We have now passed the mark of two dreadful months of President Donald Trump’s second term, which has provided the country with a level of pain and embarrassment that hasn’t been seen on the world stage in some time. This administration has given us moments that are laughably idiotic at their best and downright cruel and fascistic at their worst, and I have done my best to give my two cents as much as I possibly can. However, new things happen every day with this administration. It has not been easy to keep up with, and many happenings have fallen through the cracks that deserve mentioning. For this column, I’ve decided to discuss what I believe to be the five worst or most consequential things to happen thus far during Trump’s presidency that I have not touched much.
Ended federal union collective bargaining
Warming everyone up for the entries to come, I think it would be appropriate to start with one of the worst attacks on organized labor in our country since the Haymarket massacre. On the morning of Friday, March 28, Trump signed an executive order cancelling collective bargaining for a swath of federal employee unions. This is the first time in my recent memory that state-sanctioned union-busting has taken place so blatantly at this level. While this is likely to be challenged in court, labor unions should take this as a sign they will not be able to count on winning their labor struggles the traditional way, lest Trump steps in to save his rich buddies on Wall Street.
Erasure Of Black And Queer History
Presumably because they couldn’t think of anything better to do, in mid-February, the Trump administration ordered the removal of any mention of LGBTQ+ people, people of color and women from government websites, such as NASA and the Arlington National Cemetery pages. This includes, among many other things, an article highlighting the military service of Jackie Robinson, who famously broke the MLB’s color barrier. This is a small chapter in the administration’s broad war on diversity, but it bears mentioning to show how all-encompassing Trump’s attacks on DEI have been, even in terms of seemingly minuscule elements like one-page tributes on federal websites.
Greenland
One of Trump’s goals since taking office has been his seemingly unwavering dedication to annex Greenland, despite most of Greenland being against this plan of action. This lack of consent from the people of Greenland has done little to dissuade Trump, who has dug his heels in the sand and channeled his inner Veruca Salt from the film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” droning on and on about how we simply must have Greenland. Trump has also gone on record stating the U.S. having Greenland would make the whole world safe. Personally, I can’t really see how. This debacle would honestly be a lot funnier if it didn’t also have massive implications for U.S. alliances abroad. If a U.S. invasion of Greenland happens, which Trump has alluded to, it would essentially torch NATO’s alliance with the U.S. and any goodwill toward Europe.
“Terrific” Operations Security
In one of the most laughable moments from Trump’s presidency so far, top-secret government information was leaked to the public due to several officials not knowing how to use Signal. This chat, including people such as JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, Mike Waltz, Marco Rubio and a few other high-ranking officials, was used to discuss plans to bomb Yemen. What they didn’t realize, however, was that a reporter from The Atlantic had been included in the chat by mistake, and was witness to the top-secret discussion. These discussions were held in a manner that seemed as if they were part of a fraternity, planning their weekend blowout. The utter surrealism of Waltz using emojis to discuss a bombing campaign is without description. After the Trump administration denied the chats and questioned the legitimacy of the reporter, The Atlantic released the entire Signal conversation, which revealed that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was not included. This entire, embarrassing debacle can be summed up with one group chat text from Hegseth, the Fox News host masquerading as a military official, “100% OPSEC” (Operations Security).
Political Deportations
Finally, one of the most horrifying and cruel moments from this presidency is Trump’s weaponization of deportation to remove those who are actively working against the administration. Specifically, he has worked to deport students involved in pro-Palestine activism across the country. Most notably, the abduction of Mahmoud Khalil at the hands of ICE has grabbed the nation’s attention in an unprecedented attack on the student movement. Several abductions followed soon after, and almost all individuals have been waiting in jail without trial. All this comes as the Trump administration has been looking to strip due process in deportation cases, which would essentially allow the government to deport anyone as long as they’re accused of being an illegal immigrant.
While this is by no means a complete list of all the noteworthy actions from Trump and his administration, I hope it illustrates just how insane, cruel and seemingly stupid this administration has managed to be in just over two months.
