On Monday, Jan. 20, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States. I didn’t watch.
News outlets have hailed Trump’s re-ascent to power as “unprecedented” and “historic.” I not only take issue with that word choice because I deem it incorrect – since Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th President – but I personally find such empowering word choice to be unfounded and inappropriate. Instead, I characterize President Trump’s return to power as “unfortunate,” “dreadful,” “abysmal” and any other vocabulary word that Merriam-Webster offers which conveys devastation and despair.
Trump referred to his inauguration day as “liberation day,” yet his first week in office has proven that his term will consist of everything but such an ideal. Instead of “liberation,” Trump constrained and unrecognized the identity of nonbinary and transgender people by signing an executive order declaring that the federal government only recognizes two genders. Similarly, Trump is eroding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs by placing federal DEI employees on leave (and thus giving me deja vu from Trump’s first term that was riddled with firings). The people who have been “liberated” thus far are domestic terrorists: those who attempted to subvert American democracy as January 6 insurrectionists have been pardoned.
Every time I check my phone, another bombshell from the Trump administration inhabits my lock screen. It is common for presidents to be active in their initiatives through the first 100 days of their term since approval ratings are typically at their highest upon inauguration. Yet, Trump’s actions have been disconcerting. Even though I personally love TikTok, I reject President Trump (and earlier, Biden) unilaterally ordering that he would not enforce the app’s ban. Such a refusal to cooperate with a federal law confirmed by the Supreme Court is eerily reminiscent of President Andrew Jackson; Jackson rejected the Supreme Court’s affirmation of Cherokee rights in Worcester v. Georgia. Jackson reportedly stated that “[Chief Justice] John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.” The legitimacy of the American government rests on the respect for each branch of government’s distinct roles, and I fear the precedent set by President Trump’s executive order regarding TikTok – and the attempt to defy the Constitution by attempting to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants – will erode such legitimacy.
Though I did not watch the inauguration, one image populated my timeline: that of Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerburg and Elon Musk, who had prime seating. Though the photo has been widespread on news outlets and social media alike, I cannot help but mention and be appalled by the utter symbolism in the tech giants of today – such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos – sitting in front of cabinet members, demonstrating where the real power in America lies.
I refused to watch what is supposedly the dawn of a new day in America, but in reality is a reversion of progress cloaked in the facade of a new beginning. Trump’s inauguration is not a beacon of hope for the future and cannot possibly be, as he already re-removed the United States from the Paris Agreement combating climate change. I refused to watch the celebration idolizing the cult of personality many Americans have fallen for.
Instead of watching the inauguration, I watched the valiant Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde who addressed President Trump and pleaded for him to “have mercy” on LGBTQ+ people and undocumented immigrants. According to AP News, Trump thought Reverend Budde was “nasty in tone,” but her appeal was, in actuality, uplifting and inspiring.
- CL