Jan 20. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The world watched on as the 47th presidential inauguration took place for Donald Trump for the second time. The crowd cheered enthusiastically as the president pledged that the country would begin its ‘golden age’.
With no deliberation over crowd sizes, the chilly temperatures prompted a 1,300 person limit with a notable seating chart of Trump’s immediate family followed by the world’s richest men sitting behind. The second row included: Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pinchai, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos.
The richest people in the world—rather in history, embraced the president which they were once wary of.
“The golden age of America begins right now,” Trump addressed the crowd from an indoor ceremony as protestors gathered outside, “from this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world,” later adding, “we will be the envy of every nation and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer.”
As Trump addressed the room making promises, the symbolism of his words hung in the air. A golden age for whom? The wealthiest men in human history or that of the protestors outside who mark a widening divide between promise and reality?
For those not in the room—women, workers, immigrants, marginalized communities—the promises of respect and global envy ring hollow. They are drowned out by the basis of policies that have historically prioritized profit over the people. This writer could not help but hear the growing divide in the applause of those inside.
The issue of wealth inequality plagues much of the working class in the country, a stark divergence from the attendees in the room, whose combined wealth could single-handedly address multiple crises that the nation faces. Yet, instead of focusing on systemic solutions to real-world problems, the President promised prosperity through a national resurgence, through the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, to the signing of executive orders that targeted immigration, climate change control, and the end of birthright citizenship (a right which is written in the Constitution).
The growing disconnect between leadership and the people they are elected to serve is also widening, and the promises of a “golden age” appeal to rhetoric that is nationalistic and exclusionary, signaling that prosperity is only meant for a select few. As history shows, “golden ages” tend to shine brightest for those who are already experiencing them. To understand these implications, one must examine the echoes of fascism and the threats of oligarchy that lie underneath. These are not overt declarations, but they are subtle, rooted in rhetoric and policy which sends a message of control and dominance over “external threats” and the “other”. Whether these threats are real or imagined, there are many who rally behind them, and dissenters are labeled as unpatriotic.
Beneath this surface of the ideal patriot lies the hallmark of creeping fascism—the appeal to nationalism which by design aims to divide through unity, and dominance over external threats ie. the immigrant, the dissenter, and the global institution. The renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America is more than a symbolic gesture, rather it is a shift in the narrative that assumes ownership and ignores history much like that of the move to end birthright citizenship. By rewriting what it means to belong, these policies begin to undermine the foundations of democracy and put human rights under threat by telling the world that inclusion is a privilege.
The second, quieter echo of fascism is oligarchy, and the alliance between concentrated wealth and the government which former President Joe Biden warned of during one of his last speeches as president.
Recognizing the patterns—the warning signs—and staying vigilant for women, workers, immigrants, transgender people, and the myriad of those whose rights are in question, this Her Campus Author cannot stress enough the importance of staying aware. The political landscape has been shifting, not only in our country but globally. A golden age for the few is a dark age for many. We have to stay united and alert while we recognize and face the challenges ahead. As a people, we must resist together and defend democracy, champion equality, and fight for the human rights of those who do not face the privilege of a golden age.