As Cal State LA students return to campus, many face a new reality after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the United States’ 47th president.
After months of verbally attacking his political opponents and making sizable promises, Trump’s Inauguration Day speech exercised a similar tone. He continued criticizing the Biden administration and flaunted lofty ambitions under the guise of restoring the country’s greatness, positioning himself as the great unifier.
“The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world,” Trump said in his speech. “We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer.”
However, in the eyes of many, after having witnessed the calamity and chaos of Trump’s first administration, the promise of bringing a new American golden age feels more like a facade.
For Cal State LA political science professor Martin Adamian, the incoming Trump administration has not shown any signs of progressing the nation.
“I don’t at all think that this is any sort of golden age. I think this is a dark period in our history,” Adamian said. “He doesn’t need ideas, he doesn’t need policies, he doesn’t need any concrete way of doing it. He just needs to make these sorts of claims.”
Cal State LA political science major Alexander Wagner served four years in the United States Marine Corps, and couldn’t help but reflect on Trump’s last days in office in 2021 during the Jan. 6 Capitol Riots.
“I was watching people climb up the steps of the U.S. Capitol, busting down windows, and assaulting the officers who were holding the line,” Wagner said. “I couldn’t help but feel like everything I did four and a half years prior had been for nothing.”
One of Trump’s first executive orders was to issue pardons to over 1,500 people charged for their involvement in the riots. Some of those pardoned included the leaders of far-right extremist groups, notably the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. Others pardoned were involved in assaulting police officers, who tried to stop the rioters from entering the Capitol.
This comes after Trump’s inauguration speech, where he announced he would not only rebalance the scales of justice but also end what he claims to be an unfair weaponization of the Justice Department.
Throughout his first days in office, Trump continued to sign executive orders, including one challenging and reinterpreting birthright citizenship in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. The order has already brought challenges from four states, including Arizona, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington, who requested a temporary restraining order against the order. This request was granted by Senior U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour, who called the order “blatantly unconstitutional.”
“This obscure sort of theory, that it still can be used and interpreted in the way he suggests, is just that. It’s just a theory. It’s been refuted by case law and experts in the area,” said Adamian. “My guess would be that it will end up in the Supreme Court, several of these efforts, and they will be reversed. They’ll be found unconstitutional.”
In other executive orders, President Trump dealt blows to refugees seeking to come to the United States. This includes suspending the refugee resettlement program, meant to bring refugees in danger of war and or persecution to the U.S. According to the Associated Press, there are refugees stranded worldwide who sought passage to the U.S., including over 1,600 Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the war in Afghanistan.
President Trump continued to zero in on immigration as he sent 1,500 troops to the southern border and revoked restrictions barring the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from arresting people in sensitive areas. These areas include places of worship, schools, hospitals, funerals, weddings, and public demonstrations. In response, some schools have given their students cards with information explaining their constitutional rights, specifically their Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights.
Political science major Gabriel Ramirez spoke about the consequences of Trump’s war on immigration.
“It’s really a slap to the face because immigrants bring the economy to the table, they contribute,” said Ramirez. “He’s doing this as right-wing propaganda that he promised. He is going to deliver, but it’s going to backfire.”
Further endangering migrants, expedited removal was also broadened and meant to allow the government to deport migrants without documents, who also fail to provide a reason for asylum, and bypass the lengthy process of going through immigration court.
Other significant actions include removing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization (WHO). The Paris Climate Agreement and WHO are built up of over a hundred countries focused on combating climate change and sharing data and treatments during health emergencies worldwide. According to officials, the withdrawal from both is expected to impact the U.S. by taking away their voice at the table, leading to a shift in leadership from other countries filling the hole.
Wagner said he worries about the future and feels that “trampling on the rights of people in order to push yourself up” should not be the model of leadership in the U.S.
“The presidency is supposed to be about lifting the American people up,” Wagner said. “That includes people who want to become American, or who want to come here for a better life.”
This article was first published in the January 29 print edition of the University Times.
