Trump's Presidency

Living in Donald Trump’s America means being subjected to values and morals unlike any other president we have ever had. Whether it be irrational tweets or simply ignorant public speeches, Trump’s actions incite aggressive, narrow-minded opinions that greatly affect marginalized groups. Additionally, the policies and laws Trump has enacted further promote this attitude of, in blatant terms, white supremacy. White supremacy, in this set of conditions, refers to the favoring of dominant racial, social, and economic groups within society (read: white) over groups that have less power and dominance. People of color and people of minority groups are not being listened to and their priorities are being “othered”-–-further alienating them from society. It is clear to see, through Trump’s policies, that he’s othering many groups of people who are of color and of minority groups.

1. The Muslim Ban: On January 27, 2017, Trump signed an Executive Order that banned foreign nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries from visiting the country for 90 days, suspended entry to the country of all Syrian refugeesindefinitely, and prohibited any other refugees from coming into the country for 120 days. This ban effectively shut out all people from these countries, and as stated above, these are majority Muslim countries. The administration feels as if these people are a threat to the United States, simply because of false claims citing their origins/ beliefs in terrorism and other forms of violence. The Muslim Ban is discriminating against an entire religion because of the actions of a small, niche group. A policy like this can only ignite fierce hatred in the hearts of Americans who follow and support Trump. This further damages the relationship between white Americans and Muslims that are already within the United States and puts them in a place of marginalization and fear.

2. The Order on Immigration: On January 25th, 2017, Trump signed an Executive Order that gave deportation authorities more power in deciding who they can arrest or deport. The order prioritizes those who are considered “criminal.” Criminal is

defined as anyone who has been charged with a criminal offense, despite having not been convicted, anyone who is believed to “have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense”, meaning the authorities believe they have broken any law even if they have not been charged. The order also allows the targeting of anyone who, believed solely by the immigration officer, poses a risk to national security or public safety. This expansion of power gives immigration authorities the right to do as they please without repercussions, and target individuals mainly of Mexican descent who are seen as a “threat.” The language of the order puts in a place of racial discrimination, as those who are seen as criminal is loosely defined. The discussion is centered around the US- Mexican border, and targets Mexican immigrants. This order further marginalizes and incites aggressive beliefs towards Mexicans because of the power it gives immigration authorities and the scope it gives the American people to see all Mexicans as threats or as criminal. The executive order allows arrests without real probable cause; ICE can arrest solely on their own judgement, which is likely skewed because of Trump.

3. The Bathroom Debate: In February of 2017, Trump rolled back protections for transgender students that had allowed them to use the bathroom that corresponded to their gender identity. This rejected the Obama administration’s policies that nondiscrimination laws require schools to allow transgender students to utilize the bathroom of their choice. That directive, as stated by the Trump cohort, did not properly take into account the “primary role of the states and local school districts in establishing educational policy.” The rights of transgender students are often overlooked and cast aside. The tumultuous way in which society handles the treatment of transgender people is only further instigated by policies like this one. Yes, maybe it isn’t a federal power to enforce bathroom usage within schools. But it’s within the federal government’s power to protect all Americans and their rights to live. By rolling back this directive, the Trump administration is basically saying transgenders don’t deserve protection and their safety is unimportant. This is extremely harmful to transgender people and puts them in a place of vulnerability. It also inspires a belief that transgender people are not “human,” they are “alien” and do not need to be treated as fair and equal.

These are only a handful of the damaging and divisive policies that Trump has enacted and will continue to put into place. We must, as members of the generation that are seen as future changemakers, understand and fight against policies like this; that put marginalized groups of people further into the category of “other.” The time is now and Trump’s first term is almost up.

By Sam Gibbs