The 5 Easiest and 5 Most Difficult Promises for Donald Trump to Keep
Prevent American companies from moving jobs to other countries.
.. Mr. Trump has promised tax cuts and regulatory relief, but those are minor expenses for most companies, particularly in comparison to their payrolls. Mr. Trump also has threatened to impose new taxes on imports, but he cannot target particular companies. Any such tariffs would have to be broad — and therefore broadly painful.
Revive American steel-making and coal-mining industries.
The productivity of the American coal industry has increased roughly tenfold since the end of World War II. The work that once required 10 miners now requires just one. Steel making has undergone a similar transformation. That is by far the most important reason employment in both industries has declined precipitously. Most of those jobs are never coming back.
Invest in infrastructure to create jobs.
The result is that annual economic growth has averaged 2.1 percent in the six full years since the last recession
Increase American economic growth to more than 4 percent a year.
Some Democrats will resist Mr. Trump’s proposal to offer tax breaks to private companies in return for infrastructure investments, notably because the federal government is able to borrow money at exceptionally low rates.
Build a border wall.
Fences already exist along hundreds of miles of the border. Mexico has said it will not pay for a wall. And even if it did, Mr. Trump would probably need approval from Congress to spend money. Mr. Trump could do much to beef up border security on his own. Congress would support increased border security and the installation of more fencing, but construction of a wall would meet resistance from both parties.