For generations, the United States has been considered the country of freedom, a place where anyone can achieve their dreams and live freely. Throughout our lifetime, America has seemingly lived up to that moral: Freedom and justice for all.
In 2016, some say our lives were amazing. We had incredible music, movies, popular trends, and amazing sports highlights. However, one of the most controversial things to happen in that year was Donald Trump’s Presidential election, which he won against Hillary Clinton. At this time, not many Americans knew of his intentions, but as time went on, people began to open their eyes and realize what his true goals were. As time progressed, he has said and done a variety of things that seemingly do not benefit the health and financial welfare of our country, and yet we’re still oblivious to what’s actually happening.
Communities across the country and the world were affected by Trump’s presidency with positive and negative consequences, ranging from money cuts to programs supporting minority-owned businesses, rescinding protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in areas like healthcare, education, and housing, which could lead to discrimination and reduced access to services. The state of the communities after these consequences weren’t left the same, but they were only left with confusion and distraught.
Along with negatives, there were certain attractive policies mentioned about him that most people would doubt are even a quality he has. The list includes: Deregulation which stims from reducing government regulations, which his team argued that it stimulated economic growth and job creation by freeing businesses from burdensome rules. Another positive thing that critics noticed was his action of Tax Cuts. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was a major piece of legislation passed under Trump’s administration, which significantly lowered corporate and individual income tax rates. Supporters of him believed that these changes lead to more favorable trade terms for the United States and protected domestic industries.
He has also given opportunities for new jobs to be created, with the stats showing that there were nearly 6 million jobs added in the US economy. Unemployment rates reached historic lows, including record-low unemployment for African American and Hispanic communities. On the foreign policy side, the United States brokered agreements normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. These accords aimed to promote peace and stability in the Middle East. Trump was also the first American president to meet with the North Korean president, engaging in direct talks aimed at denuclearization, though no concrete agreements were reached.
Under all of these positives, people exclaim that Trump´s presidency has been at an all time low in recent months. Starting from March, the administration expanded its use of immigration enforcement to target foreign nationals, particularly students, researchers, and legal residents–some for accused of engaging in, or merely being adjacent to pro-Palestinian activism, some without any explanation at all. While the administration cites national security and antisemitism concerns, many of those detained or threatened with deportation have not been accused of any criminal behavior. The crackdown appears designed to chill speech and dissent on college campuses.
Along with that, the administration launched a campaign of executive actions and public threats aimed at elite academic institutions–including Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania–accusing them of harboring antisemitism and promoting ¨anti-American¨ values. These actions include executive order on campus accountability, DOJ investigations and IRS threats, and public smear campaigns. With every past president that was in office before Trump, there were definite negative and positive qualities that they had, however with Trump and his current presidency, evidence in his actions show that maybe he carries a little more negative than positive qualities.
America, the land of the free, home of the brave. What meaning does that phrase hold once the country crumbles? The current state of our country continues to fall apart, and situations will only become more dire if no one steps up.
