The 2016 presidential election has been one for the books. With controversy left, right and center, Americans are found divided in values. The election season ended with only scandals and more confusion resulting in the candidates’ policies and plans being shielded by tabloid-like articles and headlines. Donald Trump, President Elect, now faces the issue of establishing credibility with his opposition and the issue of living up to the expectation from his supporters. As citizens of the United States, it is our duty not to allow the separation of the nation as a result of the idea of and loyalty to parties. It is our duty to inform ourselves about issues and respond with ideas to improve our nation. We should not forget we are the United States of America, not the States of America. To be a mechanism for change, you must understand what you want to change and why. The foundation of our nation’s core beliefs encourages us to be a voice. Whether you like Donald Trump or not is up to you, but in order to be a force of change, familiarize yourself with his agenda. Instead of breaking our nation apart, stand up for what you believe in and join the discussion to improve our nation. So, like previously stated, we need to foremost educate ourselves on the President Elect’s agenda. Here are some of his stances to controversial issues our country faces.
1. Social Issues
- Abortion - Donald Trump is pro-life, but does not believe in a blanket law. He believes we should prioritize the life of the child; however, the choice of the mother should be prioritized in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the health of either the mother or child. Trump told Bloomberg News in January 2011 that he believes abortion should be banned at some point in pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest or life of the mother.
- Gay Rights - Concerning same-sex marriage, Trump stated in January 2016 to Fox News, “I disagree with the Supreme Court from the standpoint they should have given the state -- it should be a states' rights issue.” In this discussion, he also stated that as president he would appoint Supreme Court judges that would agree with his stance surrounding same-sex marriage.
- Planned Parenthood - Trump does not believe it is the burden of the government to provide funds to Planned Parenthood or to any organizations that perform abortions. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise because he is pro-life. Overall, Trump has made statements saying it’s not an issue of the organization itself, he has an issue with the association with abortion. He previously stated, "Millions of women have been helped by Planned Parenthood. But we're not going to allow, and we're not going to fund, as long as you have the abortion going on at Planned Parenthood, and we understand that and I've said it loud and clear."
- Women's Rights - The infamous scandal leading up was the released video of Donald Trump and Billy Bush leaving their bus saying shrewd statements about women. In response to that, it is important to read about his stance on women’s rights to determine whether you think what he said was a slip or whether you think he is misogynistic. In terms of rape, he believes that marital rape should be classified and punished as severely as non-marital rape. This statement isn’t solely a woman’s right, but most cases of sexual violence deal with women. According to a statistic from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, “One in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives,” thus showing the pattern of these cases primarily affect women. Also, Trump believes that women should serve in combat roles though he's stated, “It’s a very tricky subject.”
2. Healthcare Issues
- Obamacare - Getting rid of Obamacare is one of Trump’s priorities. Trump stated on his website that if we “[follow] free market principles and [work] together," then we can "create sound public policy that will broaden healthcare access, make healthcare more affordable and improve the quality of the care available to all Americans.”
- Medicaid - Counter to the conservative stance, Trump believes in terms of funding Medicaid that the federal government should increase healthcare funding for these low-income individuals. While speaking on Dr. Oz, Trump stated, “We have to help them through the Medicaid system. People have said that’s not the right thing to say. But there is a fairly large percentage who can’t afford it.”
3. Economic Issues
- Gender Wage Gap - Trump believes “equal pay for equal work,” however, he has flip-flopped with the issue. To summarize his position, he essentially believes that there are other variables to consider when addressing wage such as education, experience and tenure.
- Minimum Wage - As far as minimum wage, Trump is in support of raising the federal minimum wage. During a press conference at his golf course in Doral, Florida, he stated, “I would like to raise it to at least $10.”
- Public Spending - Trump wants to make cuts to public spending to reduce the national debt. Without a cut on spending, he believes there will be a “big fat explosion” in the nation’s economy.
- Taxing Corporations - His corporation brings to question whether he believes in raising or lowing the tax rate for corporations. Trump believes that the government should lower the tax rate for corporations. On his website, he states, “Under my plan, no American company will pay more than 15 percent of their business income in taxes. Small businesses will benefit the most from this plan… am going to cut regulations massively. Our lower business tax will also end job-killing corporate inversions, and cause trillions in new dollars and wealth to come pouring into our country -- and into cities like Detroit. To help unleash this new job creation, we will allow businesses to immediately expense new business investments.”
4. Immigration Issues
- During his campaign, Trump emphasized his desire to build a wall. He wants to increase restrictions on the U.S.'s current border security and discourage illegal immigration. For instance, he believes that all illegal immigrants should be turned over to federal authorities and deported, children of illegal immigrants should not be granted legal citizenship and illegal immigrants should pay the same rate as out-of-state students at public colleges. He also wants to decrease the amount of temporary work visas given to immigrant workers because companies are taking advantage of this program to decrease wages.
5. Foreign Policy
- As terrorism is a threat to our nation, Trump wants to formally declare war on ISIS and send in ground troops. Consequently, he believes in increasing military spending. In terms of gaining intelligence about nations, he wants to fly drones over foreign countries and continue using NSA surveillance of our allies. In terms of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Trump supports Israel. He believes in sending back all Syrian refugees and not try to overthrow President Assad of Syria due to the threat of ISIS taking over. Trump, known friend of Vladmir Putin, also believes we should stay out of Russia conducting airstrikes in Syria and Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.
