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Trump's first month -- A mix of good, bad

By Matthew Rusling | Xinhua | Updated: 2017-02-27 10:33

 Trump's first month -- A mix of good, bad

US President Donald Trump (C) gestures to media before boarding Marine One departing for Andrews Air Force Base en route to West Palm Beach, Florida, at White House in Washington D.C.,the United States, Feb. 3, 2017. [Xinhua/Yin Bogu]

Donald Trump's first month as US. president has seen more controversy than that of any other commander-in-chief in recent memory. While many blast him for several missteps, others argue that he has got a number of things right.

Others still contend that it's too early to fully assess the billionaire-turned-president.

FULFILLING CAMPAIGN PROMISES ON DOMESTIC ISSUES

Trump's outspoken manner has put him in the media spotlight for over a year now, and the controversy continued in his first month in office.

In the past month, Trump has been fighting an unprecedented war of words with the mainstream US. media.

He repeatedly slammed some US. journalists and major news outlets as "the most dishonest human beings on earth," "fake media" and "fake news" for their largely negative news coverage of his administration.

But the past 30 days witnessed Trump's rapid fulfilling of his campaign promises on domestic issues with a number of executive orders, including some that have caused controversy and criticism.

"I would say that Trump has had a challenging first month as he has sought to execute an ambitious agenda," said Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.

In terms of what he has done right, Trump has continued to pursue his policy goals and foster support from his very strident base by holding to his campaign promises, Mahaffee told Xinhua.

Meanwhile, Mahaffee noted the Trump team's "poor planning of some measures, the challenges posed by an incomplete roster of officials and difficulties in working with the Washington establishment."

Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies of the Brookings Institution, said that the Trump administration had a slow first month, as many of his top appointments have not been confirmed and most top positions don't even have a nominee.

"It could be months before there is a fully functioning government," West told Xinhua.

This has prevented Trump from doing anything other than issuing some executive orders, and Republicans have not passed any major legislation yet, he said.

West added that Trump's best move has been nominating a Supreme Court Justice who has received a positive reaction in general. "This may be his most impactful move," he said.

A major setback in Trump's domestic moves was the controversial travel ban rolled out in a bid to keep terrorists from sneaking into the country.

The ban, which bars citizens from seven predominantly Islamic nations from entering the United States, was rejected by a federal judge in Washington state, whose ruling was later upheld by a federal appeals court.

Some have blasted the ban as anti-Muslim and un-American, while others said the problem was mainly with the rollout, as it came as a surprise to many airport customs agents and government agencies. It led to the detention of innocent travelers with no ties to terrorism.

The ban, as well as Trump's order to build a long wall along the border with Mexico, triggered widespread protests at home and abroad.

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