Editor’s Note: This post was written by Cosimo Tangorra.

As President Donald Trump and his administration are entering their first weeks in office, there are numerous challenges to be faced, as well as opportunities to be embraced. President Trump is entering office with a very complex state of affairs around the world, quite on par with the complex set of goals he has set for himself and the United States government. Nevertheless, it is rather important to address the scope of President Trump’s first few weeks in office, and where it is possible he could find success and what factors have the potential to limit him.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov shake hands in a meeting to discuss U.S.-Russia relations.

One area where the Trump administration could see profound success is in United States-Russian relations, which have been quite strained these past few years. Under former President Barack Obama and the leadership of the Democratic Party, the relationship with Russia and President Vladimir Putin has been complex regarding nuclear policy, issues in foreign countries and overall communication between the superpowers. With the shared admiration and respect Putin and Trump have for each other, relations could possibly be mended and a more civil and honest partnership could be formed. Over the course of the campaign, President Putin expressed his approval of a Trump administration leading the United States, while then-presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke of an eagerness to work with the Kremlin to develop a better relationship between the two that would benefit both countries. In this regard, it seems that the Trump team has a chance to fulfill a campaign promise to bring peace with Russia, and possibly securing them as a true friend to the United States.

However, there are also certain areas where President Trump could possibly struggle under the current circumstances. One major area would be the lack of political or military experience for President Trump as he enters the Oval Office. The previous forty-four United States presidents all came into the White House with some sort of familiarity with the work of public office or the leadership experience of the military. This makes the incoming Trump administration something the United States has never experienced before, a concept that gave many voters hope for change, and filled others with fear of disaster. No matter how an individual feels about this, the new presidency can be seen as unpredictable for sure. All in all, a lack of understanding of government and leadership of the nation could pose a major challenge to President Trump as he starts the process of running the most powerful country in the world, something that could limit him and his team indefinitely.

The emergence of Donald Trump as the new President of the United States is an incredibly significant event. It displays a major shift in the path of United States policy going forward and the leadership the population will experience. Considering all the potential successes and limitations facing President Trump at this time, it will definitely be important to monitor in order to get a true understanding of how the Trump administration will be perceived come the next presidential election in 2020.

 

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