Trump Predictions Reviewed From 2017

Happy New Year. It’s 2018, so what can we say about 2017? Or, more precisely, what DID they say about 2017? Even more precisely, what did people predict about Donald Trump’s first year, and how successful were they?

Let’s begin with “The 7 Most Hysterical Predictions About Trump in 2017 That Never Came True”

Below are the six most hysterical predictions that never came true:

1. Trump will resign by year’s end.
Tony Schwartz, the co-author of Donald Trump’s book “Art of the Deal” and ardent anti-Trump activist, said that he believes and prays that “Trump will resign by year end to avoid worse humiliation.”. . .

2. Trump will flee the U.S. and seek shelter in the Ecuadorian embassy.
Liberal pundit, John Aravosis, made perhaps the most bizarre prediction when he tweeted that “Trump be lucky if all we do is impeach him. I predict in 6 months Trump will be holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy.”. . .

3. Trump will make infrastructure a “high priority” to earn him a “speedy bipartisan win.”
Fortune magazine, in their annual “Crystal Ball” feature, predicted Trump will work with Democrats to claim a quick victory because “both parties love spending money on roads.”. . .

4. Trump may take over Voice of America to disseminate propaganda.
Shortly after Trump took office, The Washington Post’s Callum Borchers alluded to a Trump take-over of the government-controlled media company, Voice of America, and using it as a propaganda machine. . .

5. The failure to repeal Obamacare leaves Trump with Obama’s health care policy.
Josh Barro, senior editor at Business Insider, predicted that the “implosion” of Congress’ efforts to repeal Obamacare will leave Trump with Obama’s health care plan intact. . .

6. Trump will accomplish “nothing” on taxes.
Barro makes the list yet again with which now seems more like wishful thinking than a prediction. “My bet on a Trump tax legacy: nothing,” Barro wrote. . .

7. Ivanka Trump will moderate her father’s positions on climate change, “LGBT rights,” and immigration. A myriad of pundits and commentators on the left after Donald Trump won the presidency had claimed and hoped that Ivanka would act as a “moderating” force on her father on issues the left holds most dear.

Politico also offers the worst political predictions. Use the link to get the details.

Prediction: ‘Trump will resign by year end’
Made by: Tony Schwartz

Prediction: ‘Will North Korea successfully test a nuclear-capable missile [in 2017]? No.’
Made by: Bryan Harris

Prediction: Jared Kushner will be a moderating influence on President Trump
Made by: Rick Reed (among many, many others)

Prediction: ‘Trump will make infrastructure a high priority because it will give him a speedy bipartisan win’
Made by: Tory Newmyer and Geoff Colvin

Prediction: Ed Gillespie will beat Ralph Northam, thanks to Corey Stewart’s voters
Made by: Steve Bannon

Prediction: ‘Trump is headed for a do-nothing presidency’
Made by: Josh Barro

Prediction: ‘In six months, Trump will be holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy’
Made by: John Aravosis

Prediction: With Scaramucci reporting to Trump, chief of staff John Kelly will be gone by January 1
Made by: John Podhoretz

Prediction: Mitch McConnell will make it into 2018 without passing a tax bill
Made by: Laura Ingraham

Prediction: The House will pass AHCA (in March), ‘and pundits will fawn over Trump’
Made by: Peter Daou

Prediction: ‘Trump will throw Roy Moore under the bus’ following sexual assault allegations
Made by: Bill Kristol

Prediction: Trump’s inauguration will have a ‘record-setting’ attendance with ‘plenty’ of movie stars
Made by: Donald J. Trump

Prediction: Mueller’s probe will be ‘narrow’ and will likely be done by the end of 2017
Predicted by: Ty Cobb

Prediction: Ivanka Trump will pull Trump to the left on climate change, LGBT rights and immigration
Made by: Gayle King (among others)

Prediction: By September, ‘it’s going to be super-awkward to be anti-Trump’
Made by: Scott Adams

Prediction: Trump will end 2017 with an approval rating above 60 percent
Made by: SE Cupp

Prediction: White House aides will keep Trump from tweeting
Made by: Ari Fleischer

Prediction: Al Franken could be a formidable 2020 candidate
Made by: Chris Cillizza (among others)

Prediction: Donald Trump Will Stop Tweeting
Made by: Donald J. Trump

OK, so how about a prediction that was mostly right? How about Stephen L. Carter?

1. I predicted that President Donald Trump would impose additional sanctions on Russia, because the causes of the “new Cold War” are not personal but geopolitical. True, although he had to be pushed and prodded by Congress.

2. I predicted that with Trump in office, the left would rediscover the virtues of limiting the authority of the chief executive, and would also come to celebrate corporate power as a check on government. True.

3. I predicted that the Arctic sea ice would continue to melt. True. However, the September ice extent, usually the smallest of the year, was slightly larger in 2017 than in 2016. (September still saw one of the lowest ice extent measures in four decades. Nevertheless, skeptics out there should feel free to pounce away in the comments.)

5. I predicted that the Republican-controlled Congress would not enact the needed expansion of the H1-B visa program for highly skilled workers. True. I predicted that the rate of deportations of those illegally in the country would “barely budge from recent levels.” True.

8. I predicted that Republican leaders in Congress would manage only to fiddle around with the edges of the Affordable Care Act, but would proudly announce a repeal. Mostly false. Republican leaders have indeed claimed to have repealed the act, even as they left most of it in place. But in repealing the individual mandate, they have created a situation in which cost alone might kill the statute.

12. I predicted that Trump’s first Supreme Court nominee would be Allison Eid. False.

How about a long-term prediction? Some say Nostradamus actually predicted Trump’s election—500 years ago!

These passages from Nostradamus are proof that he ‘predicted’ a Trump victory in 2016, apparently. . .

The great shameless, audacious bawler,
He will be elected governor of the army:
The boldness of his contention,
The bridge broken, the city faint from fear

OK. That sounds about right. Especially given that in addition to being President, Mr. Trump is also the Commander-in-Chief.

It’s entertaining to hear people eat crow this time of year. That is, when they are held responsible for what they have said.