ENR’s editors used its opinion page to weigh the pros and cons of the Trump presidency for the construction industry and found that the cons heavily outweighed the pros. The editorial generated an unusually high number of responses—agreeing, disagreeing and asking ENR to stay out of politics. Commentary on issues affecting the construction industry—from our editors and from industry professionals—has always been part of ENR’s mission. ENR is a forum where views on industry issues can and should be aired—and government plays a major role in the business of construction. The responses below came in via email and via comments to the editorial posted on ENR.com.

ENR stated that the border wall procurement was “allegedly tainted” with no facts to back up the statement. ENR also commented on President Trump’s anti-science creed, when Dr. Fauci recently stated that the task force and Trump have been on the same page throughout. Finally, the infrastructure plan has stalled as have many key issues due to the Democrat leadership standing firm and not negotiating anything that may look favorable for Trump. I’d prefer to see an attempt to find common ground to help unite instead of divide members in our industry.

Gene Morgan, CEO
MDM Scaffolding Services, Fort Worth

It appears that ENR has no sense of what Trump has done for the construction industry in the past 3.5 years. Have you looked at the economic numbers since he took office? Have you looked at the unemployment numbers before the virus? Construction volume? Profit margins? How about this headline, “How ENR Fails Real World Construction?!” Please get your head out of the liberal sandbox.

Craig T. Clement, President
The Clement Group LLC, Montgomery, Ala.

I have been a subscriber to ENR for over 50 years, either personally as a practicing engineer or through the construction companies that I have worked for. During all that time, I have had a great respect for the magazine in it’s nonpolitical coverage of the construction industry, until now. The editorial “How Donald Trump Fails Construction” is a political hit job. The president led us out of a stagnant economy to the best the world has seen, with more construction work than we have seen for decades. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Brian F. Keane, P.E.

Mike Crothers posted:

Thanks for an honest review of the current administration because, you speak now or it will soon be too late. As my father said of the construction business, get into politics or get out of business.

P. Rossetti posted:

I’m glad that ENR’s editors have finally provided an objective assessment on just one of the many failures that are the direct responsibility of this incompetent and corrupt president and his administration. Who could have seen this coming? Just about anyone who followed his campaign or his business record prior to entering politics. President Trump was a con artist with a severe narcissistic personality disorder before he became a politician, so it should come as no surprise that he governs like a con artist with a severe narcissistic personality disorder. That a leading publication for construction industry professionals is condemning this failed presidency is welcome. That it took so long for such condemnation is a sad reminder of how many Americans choose to put their paycheck before their patriotism.

Lawrence Seltzer posted:

You have listed three failures of the President that make him a bust, but the failures are hardly anything of note. You dislike the procurement methods for the border wall construction. But given the refusal of Congress to fund any wall, and the desire of the majority of the public to build the wall, the president has found ingenious funding methods that have resulted in the construction of many miles of new wall (while no fault seems to lie in Congress, which spent months trying to impeach the president rather than work with him). Trump’s myriad accomplishments—despite the refusal of Congress to work with him—don’t seem to amount to anything. Looking back, my jaw dropped when I read my first ENR in the Tufts Engineering Library back in 1982—what fascinating articles on a plethora of engineering topics. But it seems the “woke culture” and “Trump Derangement Syndrome” has infiltrated even the “queen of engineering magazines.”

Dan Becker posted:

ENR writes that the “Trump administration treated infrastructure funding as a political bargaining chip …” What administration hasn’t treated infrastructure funding as a political bargaining chip? Regardless, ENR, please stay out of presidential politics and stick to engineering and construction issues.

Craig T. Barrett posted:

I wish I had a nickel for every alarmist article I’ve read over the last three decades somehow concluding we have only minutes to survive as a species. And I can read only so many diversity and climate change articles. This editorial’s spurious accusations were the last straw.