In his inaugural speech on Monday, President Donald Trump called for “unity,” but much of speech seemed aimed instead at fostering more division.
In an already-divided America, that’s not a good sign. Nor is it a good sign for Trump himself, whose support is already thin: More Americans disapprove than approve of him as he enters his second term, according to a trio of respected polls that put his approval rating at 44% to 47%.
It’s one thing to deliver a speech about ushering in a “golden age” for America. It’s another thing to accomplish that.
Our country has serious problems that must be addressed, from boosting the economy to improving education to lowering housing costs, creating good-paying jobs, supporting our allies abroad and tackling the climate crisis instead of making it worse with vows to “drill, baby, drill” and continuing our reliance on fossil fuels.
But Trump’s remarks provided little in the way of real substance on any of that.
Instead, the president railed against the “vicious, violent and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government,” clearly referring to his two federal indictments — now dismissed since his election win — for allegedly mishandling classified documents and attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
He said a “radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens,” while his supporters push to extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts that favored the rich at the expense of ordinary folks. He promised to “keep our children safe, healthy and disease-free,” but nominated vaccine skeptic and conspiracy-believer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
Trump called for a society that is “colorblind and merit-based” and said that the U.S. government would only recognize “two genders,” both statements that play well with his supporters but will likely fan the flames of the so-called “culture wars” over diversity and transgender rights.
Immigration, tariffs — and no mandate
Trump vowed to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” a step that other nations are not obliged to recognize. He promised to bring back the name Mount McKinley for Alaska’s Denali, an insult to Alaska Natives (the word “Denali” has its roots in Native history) and other Alaskans who championed the name change. He called for “taking back” the Panama Canal, accusing China (the U.S. has political and trade concerns with China involving the canal) of “operating” it.
As for Trump’s plan to pardon hundreds of those convicted for their involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection — 62% of Americans oppose the idea, a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found. (Trump offered the pardons the evening after his speech.)
Does any of that help Americans who struggle to buy groceries or find affordable housing?
The same could be said about Trump’s executive order revoking future birthright citizenship, which is granted in the Constitution and has been affirmed by the Supreme Court. The order is sure to face legal challenges.
His plan for mass deportations, expected to start next week here in Chicago and elsewhere, has anything but deep support: That NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found an even 49%-49% split on Trump’s plan.
Trump reiterated his promise to impose tariffs on imported goods, saying it would boost manufacturing and bolster the economy. Yet only 31% of respondents to the NPR/PBS/Marist poll believe tariffs will help the economy, while 48% say tariffs will hurt. That’s in line with the skepticism of many economists who doubt Trump’s sweeping promises on tariffs as a boon to America’s economy and workers.
We expect more buy-in among many Americans for Trump’s executive orders on immigration, including declaring a national emergency at the southern border and deploying the U.S. military there. But it’s worth noting that southern border crossings have declined significantly in recent months, which is why those buses of migrants sent to Chicago by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have slowed to a mere trickle. And our country could have been hard at work already on solving border problems, if Republicans hadn’t backed away, at Trump’s behest, from supporting a bipartisan immigration reform bill last year.
Time will tell how Trump’s call for unity plays out. But he and his supporters should be under no illusion that it will be easy. Trump has no sweeping mandate for his policies. Look at the election numbers: Trump won swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan to give him the edge in the Electoral College, but his margin in the popular vote was the narrowest in years: 49.8% to 48.3%.
In the end, unity is up to us — as Chicagoans, as Illinoisans, as Americans. It’s up to us to uphold our ideals and laws, promote truth over lies and misinformation, show respect for one another even when we disagree, and hold our leaders accountable for doing the same.
President Joe Biden gave Americans those marching orders in his farewell speech:
“Now it’s your turn to stand guard. May you all be the keeper of the flame.”
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