US President Donald Trump is learning. The first 40 days
of his administration have not been smooth, but then
Trump is not the kind of person who prefers to iron out
the creases. However, the US system with its checks and balances
has made the President shift gears. In his first address to
Congress, Trump softened his stance on immigration and for
the first time condemned the Kansas shooting. Modifying his
hard-line campaign rhetoric, Trump noted that the merit-based
immigration system followed in nations around the world
like Canada and Australia would save countless dollars and
raise workers’ wages. Immigration was central to Trump’s
election campaign so abandoning it completely is not going
to happen. His modified stance makes sense because without
immigrants, the US would have a serious problem. At a meeting
with industry leaders, the President was clearly told that
the jobs were available but trained personnel to fill them were
not. Hence, the task before the President is to balance his political
rhetoric with reality and a merit-based immigration seems
to be the best way forward. After all it has been tried out in
Canada and Australia.
