The American political tide over the past two years has proved that Trump's authoritarian streak is real enough. He has completely shattered political normality, from the moment he emerged as a presidential candidate. Ahead of the US mid-term elections in November, it's clear to see that the red hatted cult of Trump are still very much at large. But I wanted to take the opportunity to shine some light on my own opinions of the Trump administration and whether he has lived up to the bold promises he made in his election campaign.
Vulgar, brazen, petulant, impulsive - Trump has created a steady stream of controversies since he first took office. His agenda has demonstrated a shocking lack of humanity and his governing policy has relied on him pushing the boundaries as much as he can, until somebody stops him. From his crudely drawn and careless anti-immigration measures of the 'Muslim Travel Ban', to the 'Zero Tolerance Policy' which separated children from their parents upon entry into the United States; Trump has certainly made true of many of the dangerous and divisive promises he made in his election campaign. Trump may have fallen short of his promise of a ''big beautiful wall'' with Mexico, but that doesn't mean that his agenda to build one, or the dangerous sentiment behind it, hasn't changed.
Throughout his presidency, Trump has demonstrated that he is a gifted demagogue, with particular skill in exploiting racial fault lines. He has attempted to restrict legal immigration, denaturalise citizens and deport migrants. Not to mention, he has blatantly dismissed protests against racial violence, which demonstrates that white fear and rage will doubtlessly live on in the Trump era.
What has shocked me beyond measure about Trump's term in office so far, is how his infamous ''America First'' policy has so many echoes of notable crypto-fascist movements of the past. Since his inauguration, Trump's foreign policy has been hasty and reckless. From his petulant taunting of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (who could forget his infamous ''my button works!'' tweet) to his controversial declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, it could hardly be argued that Trump's enforcement of his foreign policies have been tempered with humility! By repealing the US from global regulations to address climate change for example, Trump has shown the world that he fully intends to 'Make America Great Again' by pursuing America's isolationism. And if the record-setting turnover rate in the Trump administration is anything to go by, Trump's fickle and flippant nature will transcend across all key areas of decision making.
Trump has pioneered the use of false and misleading statements since his election campaign, with a pace and a volume of false statements which are difficult to keep up with. He has repeatedly labelled illegal immigrants as criminal, despite how there is no statistical evidence to suggest that this is the case. Since his inauguration, Trump has developed a highly tumultuous relationship with the media, repeatedly describing it the 'enemy of the people' and the 'fake news media'. He has actively attempted to restrict a free press by blocking reporters from certain news stations from attending briefings in the past, culminating in the #EnemyofNone campaign in the US. The Trump era has represented a very unusual breach in the typical relationship between not only the press and the White House, but between the President and the people. His use of Twitter from his personal account has been highly unconventional for a President of the United States. He has used Twitter to jeer, threaten and intimidate political opponents as well as directly respond to stories about himself in the press.
When he has been at the centre of many personal and administrative controversies, including the ongoing FBI investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections, he has used Twitter to publicly attack federal judges involved in the court cases. In just August of this year, he openly slammed Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his ''rigged'' and ''biased'' investigations.
Trump's presidency has been disruptive and unlike anything we have ever seen before in White House history. I would suggest that he is jeered by the majority of American people, although his supporters still remain loyal and expectant of his promises to bring America more global respect. But since he took office, many other countries have actually been blunt in their lack of confidence in American leadership, based upon his antagonistic and reckless foreign policy, with the exception of perhaps Russia and Israel alone. His impulsivity and his tendency to act upon his gut instincts may work well in the cutthroat business world, but his woeful inexperience in international politics as well as the horrendous mismatch of his personal qualities hardly set him in good stead as the President of the United States.
It is my genuine belief that the US will welcome a new President by 2020. But in the meantime, it's a question of what more is Trump capable of and what are the, potentially irreversible, consequences of his impulsive actions upon the global political arena, which frightens me more than I can express.
When he has been at the centre of many personal and administrative controversies, including the ongoing FBI investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections, he has used Twitter to publicly attack federal judges involved in the court cases. In just August of this year, he openly slammed Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his ''rigged'' and ''biased'' investigations.
Trump's presidency has been disruptive and unlike anything we have ever seen before in White House history. I would suggest that he is jeered by the majority of American people, although his supporters still remain loyal and expectant of his promises to bring America more global respect. But since he took office, many other countries have actually been blunt in their lack of confidence in American leadership, based upon his antagonistic and reckless foreign policy, with the exception of perhaps Russia and Israel alone. His impulsivity and his tendency to act upon his gut instincts may work well in the cutthroat business world, but his woeful inexperience in international politics as well as the horrendous mismatch of his personal qualities hardly set him in good stead as the President of the United States.
It is my genuine belief that the US will welcome a new President by 2020. But in the meantime, it's a question of what more is Trump capable of and what are the, potentially irreversible, consequences of his impulsive actions upon the global political arena, which frightens me more than I can express.
Antonia x
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