Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Green and Gray or Berkshire School.
In the weeks since President Donald J. Trump has taken office, the United States has seen change unlike any other time in its history. Trump has issued at least 73 Executive Orders in less than five weeks, spanning various concerns and grievances. Some actions include renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” changing Mount Denali to “Mount McKinley,” and planning to purchase Panama, Greenland, and Canada. These declarations represent just a fraction of the true chaos that is slowly but surely tearing apart our democracy as we know it. Foundational values that were once thought sacred are ceasing to exist, with a Commander-in-Chief who refuses to consider, choosing instead to control. To quote former President Joe Biden, the 2024 election was a battle for the soul of our nation. It remains to be seen whether our nation can withstand the consequences of our choices.
Our country is at an inflection point – that is undeniable. Once again, we are seeing the power of naming a scapegoat to blame for the pains of a country and its people; the scapegoats this time are transgender individuals, undocumented immigrants, and especially, efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. In writing about the outcry around Critical Race Theory for The Green and Gray in my freshman year, I concluded that there was nothing unremarkable about Critical Race Theory – it was simply history, just a history that some people feel does not fit their narrative. When President Trump took office, it became clear that his new favorite scapegoat is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, blaming it for everything – even going so far as to blame the tragic mid-air collision that occurred in Washington D.C. In less than 24 hours after the crash, Trump asserted that those in the control tower were unqualified and placed in those positions due to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, all while bodies were still being recovered from the Potomac River. It is an embarrassment to the office of the Presidency that a leader would blame Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts without having received any information from preliminary investigations to back up that assertion. Pursuing a political agenda at a time of mourning when families of those lost have not yet arrived at the scene or fully grasped the scope of an accident is heartless and inhuman.
This pattern of politics before people is equally evident in Trump’s attacks on the transgender community. Due to one of President Trump’s executive orders, federal funding can be withheld from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care. These measures have led to appointments being canceled across the country, even in liberal-leaning states like New York. As an example, NYU Langone Health stopped treatment for gender-affirming care for two minors who had been receiving treatment. It is a cruel continuation of anti-trans actions by President Trump, who, when in office in 2017, effectively banned transgender people from serving in the United States Military, further shrinking the pool of recruits in a military that is continually struggling to recruit new members. President Trump continued the anti-trans actions last week by signing an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in sports —a ban that is futile as out of over 500,000 student-athletes attending NCAA schools, fewer than 10 are transgender.
Instead of focusing on the pressing issues facing the American public, like inflation, price gouging, the cost of eggs, and more, President Trump is hellbent on advancing a political agenda that endangers Americans who are not part of the top 1%. His obsession with wealth has resulted in the establishment of an oligarchy in the United States, as seen at then-President-elect Trump’s inauguration. The CEOs of Meta, Amazon, Alphabet (the parent company of Google), OpenAI, and Apple sat on the dais, receiving front-row seats to the dismantling of democracy and the reenabling of rampant exploitation in the name of capitalism. Alarmingly, the biggest billionaire of them all—Elon Musk—who raised his arm in what appeared to be a salute eerily similar to that used in Nazi Germany—now has his hands on the treasury data of all Americans, disallowing Democratic Congresspeople from entering the Treasury, and cutting funding in the name of the “Department of Government Efficiency.” Musk spent $290 million on electing Trump to office, a move made to further benefit his wealth and businesses. Since the 2024 election, Musk’s net worth has increased by at least $154 billion, raising questions about his access to government contracts and tax exemptions that can continue to expand his wealth. It has never been more clear that our government and institutions are for sale to the highest bidder.
The results of Musk’s contributions are being seen through the firing of any person(s) who were involved with investigating any of Musk’s companies, and the ending of investigations on the federal level into his companies. One of Musk’s largest contributions—the pause in federal funding—has now been deemed illegal by various federal judges, however, the fallout is tangible. Research for childhood cancer was paused, with hospitals also unsure of whether to provide lifesaving care to patients as Medicare and Medicaid portals went offline. The pause also claimed its first victims, with a 71-year-old patient receiving care in a USAID hospital being taken off of a life-saving oxygen supply. It is now clear, thanks to the newly released House Republican budget plan, that the 4.5 billion dollar tax cut will be funded by sharply cutting funding for Medicare. Elon Musk was not elected to the position he is in now, nor did he have to endure a lengthy confirmation process. In essence, he is an unelected bureaucrat, the very thing he rails against and fires on a day-to-day basis. It is the cowardice and inaction by Congress to control this unelected bureaucrat and remove his access to sensitive information that is most disconcerting. A branch of government intended to protect and uphold the values of the United States Constitution is somehow unable to speak up and take action against clear violations of the ethical and moral codes that our government has operated with for nearly all of its existence.
As his term proceeds, it is clear that President Trump is operating out of anger and petulance. Instead of working with Mexico and Canada on strengthening border security and preventing the flow of illicit substances democratically, he threatens to levy major tariffs, which would undoubtedly cause Americans to pay higher prices for daily necessities. Instead of recognizing the value of the arts, he takes it upon himself to fire the entire executive board of the Kennedy Center—the premier performing arts center in Washington, D.C.—and installs himself as the new chair, all because the art being performed there does not fit nicely with his agenda. Instead of seeking to expand on the preexisting work to cultivate peace in the Middle East, Trump has threatened to pull aid for Egypt and Jordan if they do not accept the Palestinians he hopes to forcibly remove from Gaza. His proposal—one that many have deemed ethnic cleansing—is terrifying and delusional, suggesting that a homeland for hundreds of thousands of people becomes a “riviera,” just another real estate opportunity for him to develop. Even in Trump’s first term, his anger and petulance faced some opposition from the Republican Party. But now, with even the most unqualified nominees still expected to be confirmed to positions in Trump’s administration, that resistance and courage is nowhere to be found.
Ironically, one of the first executive orders that President Trump signed was titled “Ending The Weaponization Of The Federal Government,” which focuses on stopping federal agencies from operating in a way that could be interpreted as politically motivated. Nearly immediately after signing this order, the Trump Administration began requesting the names of FBI agents who worked on cases concerning the January 6th riots, as well as any Trump-related investigation. This list—one of many that has been compiled by federal agencies—has become a tool to find and fire federal employees who were involved in any sort of activity that could be seen as contrary to President Trump. It eerily evokes the era of McCarthyism, with accusations of Communism thrown around and lists being made, no mind given to the constitutional rights of those suspected to be subversive. This weaponization can also be used as incentivization, with the Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, now being accused of participating in a quid-pro-quo with the Trump administration. Adams, who has been indicted on bribery and campaign finance charges, immediately cozied up to the incoming Trump administration, hoping to strike a deal with Trump’s Justice Department. It seems to have worked, as the Justice Department ordered charges against Mayor Eric Adams to be dropped, resulting in the quitting of the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District as well as five officials with the federal public integrity unit. In return, Adams is allowing ICE agents to enter New York City, which has been designated as a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants. This blatant corruption and cronyism is something that is not unusual for the Trump administration but is baffling to see happen in broad daylight. For those not incentivized, retribution is the agenda for the Trump administration, punishing and destroying those who dare to show any hint of resistance.
Never before has an administration so clearly targeted perceived enemies and critics, flying directly in the face of the Constitution and the protections provided to all Americans. For instance, the Associated Press was recently refused entry to report a White House event due to their refusal to change the name in their reporting to “Gulf of America,” instead referring to it as the Gulf of Mexico, the name that is globally recognized. That press credentials and access can be revoked so easily is a direct violation of the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of the press. The Associated Press has now been banned from Air Force One and the Oval Office, a move that The White House Correspondents Association categorized as “outrageous and a deeply disappointing escalation of an already unacceptable situation,” with the White House “publicly [admitting] they are restricting access to events to punish a news outlet for not advancing the government’s preferred language.” Additionally, breaking with decades of precedent, the White House just announced they will handpick the media outlets allowed to join the presidential press pool – the small, rotating group of reporters who communicate the president’s day-to-day activities to the public. The change effectively allows the White House to choose which publications and journalists can see President Trump’s activities and, most importantly, ask him questions. If the Trump administration dislikes reporting done by an outlet or journalist, they now can simply remove that outlet’s access. Put simply, these actions are blatant attacks on the freedom of the press. They beg the question of whether there will be opportunities for publications to hold the current administration to account, or whether the United States, seen as a bastion of freedom, is devolving into a dictatorship.
Is all of this legal? The short answer is no, as district judges across the circuits have struck down or paused many of President Trump’s executive orders. One of the most notable—his attempt to end birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed in the 14th Amendment—has been paused or struck down by three federal judges, showing the blatant unconstitutionality of his actions. Scholars agree that the United States is in a Constitutional Crisis, as the power of the executive branch is being pushed and tested to its limits. When Vice President J.D. Vance tweets that “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” it raises questions about whether the Trump administration will abide by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Marbury v. Madison in 1803, which stated that courts have the power and authority to strike down laws and statutes they find violate the Constitution of the United States. There is no legitimate power that the executive could hold that would not be subject to judicial review, no matter what the Vice President tries to assert. When the President himself tweets, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” it does nothing to assuage the concerns of a transition to dictatorship. It is the disregard for the foundational principles and texts of the United States that is both horrifying and ironic, coming from the political party that views themselves as traditionalists, and abiding by exactly what is written in the constitution or legal decisions, not interpreting them to fit their agenda.
It is impossible to include all of what Trump’s second term means for the United States, no less the world. It is scary. It is emotional. And yet, as Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” We who fight against tyranny, against fear, against hate, are a brilliant collection of stars, ready to brighten up the world and protect the lives and rights of those we love the most, and even more so those we do not know. That is the American way – to protect the freedoms of your most hated enemy, so they too can live their life the way they intended. What makes America truly great is the differences that we embody, bringing cultures and people together in a place united by a common goal of success and freedom.
Editor’s Note: This piece (published here without cuts made in the print edition) is part of a two-article section comparing two students’ perspectives on what a second Trump administration means. You can read the other piece here.
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