It's all alarming, but here are three of the most telling actions that have come from the Trump Administration
Alt Text: It's all going to hell
As Americans, the country we live in today feels different than the one we lived in until January 20, 2025. From the moment Donald Trump was sworn into the presidency for the second time in eight years, he brought clarity to his initial battle cry of "Drain the Swamp!" (He borrowed this from Hitler's 1932 battle cry of draining "den parlamentarischen Sumpf," the parliamentary swamp.)
Draining the swamp means overturning every system that has made our government run in modern times, including the Department of Education, USAID, and a slew of other departments integral to the running of the country. It also means handing over the reins of America to oligarchs like Elon Musk, who is very good at business (meaning, very good at filling his own coffers at the expense of the archetypal working man—not the attitude one would want from a high-level government official). It also means, according to Trump's latest actions, buddying up the federal government with Christianity, enacting his followers' dreams of a federally-supported Christian Nationalist movement.
After only a few minutes of reading the news, my heart rate is high, and I can feel my blood pressure rising. This is not good for my pregnancy. But it feels too important to look away because it's by looking away that democracy falls. Take it from me, the daughter of Cuban immigrants, who saw their country collapse in only a few years. Of course, just like the collapse of any country, it was preceded by decades of political unrest, economic turmoil, and unbridled capitalism serving to enrich the already rich and exploit the public (which America's involvement in Cuba helped spur forward). Unfortunately, we can draw parallels to our current state in this country, with some calling the United States a country in crisis.
It all makes my head spin. Yours too, probably. The media is in a frenzy, with so much change coming out of the White House that they don't know what to focus on and oftentimes seem to miss the mark. Of all the bad news I've consumed—I could have just said "news," but it all feels terrible right now—here are three of Trump's most telling actions.
Cancelling all passport applications seeking to change the applicant's sex marker or requesting an "X" sex marker
In general, Trump's war against the transgender community shocked me. I'm ashamed to say this because should I be shocked by anything Trump does? But yes, it surprised me, and I'm most surprised by how little coverage this has received.
On his first day in office, Donald Trump ordered the State Department to stop processing all passport applications that either sought to change the applicant's sex marker or requested a passport with an "X" sex marker. It is unheard of for a citizen to be denied a passport based on an executive order (in this case, the official term being used is “suspending” applications, not denying). Typically, passport denials are reserved for legal matters, such as warrants for arrest or requests for extradition. In high-level situations, even then, the legal department seeking the denial must submit a request.
Transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people deserve human dignity. Even if you disagree with transgender ideology, your personal disagreement with someone else's choice cannot be the basis for an executive order denying that person the full rights allowed to every citizen in good standing. By denying passports, the government is bunching transgender/nonbinary/intersex people with those charged with the worst crimes, such as sex trafficking.
Trump's move to codify gender—or "sex," as his order states that gender should not be used in federal documents—is a blatant mixing of Christian ideology and federal affairs. I'm sounding the alarm here; it's a slippery slope once we allow religion to dictate our laws.
The executive order is titled "Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government." The term biological truth is dystopian, and the fact that the EO refers to a person's sex as being defined at conception aligns Trump with his pro-life followers, an alignment that goes against his campaign promises of not being "anti-abortion" and simply returning rights to the states.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Zoom out. The ending of DEI policies, the war on immigrants, the nationalistic moves such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico—the current administration is setting the stage to raise a nationalistic government where prejudice is rampant. Trump’s war isn’t only with immigrants, or with transgender/nonbinary/intersex individuals, it’s with anyone who doesn’t fit his mold of American. This is a dangerous place to take the country, where simply being other is cause for penalty.
DOGE's unprecedented access to, well, everything
No one elected Elon Musk, nor was he vetted by Congress. Additionally, the Department of Government Efficiency is on dubious legal grounds, as departments have to be voted in by Congress.
It's crucial to call this out because we have an unelected, unvetted person combing through our country's most sensitive information, sending emails to federal employees asking them to quit, then harassing them when they don't, and generally engaging in what some are considering a coup.
The goal, apparently, is to cut costs and make the government run as efficiently as a business. Except the government is inefficient for a reason. Checks, double checks, pesky balances—these are the pillars that keep democracy democratic. They keep oligarchs from taking over our most important systems, thus protecting the will of the people.
Business, in contrast, is made to run efficiently so that the few at the top can continue to inflate their wealth at the expense of their employees. If the employees feel like they're being fairly compensated, it all works out, but the goal remains the same—we'll pay you as little as we can get away with so you can do the work that makes us rich.
That is not who we want stripping our federal government of all the agencies, departments, and systems that keep it running, albeit at a glacial pace. The fact that I just heard a well-known reality TV personality and social media influencer say during a podcast that he is "excited" about DOGE and what Musk is doing is alarming. But it's not surprising, considering that the person in question is a cis-gender white male, Christian, and wealthy—precisely the person who benefits under Trump.
WHY THIS MATTERS
As soon as we allow the president—currently a self-interested billionaire—to unilaterally offer parts our government to his closest buds, we begin to walk the path to an oligarchy, a form of government that basically runs like a business, benefitting the few at the top at the expense of everyone else.
Trump's creation of the White House Faith Office and the task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias
This one really shook me. Because I'm an optimist! And though I knew that Christian Supremacy was a significant force behind Donald Trump, I didn't want to believe it would be given power in such a direct way.
But here we are, with the White House Faith Office, which will be led by none other than televangelist and heavily connected to the New Apostolic Reformation reverend Paula White. (The New Apostolic Reformation church is a Christian nationalist movement that calls for the levers of government and society to come under Christian control.)
Meanwhile, the task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias will be chaired by the Attorney General.
The executive order aims to "protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the anti-Christian weaponization of government." In this case, religious freedom seems to extend to Christians, but maybe not to the myriad other faith traditions that represent the American people.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Aside from the blatant mixing of religion and government—which promises to end badly—the NAR is a dangerous Christian sect. They are violent and they want power. Trump is dancing with the devil, and in this case we’re the ones who pay the price.
Honorable Mention: The EO Ending Radical Indoctrination in Schools
Most concerning here is section 4, aimed at promoting patriotic education. If you're at all familiar with authoritarian governments, which, as the daughter of Cuban immigrants, I have a personal familiarity with, you know that school indoctrination is key to maintaining the power structure. While in Cuba, my dad was made to wear a bandana in school to show his support of the communist party and repeat phrases and slogans that indoctrinated him into Fidel Castro's brand of communism.
As I read this EO, a personal anecdote came to mind: I worked in a hospital as an executive assistant a few years ago. The CEO who hired me was a wonderful woman, committed to the success of her hospital and the mission of that facility in the community. I frequently spoke and speak highly of her. A couple years into my time in administration, she was forcibly moved into retirement so that a younger CEO, more in line with the hospital network's ideology, could step in. He was a terrible leader. I suffered about two years under his leadership, mostly because he offered me a $4 pay raise, and yes, I am not above a well-timed bribe. When I finally quit to take my freelancing full-time, he cornered me and asked me essentially why. This lead to a long conversation, where I didn’t hold back my punches, but the heart of the matter came to light towards the end.
"You always told everyone to ‘manage you up,” I told him. “When the previous CEO was working here, she never had to tell us to manage her up, we just did it. If you have to instruct people to speak highly of you, there's probably not much to manage up."
If the United States instructs its educational institutions to inspire patriotism within its populace, one has to ask whether patriotism is even warranted.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Indoctrination is a cornerstone of any authoritarian regime, and it starts in the schools.
What I’m reading lately:
Garrett’s overview of the Super Bowl is funny and insightful. There’s a lot to love and hate about America’s favorite sporting event.
The Covenant of Water was such a delightful read! It’s an epic family tale that gives readers insight into India in the 20th century, as well as the bonds that keep family united.
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