By: Mildred Robertson
Updated June 18, 2025
While perusing the internet, I saw several articles and
videos about Donald Trump stumbling as he boarded Air Force One. I am amazed at
the amount of dribble that finds its way into news, social media, and
ultimately the minds of the American public.
Trump stumbling while boarding the plane is not
a big deal. But it was not a big deal when Biden did it either. Trump’s callous
destruction of the rule of law will destroy America as we know it if the
American people fail to stop him. He has embarked upon numerous crusades to
attack those individuals and entities he sees as his enemy. Those assaults are
the issues we must focus on. And there are plenty of them.
Right now, he is creating chaos around this country as his storm troopers invade pre-school graduations, restaurants, and Home Depot parking lots to imprison suspected immigrants without a warrant and without due process. He has met the public's response to these attacks on civil liberties by usurping the authority of the Governor of California and calling out the National Guard to quell peaceful public protests. Many speculate that his actions are intended to escalate the protests, providing grounds for him to institute martial law. A state of martial law would empower him to suspend citizens' legal civil rights protections.
Trump has co-opted plans by the U.S. Army to celebrate its
250th anniversary on June 14. Coincidentally, his 79th
(yes, 79th) birthday was on that date. To no one’s surprise, thousands
of soldiers marched down Constitution Avenue as tanks rolled down the streets
and aircraft flew overhead, all to provide him with his authoritarian dream of a
military parade in his honor. This parade was a last-minute addition to the 250th
anniversary plan. His previous attempt to hold such a parade in his honor was
thwarted during his first presidency. Heavy
artillery and tanks weighing up to 60 tons are expected to do considerable
damage to Constitution Avenue. The parade is expected to cost between $25 and $45
million.
In his second term, he has gutted all major federal agencies,
created a brain-drain in scientific and academic institutions, blocked many foreign
students from studying in the U.S., created chaos in the U.S. economy, deported
American citizens, and accepted apparent bribes from world leaders. Courts have
challenged his attempt to freeze foreign aid to struggling countries and ban transgender
troops.
Republicans in Congress are trying to push through Trump’s
stopgap funding bill that will slash nearly $300 billion from the Supplemental
Nutrition Program (SNAP), leading to people losing nutrition assistance and
children losing access to school meals. A $1 trillion Medicaid cut would result
in more than 13 million people losing access to health care, causing rural
hospitals and community health care centers to face possible closures. And of
course, the bill includes massive tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, which will
increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion. The bill also restricts Pell Grant access,
making college less accessible for low-income students.
Again, Trump’s stumbling while boarding the plane is not a
big deal. However, many factors associated with this presidency should cause us
concern.
Being old and stumbling is not among them.
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