“The Golden Age of America begins right now.” Trump stands upon a pedestal, microphone in front of him, and proclaims his visions of what is to come. Themes of sovereignty and restoring what was hovering throughout the crowd of republicans there to celebrate. Along their sides are former presidents, vice presidents, their partners, and Bernie Sanders who refuses to stand throughout the entirety of this moment. Understandable, sir. Now, amongst all the fire and distraction that politics tends to throw at viewers, what can we realistically expect from this new administration, and what is not so clearly promised?
As known by both supporters and those against Trump, he and the crowd he tends to agree with have a strong taste for even stronger immigration policies. “On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history to get the criminals out.” (Trump) He has shared that he intends to deport as many undocumented immigrants as possible, claiming he is ridding this country from “criminals.” Trump was planning on conducting extreme ICE raids in large cities such as Chicago and Denver starting today, but according to ABC News, the plan has been put under review due to this leak to the public. However, it is evident to the average viewer that more is still to come. Considering the immigration topic, it is appropriate to mention that Trump has already signed an executive order to end a right laid out in the 14th amendment, birthright citizenship. This will certainly lead to legal battles, as the President cannot rid the US of a Constitutional right without a two-thirds majority vote from both the House and the Senate. Lastly concerning immigration, Trump plans to erase any open-border policies set by Biden and Harris. We have yet to see this occur, but Trump has commented that he would be willing to use Title 42 to push his agenda, a public health law used in the prime of the Covid-19 pandemic to deport at a higher pace.
Foreign policy is a big topic during any presidential campaign, but many voters cited Trump’s foreign policy ideas as a reason they gave him their vote. One of Trump’s most supported promises was that he would end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office. Currently, he has been in office for more than that, but who isn’t allowed the occasional hyperbole? Trump claimed his good relationship with both Putin and Zelenskyy would give him a way to easily reach peace.
Concerning the economy, a concern many would cite as most important in this election, Trump doesn’t hesitate to bring up his past in business and guarantee a more financially stable future for all Americans. It is worth noting that the word “tariff” was googled 50% more the day after the election, and for good reason. Donald Trump, with a promise to bring more currency back to the States, has stated that he will begin charging Mexico and Canada a 25% tariff on all products. However, economists are arguing that the wallets of American consumers will end up feeling the results of these charges. This is concerning considering the way Trump won this election was with the promise of erasing the financial burdens the average American faces with the help of bettering inflation rates.
A topic in both politics and the media these days is Transgender rights. Even though, reportedly, only approximately 1.14% of Americans identify as transgender, the Republican party has made it a grand talking point during both debates and in their published media. Examples of this include The Federalist and The Daily Wire. Trump repeatedly refers to transgender women as men, and has proudly claimed that he will make sure transgender women cannot compete alongside cisgender women in sports, as well as use the same bathroom facilities. Going hand in hand with these radical policies, he plans on defunding gender-affirming practices such as hormone therapy and surgeries.
In short, there is a lot of fake media, AI, and extreme news clickbaiting American citizens. It is critical that in a time like this where change is inevitable, we remember that politicians are benefiting off of our anger towards each other, as well as our lack of education concerning government policies. Let this be a reminder to be kind to those with alternative political values, and to remember that the government should serve and protect you, not the other way around.