As we are all painfully aware of at this point, Donald Trump is currently the President of the United States. His presidency has been tarnished by scandal after scandal, and poor decision after poor decision. These are the worst of the worst disasters of Donald Trump’s presidency:
1. Ending DACA
Trump controversially cancelled the DACA program, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This program, created by Obama, allowed undocumented immigrants who came to America as children the chance to remain in this country to study and work. Now, seven hundred thousand Dreamers are going to be forced from their homes, after trusting the federal government with their personal information and being assured it wouldn’t be used against them. This is one of Trump’s cruelest actions yet, as the sheer amount of human suffering this will cause in the near future is astounding. The Dreamers have a six month window before the program is officially ended, after which they will be torn from everything they’ve ever known.
2. Pulling America out of the Paris Agreement
This decision was one Trump made early into his presidency, and it still fills so many people who opposed it with dread. Trump pulled America out of the Paris Agreement, a revolutionary agreement between nearly every country in the world stating that we would all work together to help fight climate change. The United States joins Nicaragua, who believes the accords were not tough enough, and Syria, who is occupied with a civil war, as the only countries not on board. The impact of America pulling out could have seriously lessened the agreement as a whole, but luckily other countries still continue to show support despite Trump’s ignorance. This action really just shows how little Trump cares about other countries, and our environment.
3. Firing James Comey (and the Russia Scandal in general)
Nobody is arguing that Comey was a saint, especially after his damaging reopening of the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation a week before the election. However, Comey was a respectable and decent FBI agent, and he was taking the Russia investigation seriously. Too seriously for Trump’s liking apparently. Trump firing Comey shows his disregard for the law, as people were even calling for his impeachment after this brash action. More and more information is surfacing about Trump’s collusion with Russia during the election, and at this point we can only pray that the final nail in his coffin is delivered soon.
4. Attempting to Repeal Obamacare… Many Times
This is one of the biggest fails of the Trump Administration by far, because even with a Republican controlled House and Senate, they still can’t seem to get anything passed in terms of health care. Maybe, just maybe, it’s because the horrible plans proposed by Republicans so far would have caused millions and millions of people to lose their health insurance, and would likely have allowed insurance agencies to stop covering pre-existing conditions. These bills, at their core, have not been about making our healthcare better, but rather about a petty desire to remove Obamacare at any means necessary. It’s childish, really, and it’s only going to hurt American citizens.
5. Threatening War with North Korea
Nothing is more classically Donald Trump than a twitter rant, especially one that inserts Trump’s foot directly into his mouth. Trump is threatening nuclear war with the leader of North Korea, calling him “Rocket Man” among other negative things. Maybe Trump just doesn’t understand what a nuclear war would mean for America, but it is truly nothing to joke about or take lightly. Trump is toying with the safety of our country here, and with arguably the most unstable nation and leader on the planet. His speech is dangerous, his actions are idiotic, and this is truly a low-point for Trump.
6. Attacking and Demonizing the Press
Perhaps the most corrosive thing Trump has done thus far is his rhetoric surrounding the press and journalists in this country. Every week a new reporter or network earns his wrath, and even though “Fake News” is thought of as a funny joke by some people, it is truly harmful to our democracy. Every negative story that comes out about Trump can now easily be dismissed as fake or fabricated, and that’s seriously dangerous. Trump could do anything he wanted if left unchecked, and that is why Americans need to trust their news outlets. The press works for the people, not the President, and Donald Trump needs to keep his toxic rhetoric in check.
7. The Muslim Ban
The controversy surrounding the Muslim Ban feels like years ago, mostly because a month in the Trump administration feels astronomically longer than those calm months under Obama. We all knew Trump was inherently racist, but this action took that hatred and racism to new levels. To ban an entire region of people from entering the country is unconstitutional, and frankly just immoral. If you ever want to know the character of Donald Trump, look no further. This action of his speaks volumes.
8. Rolling Back Birth Control Protections
Ignorance is bliss, as they say, and if that’s the case Trump must be a very blissful person. In his most recent despicable act, Trump’s administration rolled back a requirement that said employers must cover birth control in their health insurance plans. This was supposedly done for religious freedom reasons, yet the administration fails to understand how absolutely essential birth control can be to some women, and how expensive it is without insurance. Birth control can help with regulating hormones, acne, cramps, preventing endometrial and ovarian cancers, and anemia. That’s not even the whole list of benefits. The War against Women is in full swing thanks to Trump, and it’s starting to seriously affect our rights.
9. His Treatment of Puerto Rico
After a tragedy, America is supposed to look to our president for guidance and support. Sadly that hasn’t been the case with Trump, who has openly attacked the mayor of San Juan (a BU alum) by calling her a weak leader and other negative things. This woman has waded waist deep in flood waters to find people trapped in their homes, and yet she is somehow an ineffective leader. Trump has also complained about Puerto Rico relief efforts hurting the federal budget, as if they were some extra burden on the United States and not actually part of our country. His lack of willingness and desire to help Puerto Rico is truly horrifying, and it speaks volumes.