The First 100 Days
Ross Perot was officially sworn in as the 42nd President of the United States at noon on January 20, 1993 in front of a record-breaking crowd that wanted to witness history firsthand. From Day 1, President Perot knew that he had a hard road ahead of him as he did not have a single member of the Senate and only had a one member of the House of Representatives (being Bernie Sanders from Vermont).
President Perot's first major test as President came as al-Qaeda terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in New York City a little over a month into his Presidency. President Perot called this attack an attack on freedom and an attack not just on innocent Americans but an attack on innocent people all around the globe. He promised that the perpetrators of this attack would be brought to swift justice.
A few weeks following the attack in New York, President Perot would introduce an economic stimulus/deficit reduction plan which included raising taxes on the rich (which would not go over well). This economic plan failed as Perot had no support in the Senate or the House.
President Perot would also make an ill-fated attempt to reform the health care system which would, of course, fail in a huge way. Perot's approval ratings dropped steadily throughout his first 100 days with many calling on him to resign as he couldn't get anything done.
President Perot's first big decision as President was the refusal to sign the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), something which he said would create a "giant sucking sound" while on the campaign trail in 1992. Critics called this a bad move as it limited trade among Canada, the United States and Mexico.
President Perot would also try to repeal the ban on homosexuals in the military, something which Congress refused due to same-sex marriage still being illegal and being a taboo subject to many.
Following the failures of many potential bills, President Perot spoke to a joint session of Congress and urged them to work together for the betterment of America and told them that he would not stop trying to pass bills because "failures are like skinned knees, painful but superficial." This statement would be a turning point in the Perot Presidency.
President Perot would proceed to introduce the "No Pass, No Play" education bill in which students would need to pass all of their classes in order to participate in extracurricular activities. Perot claimed that this bill would help to reduce the illiteracy rate in America. This bill also included mandatory literacy and competency test for teachers to ensure that America's children were being taught by the best in the country. This was a watershed moment for Perot as it was his first piece of legislation that he was able to pass without a majority in Congress.
As his first 100 days came to a close, it was clear that President Perot's time in office would not be an easy one and he could only hope that he could rally more support in Congress as time marched on.