Trumped: Volume II
by Caleb McCullough | Class of 2018
“But perhaps President-elect Trump...will bring a new era to American politics, where anti-establishment is the new normal and the modern establishment fades away.” I made this remark with reluctant optimism in the December 2016 issue of the Pirate Press, as the world was coming to terms with the fact that the New York business tycoon/reality TV star would soon occupy the most powerful position in the country. I was desperately hoping for a silver lining to the situation. Nine months later, President Trump has fallen short of even the most pessimistic predictions.
I put off writing a piece attacking Trump last year. It seemed like low-hanging fruit. But the more I read and learn about The president and his administration, the more I realize how serious this is. This is not “fake news.”
Trump's offense list is long: Shady Russian conspiracies, using Twitter as his personal therapist, crippling the EPA, rampant and unashamed nepotism, going back on nearly all his campaign promises, firing the FBI director during an investigation into his foreign involvements. His whole presidency has been a rat race of cleaning up scandal after scandal.
And just recently, Trump showed he has no consideration for law or due process when it comes to immigration, by pardoning Joe Arpaio, the Arizona Sheriff who faced criminal charges after he kept detainees in dangerously hot “tent jails”, fed them rotten
fruit and moldy bread, and practiced systematic racial profiling. Arpaio also happened to be an early supporter of President Trump.
Condemning Arpaio's actions should be a nonpartisan issue. In fact, most Republicans spoke out against the president for this decision. But Trump is not most Republicans. He has shown over and over that he holds his own irrational ideology and loyalty high above what is legal and what is
right.
Trump has lost the support of his cabinet, which is evident in his prolific firing of key cabinet members. He’s lost the support of his republican congress. Arizona Senator John McCain has bluntly said that congress doesn’t work for him. The majority of Americans seem to have written him off as a joke.
We need to face the facts. The anti-establishment experiment failed. It turns out, someone who has no experience in politics or law should not be a politician. Eight months ago I was waiting for the future with nervous anticipation. Now I know what to expect.
I expect a presidency governed by self-interest. I expect a presidency where not waking up to another scandal would be the real scandal. Nothing good can come of this presidency, and I’m not saying that lightly. The sooner it’s over, the better.