Is Donald Trump doing a good job as US President?

To answer that question, you first have to define the role of a president. You can then measure performance against that definition.

1. Chief of State. Essentially, the president represents the people of the US. The president is a symbol of the people and acts to inspire them
2. Head of the Executive branch. The president is responsible for hiring, firing, setting policy, and acting as a leader for this branch of the government.
3. Chief Diplomat. The president is responsible for being the head diplomat between the US and all other countries.
4. Commander in Chief. The president is the ultimate leader for the US armed services.
5. Chief Legislator of the Executive branch. This one is more difficult for many people to grasp. The Legislative branch makes laws, the Executive enforces them. However, the president’s role involves working with congress to approve (although they can override) legislation and also working with congress to suggest legislation.
6. Chief of Party. The president acts as the head of his party while in office.
7. Chief Citizen. The president represents all citizens of the US and should work for all of their interests.

Reading through this list, it sounds impossible to do all of these equally well, especially in a country that is so diverse. Still, if we rate our current president on all of these roles, I think we can come up with a good assessment of his performance to date. Keeping in mind that he has not been in office for 1/4 of his term yet, here is how I grade him (A-F scale, with C being average).

1. Chief of State. D. President Trump does represent a portion of the US and has not alienated everyone, so he does not quite deserve an F here, but his inspirations have been almost completely based on hate and fear. Perhaps D minus is a better estimate.
2. Head of the Executive branch. D. There are significant holes in his cabinet that are missing nominations or, in cases where Congress is not required for approval, any apparent move to fill them. He has alienated multiple members of his own staff. He has taken definite action to fire when he felt it was needed, though, so an F is not warranted. Still, he is below average in this category.
3. Chief Diplomat. D. War has not yet been declared on the US based on his actions or words. That would warrant an F in this category. But he has alienated many of our allies (hmm, quite a pattern here). Some would argue that action on the TPP and threats on NAFTA are positives in his favor here. I disagree as to how those actions were taken in a very un-diplomatic way. Still, that also helps to keep him above an outright F. But, he is unquestionably below average in this category.
4. Commander in Chief. C. This one is a real mixed bag. Our president has shown support for our armed forces, but has also attempted to take action that he claimed involved the military’s leaders that does affect them, but those claims were refuted by those same leaders. He did take decisive action against Syria. Decisiveness is important. But he has also placed our armed services in more danger by escalating tensions in parts of the world before resolving it in others. Overall, some bad, some some not so bad. I’d call him average on this one.
5. Chief Legislator of the Executive branch. F. Our president has failed to work with Congressional members of his own party, much less those of other parties. Legislation that he has pushed on Congress has not passed, primarily because he has positioned it in way that is too controversial to garner a majority within Congress. Even his Executive Orders have been questioned by the Judicial branch and, at times, overturned.
6. Chief of Party. F. Members of his own party have gone from being supportive to being highly critical of him, his words, and his actions.
7. Chief Citizen. F. Our president has been highly divisive. He has stated that some Nazis are “fine people” while calling peacefully protesting member of the NFL “sons of bitches.” He has not represented the people of the US beyond finding a way to pitch one side against another. His tweets are childish and inflammatory at a time when calm, understanding, and a move toward cooperation is needed.

So, three D’s, one C, and 3 F’s. That gives him an overall grade of D minus. A grade of D or F is failing. So far, as President of the United States, Donald Trump is a nearly complete failure.

Before anyone decides to become incensed and reply with “well, Obama this, or Obama that,” you will need to explain what Obama did or did not do has anything to do with what this president does. You may have hated Obama, or loved him. Neither assessment has one wit to do with how this president performs. Notice that none of the roles indicates actions taken to continue or to discontinue a predecessor’s legacy. They are defined by how a president acts as a president alone.