Since the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 46th president of the United States, controversies and protests all over the country and in most parts the world have marred his new administration. What does all this global mobilization mean for him?
This is the first time in U.S. history that a newly elected president sparks so much outrage and discontentment for his unpopular policies. Trump is fulfilling some of his presidential campaign promises. As a result, right after taking office, he passed several executive orders, including an immigration ban, which, in part, consists of building a wall alongside the Mexican border. The estimated cost for the wall is about $12 billion. How will it be paid for? The president claims that tax levied on imports will take care of the tab. Let’s keep our fingers crossed until we see it happen.
Next, the executive order that triggers the most outrage is the travel ban on nationals of seven Muslim countries from entering the United States for a certain period of time. The presidential order also includes the U.S. green card holders originated from those predominantly Muslim banned countries as well: Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Libya and Syria. Surprisingly, the presidential order exempts Syrian Christians from the ban because they've been victims of aggression and persecution in a primarily Muslim society. They should get priority over Syrian Muslims, Trump said.
“Numerous foreign-born individuals have been convicted or implicated in terrorism-related crimes since September 11, 2001,” the order states. “The United States must be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those approved for admission do not intend to harm Americans and that they have no ties to terrorism.”
President Trump's orders may have seemed un-American or unfair, but they please a good chunk of the electoral population who is eager for change in every aspect of life in the country. The provision of the executive orders is too bold and too panicking to immigrants who are not U.S citizens. To add some weight of credence to the whole thing, the fate of millions of undocumented immigrants who are living in the country under the shadow of the immigration should have been a part of the equation. The worst case scenario would be the refusal of reentry into the United States or the eventual deportation of refugees or immigrants who found themselves affected by Trump’s order in the course of their travel.
In reality, Trump’s policies should surprise no one. He is a president with a mission, a mission very different from that of his predecessors. During his presidential campaign, he foretold what’s wrong in the country and what he would do, if elected, to fix it. The political status quo, in his vision, is no longer the traditional way to go. Whether one likes it or not, Trump’s way is now the way for at least the next four years, not to say for the next eight years. Who knows? However, one simple admonition: he needs to soften his approach on things; but honestly, there is an unseen possibility that years from now those who disagree with him today will find some of his executive orders good for the country.
Are the executive orders based on racism? The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 banned all discrimination against immigrants on the basis of national origin. No one should rush to judgment by categorizing those presidential orders as discriminatory. In my opinion, they are not so. The president has good intentions, but his boldness in trying to solve difficult issues in the United States makes it look bad. The reality is that President Trump is overprotective of the interests of the United States and the American people. We must understand that. As a conservative Democrat and a freelance writer, I share some of Trump's concepts for America.
In retrospect, past terrorist acts in the United States and elsewhere have taught us sorrowful lessons. For example, September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States remain vivid in everyone’s mind. Then, the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya where the Ambassador Christopher and three other staff members died is still an ordeal to contend with. Consequently, Muslim fanatics are the ones who provoked the current travel ban. They believe in Suicide bombing and in all forms of killing as a cheap ticket to heaven. Let’s not forget ISIS and Al Qaeda, staunch enemies of the United States and the West. Therefore, Trump's policy is neither un-American, nor unfair; it’s rather the right policy. Doesn't a difficult situation always ask for difficult measures? Well, one only needs to learn to adjust and adapt to the trumpism.
After all, Trump confidently added: "It's working out very nicely. You see it at the airports, you see it all over."
