The Donald Trump presidency could turn out to be good for business.
“Businesses can look forward to having someone represent the country that thinks the way they do,” Precious Hall, professor, political science, Truckee Meadows Community College, told a gathering of Carson City Chamber of Commerce members Wednesday morning at the Silver Oak Conference Center. “He knows this presidency is not going to last forever. He’ll go back to his business so he is going to make sure in terms of taxes, laws, policies, that businesses benefit first.”
President-elect Trump, for example, has said he wants to drop the corporate tax rate from 35 to 15 percent, said Hall, although she anticipates he won’t be able to accomplish that steep a cut.
“That lies with Congress. It doesn’t matter if Donald Trump wants the change, it only matters if he can convince Congress,” she said.
The president-elect also campaigned on getting rid of the Affordable Care Act.
“I think we’ll see some changes with the Affordable Care Act, but we’ve already seen a different tone in rhetoric from nominee Trump to president-elect Trump,” said Hall.
Since the election, Trump has said conflicting things about the ACA. On the news show “60 Minutes,” Trump said he wants to make changes to the existing health care law, but this week in North Carolina Trump said there was no choice but to “repeal and replace” it.
Trump’s plans, though, may not be equally beneficial to all businesses, said Hall.
“He’s not a small business owner. Will it be good for small businesses? Some changes, yes, but not all,” she said.
Hall said plans to deport millions of immigrants won’t happen because there isn’t the infrastructure for it, nor will the wall Trump talked about building along the country’s border with Mexico.
“It’s an unrealistic proposal,” she said. “I’m willing to bet it won’t happen in four years, and definitely not in the first 100 days.”
But that’s likely better for small businesses.
“Immigrants support this country, and I’m not talking about those that come here illegally, but those that are here legally,” she said, and immigrants could start migrating elsewhere if policy here becomes too restrictive. “That might not be the greatest thing for us or for small business.”
But the impact of a Trump presidency is difficult to predict.
“One thing we know about Donald Trump is we have to expect the unexpected,” said Hall.
But one certainty is he will become the United States president on Jan. 20, 2017.
“Whether he stays in office one day, one month or one year, it will be written in the history books that he was our 45th president,” said Hall.
Despite Hillary Clinton’s lead in the popular vote, which currently stands at 2.7 million votes, the electoral college will elect Trump on Dec. 19.
There will be a few so-called faithless electors — electors who vote for Clinton despite Trump’s win in their state — but 40 such electors are needed to change the outcome, said Hill.
“And we shouldn’t want that to happen because it sets a dangerous precedent going forward,” said Hall.