Was Donald Trump an Effective Leader of Congress?

Abstract

Donald Trump came to the presidency claiming a unique proficiency in negotiating deals. Once in office, however, he floundered. He adopted a passive approach to agenda setting, putting him in a reactive mode. Although he received high levels of support from Republicans in both chambers of Congress and although their leaders kept votes that he might lose off the agenda, Congress passed little significant legislation at his behest. The president received historically low levels of support from Democratic senators and representatives and could not win congressional assent for new healthcare policy, immigration reform, or infrastructure spending. Government shutdowns and symbolic slaps at his foreign policies characterized his tenure, even with his party in control of the legislature. He was even less successful after Democrats gained control of the House in the 2018 midterm elections.