters approved of the job that President Trump was doing while 52% disapprove. In the same survey the voters approved of the job he has done on the economy by 52% to 45%.
However, on foreign policy he gets a failing grade of 45% to 50%.
The following are the final Gallup survey and the final FiveThirtyEight survey of likely voters for 2020 on approval/disapproval of President Trump.
| Gallup (all adults) | FiveThirtyEight (Registered / Likely voters) | |||
| Date | Approval | Dis-approval | Approval | Dis-approval |
| 11/19/20 | 43% | 55% | 44.3% | 52.4% |
| 10/27/20 | 44% | 55% | 43.4% | 53.7% |
President Trump has done many things, the effect of which will be felt for years if not decades to come. At the top of that list is the remaking of the philosophical composition of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Trump has added three justices to the Supreme Court. Going back to Jimmy Carter, Trump has added more justices than anyone other than Ronald Reagan, who added four justices, but only one justice in his first term.
The average age of the justices Trump nominated is 52 years old.
The impact of Trump’s appointments was demonstrated rather quickly.
During the pandemic’s first wave in the spring, the Supreme Court twice voted not to interfere when states such as California and Nevada restricted indoor gatherings, including church services. The votes were 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joining his four liberal colleagues.
Then Justice Ginsburg was replaced by Amy Coney Barrett and when Catholics and Orthodox Jews in New York requested that the court block an order by Governor Cuomo restricting attendance at churches, the Court issued an order doing just that.
Judges Nominated and Confirmed to Date
Because the U.S. Senate remains in Republican hands and the filibuster is no more, the President can continue unchecked his goal of remaking the federal judiciary. The chart below reflects the number of Article III court judges appointed by all U.S. presidents since Jimmy Carter.
| Total | Supreme Ct | Appeals Ct | District Ct | Int’l Trade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trump – thru 11/4/20 | 229 | 3 | 53 | 170 | 3 |
| Obama – 8 years | 325 | 2 | 55 | 268 | |
| GW Bush – 8 years | 325 | 2 | 62 | 261 | |
| Clinton – 8 years | 373 | 2 | 66 | 305 | |
| GHW Bush – 4 years | 192 | 2 | 42 | 148 | |
| Reagan – 8 years | 376 | 3 | 83 | 290 | |
| Carter – 4 years | 259 | 0 | 56 | 203 |
There are currently several nominations awaiting Senate action, 25 seats in the District Courts, 2 seats on the courts of appeals, and 1 seat on the Court of International Trade.
There are also currently 3 vacancies of the courts of appeals, 47 vacancies on the U.S. District Courts, and 2 vacancies on the Court of International Trade. [USCourts/Wikipedia/List of federal judges appointed by Donald Trump]
Disassembling
The U.S. Forest Service finalized a rule that allows more logging and forest management projects to skip environmental reviews. The agency said its changes will expedite decision-making on long-stalled efforts to improve the health and productivity of national forests, and also protect against intensifying wildfires. But
environmental groups warned that giving the government broader leeway with logging and road construction can damage natural habitats.
The State Department has imposed tighter visa regulations on Chinese Communist Party members. Anyone who is anyone in China is a member of the party, roughly 92 million people. Visas would be limited for party members and their families to only for one month. Previously, Chinese nationals were able to apply for tourism or business visas that are valid for 10 years and unlimited entry with stays of up to 90 days. [WP 12/4/20]
The Trump administration rejected setting tougher standards on soot, the nation’s most widespread deadly air pollutant. [WP 12/7/20]