Lot's Wife Edition 1 2017
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Trump: A Nation Divided<br />
article by nick jarrett<br />
illustration by hugh brooks<br />
edition one<br />
lot’s wife<br />
Whether republican or democrat, libertarian or green, the Presidential Inauguration typically marks<br />
a new era and the steady progression of a global superpower. With the divisive inauguration of Donald<br />
Trump, the air surrounding the American people can only be described as tense and anxious. President Trump’s<br />
first few days has sparked mass protest, anger and debate unlike any other seen within the opening fortnight<br />
of a presidency. Trump’s executive orders have increased moral confusion and chaos; they have relieved women<br />
of bodily autonomy, isolated religious minorities and immigrants and increased xenophobia and racism to<br />
unprecedented levels. However, there still remains Trump’s faithful base; supporters who refuse to see the moral<br />
wrong in his actions and wish to see further moves to continue this ultra-conservative pattern of governance.<br />
Simply put, Trump is literally dividing the country as he strives towards implementing his policies.<br />
Trump seems driven to undo all of the work completed by the Obama administration, as within a few days he<br />
overruled laws on abortion, shut down sites associated with environmental sustainability and signalled his intent<br />
to repeal Obamacare. In doing so, he is continuing the election cycle divide. A new presidency is supposed to unify<br />
the nation, and yet these moves seem to exhibit that Trump has no desire to compromise with the people who<br />
voted Hillary, but instead undo all of the work which they wanted to see expanded.<br />
No greater example of this tension can be seen than that of the state of California. Prior to the inauguration,<br />
the popularity of secession was at 20%. After two weeks, it has risen to 34%. The state is petitioning for signatures<br />
allowing for a state-wide vote on the secession in 2018, a move which is almost certain to succeed. California, which<br />
has both a larger population and a stronger economy than Australia, has literally been so divided from the United<br />
States, there is a legitimate move to separate from their country. Given that under Trump they will be paying more<br />
federal taxes than they receive in federal benefits, that they have a large multi-cultural population and that they<br />
have increasing doubts over Trump’s ability to govern effectively, the reasons for separation is evident.<br />
People from all corners of the country are standing up in opposition to Trump, particularly in the wake of his<br />
immigration ban. The Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAGs) highlighted numerous celebrities using their platform to<br />
lampoon Trump’s executive order, in a similar vein to the Golden Globes ceremony. However, despite the seeming<br />
obvious immorality and cruelty of some of the policies, Trump’s supporters have grown more ardent than ever.<br />
Agreeing with the hysterics of Sean Spicer’s first press conference as Press Secretary, there is a popular sentiment<br />
that Trump has been treated unfairly by the media, and that his policies are for the benefit of the ‘Real American.’<br />
In Southern states such as Arizona, Texas and New Mexico, radio stations are lauding Trump’s decisiveness even as<br />
the poverty-riddled cities of Mexico remain in sight just across the current fence-line. Nevermind that these people<br />
are a minority, they are vocal and persuasive.<br />
Refusing to focus on the racist immigration laws which they believe in but do not always vocalise; Trump’s<br />
followers focus on his ‘economic genius.’ Nevermind that he was voted into office to ‘drain the swamp’ and<br />
has since hired the Goldman-Sachs executives he condemned, or that more of his businesses have failed than<br />
succeeded, his commercial acumen is going to revitalise the country. Admittedly, Trump’s pressure on General<br />
Motors has led to their decision to invest $1billion into a new American factory – instead of the original Mexican<br />
alternative – and the subsequent 7,000 jobs that will result. However, his spectacular idea that America should<br />
tax all Mexican imports 20% to pay for ‘The Wall’ would also lead to major price inflations that would cause the<br />
poor of America – who Donald targeted in his campaign – to be priced out of ordinary goods. It is only a matter of<br />
time before even his most loyal supporters are either disenfranchised by his manoeuvres or left loyal through their<br />
support of his racist policies alone.<br />
What is escalating the divisiveness within the country, however, is the seeming lack of preparation that has<br />
characterised Trump’s administration thus far. The comparison between Barack Obama’s first agenda which<br />
consisted of over 25,000 words to Donald Trump’s 2,500-word equivalent was an initial sign that there may be<br />
disorganisation in the administration. Since then, not one of Trump’s executive orders has received legal counsel,<br />
let alone legal review, resulting in the federal courts having to question or attempt to overturn his policies.<br />
Similarly, Kelly-Anne Conway has drawn comparisons to George Orwell’s infamous 1984 dictatorship for her<br />
presentation of ‘alternative facts’, as has Sean Spicer with his consistent demand that Donald Trump had roughly<br />
one million more people attend his inauguration than independent bodies have estimated. The comparisons with<br />
1984 do not end there, however, with Trump’s administration censoring the National Parks Department’s twitter<br />
feed in order to delete their pro-environment posts. The administration has tried to subtly influence what their<br />
government bodies publish and yet has done so poorly that it is public knowledge. This near-comedic circle of<br />
idiocy has confirmed the majority of the population’s opinions that this man is unfit to govern the country, and<br />
yet he is their president for the next four years. That is another 200 weeks of protests, racially targeted laws and<br />
outdated ultra-conservatism.<br />
What I can safely say after six weeks within this melting pot of anger, fear and confusion is that America is a<br />
nation on the verge of mass violence, unlawfulness and human rights breaches. By no means is Australia perfect<br />
– our refugee solution is barbaric, and our marriage equality stance archaic – but thank God I won’t have to live in<br />
America the next four years.