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The Controversial Tenure of Trump
- Kshitij Nair
- Oct 3, 2023
- 4 min read
Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States of America has been an extremely contentious political leader. His tenure at the White House began with the debated topic of the creation of a wall between The U.S. and Mexico. He received flak for cultivating an environment of hostility towards illegal immigrants and certain minorities. However, his supporters often quoted that his tough stance towards a pro-American regime had helped the economy, and his straightforward demeanour was, in reality, a practical approach towards the country that would ‘Make America Great Again’ (HT News Desk, 2023). The fag end of his tenure was also marked with controversy, as he became the first President in 28 years of U.S. history to have served only one term without being re-elected. Recently, Trump was arrested in the state of Georgia for allegedly conspiring to meddle with the votes for the 2020 Presidential elections in the U.S. He faced 13 charges and was granted bail for a hefty bond of $200,000, after a menial prison time of 20 minutes. Along with Trump, 18 others were arrested on similar counts, including his lawyer.
Trump and the other co-defendants have vehemently denied the charges against them for being politically motivated. The charges were claimed to be brought after Trump communicated his wish to contest the elections maliciously, destroying his chances at the 2024 Presidential elections. However, the evidence currently presented before the Court includes a recorded phone call where he was heard instructing the then-Secretary of State of Georgia, to find him sufficient votes to win in the state, when he was marginally short on votes. We also saw Trump create an uproar claiming rigging and manipulation of votes in states where the Democrats had a lead.
However, this is not the only legal trouble that has swung towards Trump. In the year 2023, he was indicted four times for criminal acts. The charges include mishandling of classified documents, misappropriation of his business records, etc. Such a legal brouhaha is representative of Trump’s presidential tenure, as he was the first President to have been impeached twice, and later acquitted twice by the Senate. He encountered significant public backlash upon being charged with conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding aimed at confirming Biden's victory in the U.S.. This led to a major riot at the Capitol by Trump’s supporters. The event was widely condemned to be a dark day in the history of the world’s oldest democracy and arguably one of the most powerful countries in the world. Trump was even removed from multiple social media platforms subsequently.
In his tenure, Trump was known to have propagated the ‘America First’ slogan and this was reflected in his domestic and international policies. However, the ideology behind this campaign was more than a mere political catchphrase. Trump's rhetoric cultivated a sense of national pride, resonating deeply with his supporters and fueling a surge in nationalist sentiment throughout his tenure. The nationalism that was advocated by the Trump administration became extremely popular among his supporters, to the point where right-wing nationalism became prevalent in the country. The divide between “us” and “them” became wider, specifically in the context of immigrants and white supremacists. The use of military power was legitimized to root out the issue of illegal immigrants, which was reflected in the idea of a ‘wall’ between Mexico and America. Furthermore, due to America’s excessive influence on world politics and its positioning as a global superpower, this nationalist ideology was replicated across countries. In France, for instance, where the right-wing ideology spread across the public, which caused distress among ethnic and religious minorities (Elving, 2018).
Apart from his political ideologies, his national policies and schemes have often come under the radar for being less efficient than what is necessary for the massive U.S. For instance, his Coronavirus policies failed to garner widespread satisfaction among the general population and political analysts. The virus was initially downplayed and dismissed as a common illness, however, the subsequent implementation of restrictions on citizens was an ad hoc response coming too late to contain the spread effectively. The economy suffered a significant plunge leading to widespread unemployment within the country and reverberating impacts on the international economy (Chang, 2020).
Similarly, the Trump administration was infamous for pulling out of essential international agreements, such as the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is an international treaty that affixes responsibility and accountability on individual countries to reduce their emissions and reduce global warming. The United States pulled out of the treaty because it was argued by Trump that it would cost the American economy massively. Furthermore, the Trump administration created a controversy by stopping its funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This was a catastrophic move since the issue of Palestinian refugees is a globally sensitive issue and requires greater international cooperation in the troubled region. The move has been scrutinized further in light of the present-day Israel-Palestine conflict.
The above-mentioned instances depict the nature of the Trump administration, which can be termed ‘controversial’ to reflect the variety of policies and decisions that were taken during his tenure. The arrest of the former President is the latest addition to Trump’s contentious Presidency, and it is crucial to see how the proceedings pan out, especially since the Department of Justice seeks a faster trial and its effect on the 2024 presidential elections.
References
Chang, C. (2020, November 10). US election: The controversies that defined Donald Trump’s
four years in office. NZ Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/us-election
Elving, R. (2018, October 24). What Is A Nationalist In The Age Of Trump? NPR.
HT News Desk. (2023, August 25). Why was Donald Trump arrested? What’s the Georgia
election case against him? Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-
news/why-was-donald-trump-arrested-whats-the-georgia-election-case-against-him-
101692924206944.html
About the author: I am Kshitij Nair, a third year law student at Jindal Global Law School. My interests are not limited to the legal field, but also branch into international and current affairs.
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