Trump and the undoing of Obama’s legacy

Bianna Golodryga
·Yahoo News and Finance Anchor

by Kelli Hill

With his latest move to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, President Trump continues to undo the Obama administration’s legacy. Whenever a new president heads to the White House, it’s always expected that there will be changes because each president looks to fulfill the promises made on the campaign trail.

Every new president also chips away at the previous president’s legacy, reversing policies and progress. For example, one of the ultimate flip-flops with each new president is the Mexico City policy, which changes depending on whether a Democrat or Republican is in the Oval Office. The policy, which stops U.S. funding for international groups that support abortion rights, was first signed into law by Ronald Reagan in 1984. Bill Clinton overturned it in 1993, George W. Bush restored it in 2001, Barack Obama dropped it in 2008, and Trump reinstated it when he took office.

The Paris climate accord is just the latest example of Trump’s unraveling of his predecessor’s legacy.

When he first took office, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade pact negotiated under Obama. In February, he reversed the Obama administration’s policy requiring public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. In May, Attorney General Jeff Sessions put the brakes on the Obama-era policy for leniency in prison sentences.

Although Trump hasn’t been able to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act, his administration is going after the birth control mandate that requires employers to provide birth control coverage in their health insurance plans. Now, Trump is considering undoing Obama’s opening with Cuba, reestablishing the restrictions and regulations on business and travel that were lifted in the new deal.

So with each new resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., a little policy redecorating is inevitable. But when it comes to Trump’s affect on Obama’s legacy so far, at least you can say, “Now I get it”