I must be candid and confess that a year of Trumpism has left me in disbelief.
Jan. 20, 2018 marked the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, and it feels as though this presidency will never end. But, we must put emotion aside, and look at what a year of Trump has really done to America.
I’m certain to leave things out, as it feels like there is a new scandal every day. But, I’d like to analyze more of his politics since taking office, rather than the president’s repugnant and abhorrent treatment of women and people of different backgrounds or orientations.
The economy is looking up, but Trump hasn’t been in office long enough to realistically take credit for it. Yes, he was successful in the passing of the new Republican tax plan, but it was incredibly controversial and barely made it through Congress. Trump’s wall has not been built-it hasn’t even been properly budgeted. Surprise, Trump voters! If the wall is built, American taxpayers will pay for it, not Mexico.
Trump promised to drain the swamp, yet is engulfed in a swarm of scandals involving a Russian collusion investigation. He has his son-in-law and daughter working in the White House. Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, Betsy Devos, Scott Pruit, and Ajit Pai are some of the people that Trump has currently, or in the past, surrounded himself with. Is Trump draining the swamp or restocking it with monsters?
He ran his campaign claiming to be a “political outsider.” He told us he was the deal maker-that he alone could fix our country. Yet, the government shut down because Trump politicized his wall while the lives of 800,000 Dreamers are in uncertain hands.
Let’s also not forget his ignorance to child healthcare in addition to the uncertainty behind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. He blames everything on the opposing party. He promises he wants unity, yet he never thinks twice before condemning Democrats on Twitter. President Trump, your party controls the legislative and executive branches.
What’s the hold up? You cannot realistically blame Democrats for your inability to unify your own party.
He told us he was fed up with the politics of Washington D.C. and said it would be easy to strike up deals for peace with Russia, China and North Korea. He has since retracted those words, admitting that it was tougher than he thought, and has been unsuccessful in peace talks with North Korea.
Trump is solely responsible for the escalation of tension by way of a social media platform. Kim Jong Un is a dictator. He is a fabricator and a warmonger. Yet our President insists on reacting to every threat with weakness and fear. Such responses about button size are to be expected from the dictator of North Korea, not the President of the United States.
“Fake News” has become a mainstream slogan. The media’s credibility is berated, and Trump threatened to shut down news sources that publish facts he doesn’t like. It is dangerous. This is threatening to our democracy and embarrassing to the office of the president.
The next generation will read about this in history books and the revolution of everyday people like you and me.
Our votes and voices matter. It’s time that we stop letting our president get away with unfulfilled promises, inappropriate behavior, childish tweeting, the berating of other countries that are not as fortunate as America, and the constant disrespect of people who are different than he.
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