Enacting Change Without Trump
The first year and a half of Donald Trump’s presidency has been nothing short of chaotic. His administration has agitated relations between the media and politicians, leaders and their constituents, as well as the United States and the global community.
So, although it is hard to say, I believe that we should give up on our president.
An announcement on Wednesday claimed that not only will the DACA deal end, but that Trump also plans on sending the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexican border. Because Trump constantly talks and tweets about illegal immigrants from Mexico, he has largely ignored more urgent issues such as mass shootings that are occuring on a weekly basis. If Trump truly wants to “Make America Great Again” and put “America first,” he should face the problems that we need a solution for right here, right now. Many people have called on Donald Trump to step up and fulfill his duty as president, but so far we haven’t truly seen that happen. Though we may never be able to explain or understand why, Trump only seems to want to listen to himself. Yes, we always say that politicians are self-serving and don’t seriously listen to their people enough, but Trump does not even feel inclined to hear the opinions of his staff, where visible changes (even at the highest levels of the government) occur almost every week.
From his proposal of an unjust military ban on transgender people to the vocal belittling of African nations, Trump’s unorthodox mentality and unethical policies has led to instability throughout the nation between the classes and different types of social groups such as the LGBT and black communities.
So, although it is hard to say, I believe that we should give up on our president. After one and a half years of attempting to change how Trump works, we know that he will not change, which means we need to start changing how we personally operate.
At the end of the day, the people of America as a united force are stronger than a million Donald Trumps. Of course, the President is in a especially unique position to make legislation that can either benefit or damage the nation. Nonetheless, the American people have the power to make cultural changes that can have a more long-standing effect than laws that can be repealed with the next four to eight years.
Thus, instead of relying on Trump to do the work for us, we need to all take upon ourselves the fight against police brutality, gun violence, sexism and other social issues without placing any of our trust in Trump. He has not only proved that he is incapable of being an effective president, but he has shown our country that he lacks the maturity to adapt to the position and the world around him.
But what does this look like? The simple answer is that people need to practice what they preach. For example, gun owners need to distance themselves from gun violence not by merely claiming that they don’t advocate for the misuse of firearms, but by getting rid of their guns altogether. Environmentalists who oppose the use of greenhouse gases and animal agriculture should not be using gas-powered cars or eating meat themselves. Cultural change never happens as a result of just going to rallies and speeches; it occurs when the majority of society begins to change tits practices and people implement new values into their daily lives. This is no easy task, but it is one that we need to take on as Americans living with a useless leader.