Sarah Morra (12) | STAFF REPORTER
As per the results of the recent U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump has been elected to be President of the United States for his second term. However, one major difference between this victory in contrast to his last is the emergence of far right rhetoric, extremist policies, and a faction of supporters since the 2016 U.S. election. It is vital that we note these key differences and what they may entail for Americans…
An extremely prevalent set of policies that has surfaced since his time away from office has many American women, climate activists, and minorities fearing for what is to come — Project 2025. Project 2025 accounts for a 900 page document that entails a host of extreme right-wing hopes & desires that Donald Trump aims to deliver throughout his presidency.
There is the faulty claim that Donald Trump is in “no way affiliated” with Project 2025, despite many officials from the previous Trump administration having contributed to this proposal. This document is a product of the Heritage Foundation, a prominent right-wing think tank (research institute) which, before, has been considerably successful in influencing Republican administrations.
The relevance of Project 2025 must be addressed in order to account for many of the expected policy implementations in the next few years. This document proposes that presidential control expands across federal administrations and independent agencies (such as the Department of Justice) — this is called unitary executive theory. The implications of such an implementation leave the country and its government vulnerable to corruption due to the immense power that Donald Trump would solely be responsible for. Project 2025 (and the Trump administration) seemingly advocates for an anti-institutional perspective, by which the people of the U.S. will put their faith solely into Donald Trump — does this sound at all familiar?
Furthermore, other pillars of this plan entail the obstruction of women’s autonomy and access to reproductive and maternal healthcare, plans for mass deportations and the termination of birthright citizenship, as well as efforts to increase energy production, thereby only furthering the active climate crisis. This is only scratching the surface of an in-depth projection of how Donald Trump will consolidate his power over the people of America.
Economic security — one of the most prevalent reasons that account for the abundance of Trump supporters and Trump loyalists. What, though, is the economic stability that he so promises? It is the belief of many that he will relieve the economic troubles that ail the American people; however, his economic policy primarily relies on the reduced taxation of tips and social security benefits, a radical shift in trade policy (increased tariffs), and a significant reduction of the corporate tax rate. This is conducive for the further detriment of the lower and fading middle class as what these policies imply for the American economy is an extreme increase in inflation.
This shift in trade policy includes a universal tariff of 10% to 20% on imports, thereby making the cost of these goods even higher. His claim is that it will incentivize domestic production, though this may not necessarily be the case. This may induce retaliatory action from trading partners, which runs the risk of the blossoming of a trade war and tensions that will undoubtedly put all the economies involved at a detriment.
Trump plans to further reduce taxes for individuals and corporations — this plan would lower the corporate tax rate from 21% to 15% with the belief that it would spur economic growth and job creation. However, these beliefs are founded on bad economic principles as they would bring disproportionately large benefits to high income taxpayers as opposed to the majority of working class citizens within the U.S. Not only does his plan favor the ultra-wealthy, but it will exponentially increase the national debt by trillions of dollars, excusing his flimsy idea of tariff increases with the notion that it will pay for some of these expenses. His bad economic form which will invariably cause extreme duress will have the fault shifted to immigrants, thereby excusing his hopes for mass deportations.
Overall, these extensive changes are being supported by the far right and support is continuing to expand across the American people as far right rhetoric and ideology is spread by Donald Trump, his administration, and loyalists. These concerns do not only speak to potential changes in American society but also to an overall shift in ideologies. The election of a convicted felon, misogynist, and racist illustrates the priorities and biases of those who seek refuge in a man full of malice — and to the skeptics of his faults, the consequences of his presidency and policy implementations will speak far louder than the empty promises he is making to American people.
