The week that followed a catastrophic opening weekend of the Trump Presidency gathered more tumult as it progressed. The Trump train was seemingly hellbent in destroying America’s hard earned international reputation as being the upholder of liberal values and as a sanctuary for the repressed and those fleeing for their lives. In addition Trump managed to be at odds with several of America’s traditional allies. To top it all one of The Donald’s ill thought out amateurishly conceived Executive Actions provoked outrage and mass protest in several cities. Like in all the POTUS’s crises he upped the ante by firing the Acting Attorney General and the Head of Immigration Control. (He is never wrong you know).
Trump appeared to be making no attempt to unite the country resulting in opposition against him galvanizing. At present America’s liberal reputation is being kept afloat by its citizens flooding into the streets. Trump has presented the terrorists their biggest propaganda scoop - the final showdown between the believers and unbelievers has been declared by no lesser personage than the POTUS.
TRUMP’S BAD WEEK IN THE REAL WORLD
On the international front nothing seemed to go right. Trump after trotting out his usual bullying statement that Mexico would pay for his ludicrous wall was told to take a running jump at himself by el Presidente. The latter informed The Donald he would not be coming to their planned meeting. This forced a hasty face saving telephone call where inter alia our savior promised not to mention Mexican payment for the wall again. Then at a Joint Press Conference with long time ally’s Prime Minister, United Kingdom’s, Teresa May the latter flatly disagreed with him on the lifting of sanctions on Russia. America’s other neighbor Canada felt comfortable enough to let Trump know that they would accept all those Muslims that he was about to chuck out. Then his controversial executive order received vocal opposition from the leadership of traditional allies including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Of course there were the Muslim allies including the Gulf States and on and on who chimed in. Protests are growing in oversea nations and over a million have already signed a petition urging the UK Government to withdraw their invitation to the POTUS visit. To add to his discomfort his noble allies, the Russians, started up their war mongering activity in Ukraine again. Then he suddenly became coy about moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem explaining that there were two sides to the story.
An attack in the Yemen went awry with the WhiteHouse covering up the details. (Hint - blame it on Obama).
ROUTINE TRUMP DISASTERS
Before getting into the disaster de jour, the Muslim travel ban from seven countries, just a word on his top advisor Stephen Bannon calling The New York Times and telling them and the rest of the media to shut up. Then there was his public backdown on water boarding and other torture - not really a backdown just an acceptance that all the military personnel believe that it is unlawful as well as being unhelpful. Although he who knows better than the Generals, would still not get his way. His announcement as to who should make up the crucial National Security Council provoked disbelief. He excluded the Joint Chief of Staff and the Director of Intelligence and replaced them with his ideological guru, the self same Stephen Bannon who has no experience in security matters at all. The crackpot decision was criticized in military and intelligence quarters and evoked a comment from Obama’s outgoing National Security Advisor as being “stone cold crazy”.
TRUMP’S REFUGEE AND TRAVEL BANS
Chaos ensued this weekend as Trump introduced two Executive Orders. Ostensibly he was following up on his populist campaign war cry, “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown on Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure what the hell is going on”. Only Trump, realizing that on its’s face that objective was unconstitutional, dressed up the orders to make them appear more in line with security objectives than religious exclusion.
The most far reaching Trump order challenged the American atonement for refusing to accept a boatload of refugees of German Jews, who subsequently succumbed in the holocaust. Trump’s ban on all refugees from anywhere for a hundred and twenty days, received very little attention. The reason for this was that his second order produced so much pandemonium that the former edict was ignored. Trump’s representatives have now an opportunity, as we speak, “to find out what the hell is going on”.
What sparked off another round of country wide protests, which are beginning to become a way of American life, was Trump’s broad sweeping ban on any travel of anyone who was a citizen of seven Middle East Muslim countries. This ban included those with permanent residency of America as well as those with legitimate visas to enter America. Even those with dual citizenship - American as well as their passport of birth were impacted. The immediate enforcement of this created havoc at the airports in America and across the world as legitimate travelers were denied admission on to planes or detained at airports. Children were separated from parents and American residents were not allowed back into the country. Iraqi heroes who had helped Americans in their war against Saddam and ISIS, after almost decades of waiting and vetting, were detained as well.
The media once again focussed full time on yet another Trump made disaster. Following up on last weekend’s country wide protests, crowds gathered at every international airport in the country to stake their opposition to this inhumane, unAmerican and unconstitutional action by Trump. Urgent court hearings lead to some alleviation of the situation. The Government’s lawyers admitted that the order had not been thought through. Sixteen State’s attorneys declared the instruction unconstitutional as every religious group in the country registered their fury. Some Republicans and their supporters including the Koch Brothers added to the opprobrium.
TRUMP’S ATTEMPTS AT DAMAGE CONTROL
Soon rationalizations, defenses, denials and the like started to dribble out of the WhiteHouse. Number one assertion was that this was not a Muslim ban but a security precaution. This cover was blown by no lesser Trump apologist than ex Mayor Rudy Giuliani who baldly stated that he had received a call from The Donald. The fearless leader had told him that he was ready to fulfill his promise on a Muslim ban and could he provide input. Just in case there was any doubt that this was about Muslims Trump included in this order the provision that the Christians in these countries would be given preference as refugees when the ban is lifted. Then the Cato Institute, a Conservative think tank, indicated that the immigrants from the seven Muslim countries affected by the ban had not been responsible for one American death in fifty years as opposed to Saudi Arabians for example that had killed nearly three and a half thousand citizens. Cynics then commented that the only parameter separating those Muslim countries that had been named versus those that hadn’t was the presence of a Trump enterprise in their countries.
Then it was all Obama’s fault. Trump was just following up on Obama’s policies. A simple examination of the facts gives the lie to yet another Trump lie. The seven countries that Trump named were indeed the same that Obama removed from the visa waiver program in 2016. The latter program allowed visitors from certain countries to enter America for ninety days without a visa. Obama’s decision resulted in visitors from those nations having to apply for a visa. Bringing Obama into the equation resulted in Obama entering into it. The former POTUS attacked the edict claiming it was against American values. He also supported the protestors. What Trump doesn’t need now is a unifying figure like Obama whose approval rating is at over sixty percent, leading opposition against him. Trump by contrast has within eight days had his approval ratings, such as they were, tank.
Then that the whole thing was overblown became the mantra from Trump and his echo chamber. It wasn’t meant to impact on the green card holders who were residents. The fact that no one was informed about this, even the Homeland Security people let alone the officials at the airports was not his incompetence but rather not to give the heads up to the bad guys, who were presumably in procession of visas and residency permits ready to sneak in before such an order was enacted! Anyhow all was well at the airports they opined.
OPPOSITION GROWING AND ORGANIZING.
For starters the Attorney General was fired because she felt that Trump’s edict was unlawful and was not prepared to defend it. This arbitrary dismissal added fuel to the fire. There have been five Federal courts that have ruled against Trump on his Executive order. It appears that it will not stand legal scrutiny. Any rate there is a ton of litigation pending on this issue alone including one from the Attorney General in the State of Washington which would put the kibosh on the action across the country.
The legal challenges to Trump are growing but perhaps the greatest will be when he takes on the Mayors of America. Not surprisingly every major City and Town in America has a majority that is supportive of values of inclusion and non bigotry. Almost without exception the cities have declared themselves “sanctuary cities”. They have vowed to protect the so called “illegal immigrants” and not round them up for the Feds. Trump’s threat to the cities to withhold Federal funds if they defy him, again, is on shaky legal grounds. There are precedents against the right of the Federal government to enforce their will in such a situation. There are States that have openly challenged Trump. Governor Brown from California, which has the sixth largest economy in the world, has already briefed Counsellor, Eric Holder who was Obama’s Attorney General, to take Trump on should the need arise.
The non stop protest movement is growing. There is also organization taking place to challenge the current political order. The interesting point to note is that the Trump supporters have not taken to the streets.
AT THE END OF THE DAY
All bets are off. This is a scary situation and this amateur operation which appears to be lead by self confessed Leninite Steve Bannon who believes in chaos, a new world order of populism, nationalism, being at war with Islam and a Russian alliance and who has no time for the rule of law. In a long ranging article in The Daily Beast his obsession with wars was detailed. Now he is chief advisor to the most powerful man on the planet. His voice on National Security is apparently more important than that of the Director of Intelligence and the head of all America’s armed forces.
To a large extent the American Constitution and it’s way of life is under siege. Standing in the way of Trump totalitarianism is the opposition from Mayors and Governors, the citizenry, the media, the courts and a couple of Republican lawmakers.
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