What will Donald Trump's presidency mean for health? A scorecard.

Abstract

US Presidents make their mark on health, for better or worse. Donald Trump campaigned on a populist platform to "make America great again". While the actual policies his administration will pursue-and the priority he will place on each of them-remain in many ways uncertain, both his statements and his nominations for key government posts suggest that his presidency could have profound implications for health. His proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with a "better reform", his stance on reproductive rights, and his approaches to other areas, such as science policy and climate change, coupled with his stated intention to put "America first" are creating anxiety and uncertainty about America's domestic health policies and its global leadership role in areas such as security and development. We propose criteria on which the global health community can judge the success or failure of a Trump presidency, based on a selection of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that apply to health.