Op-Ed: Snake Oil Salesman in Chief
Donald Trump’s presidency has been sold to the public like a miracle cure. He promised to fix inflation, end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, and "Make America Great Again." But as with any snake oil salesman, the promises never matched reality.
Trump claims to have a mandate, a supposed endorsement of his vision for America. But with a razor-thin victory margin and less than 50% of the popular vote, his win is far from a landslide.
Compare this to presidents like Obama or Reagan, who won decisively and still faced strong checks on their ability to implement sweeping changes. So why should Trump be treated as if he holds a blank check for his agenda?
His political playbook is simple: project strength, promise easy solutions, and blame others when reality doesn’t comply. He obliterates nuance and presents an easy solution to problems that don’t have easy answers.
One of the biggest issues for voters was the economy, and more specifically inflation. It has been a major issue in recent years, not just in America, but across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic continued its ripple effect on the economy for years afterward, as did the investments that were needed to prevent complete economic collapse.
The economy is a massive unwieldy beast, even to those who know it best. There are uncountably many factors that play into its growth and shrinkage. Global supply chains being disrupted, wars, pandemics, natural disasters, and more. And yet Donald Trump claimed to have the answer. Or at least he did, until November 6th.
Anyone who’s seen commercials of a supplement that will solve any problem knows that they’re being sold a lie. And as soon as he’d won the election, he walked back many of the claims he’d made on the campaign trail.
He actually won’t be able to lower grocery prices, because that’s not how the economy works. He can’t end the war in Ukraine. He can’t lower loan interest rates because the Fed is independent and it would increase inflation if rates were lowered recklessly.
But what can he do as part of his so-called mandate? Pardon every January 6th insurrectionist on his first day in office, including those who tased and brutally assaulted police officers. He’s trying to end birthright citizenship, targeting people who’ve lived in America their whole lives with deportation.
He’s going to implement sweeping tariffs across many of our allied countries, which will drastically raise costs for working families. His recently announced tax plan doesn’t help lower income families, it gives trillions more in tax breaks to the top 1% which will explode the national debt in the coming years.
And of course, his biggest campaign promise of all. That he will deport millions of immigrants, which will do nothing but tear families apart and hurt the economy even further. Immigrants that came to this country for a better life, who work and pay taxes without getting most of the benefits from doing so.
Trump doesn’t understand how government programs work or care how his policies affect you. His only focus is his bottom line and ego, selling empty promises to win your vote.
The coming months and years will be filled with the same unpredictable chaos and incompetence of his first term. Essential government services will be ripped apart in the name of efficiency while we foot the bill for the billionaire’s tax breaks.
Just this week, the White House paused all federal grants and loans which caused many daycare, Medicare, and research programs to shut down, some of which still haven’t come back online.
Global tensions will rise because of Trump’s pointless personal vendettas, and Republicans will continue cheering Trump on, no matter how damaging his actions may be. Either due to abject devotion or fear of retribution.
Even in the wake of pressure from state Democratic legislative leaders, Governor Ayotte has remained silent as Trump’s reckless policies threaten the well-being of Granite Staters. From rising costs caused by tariffs to cuts in federal programs like rental assistance, Ayotte has chosen party loyalty over her constituents.
New Hampshire families will lose access to critical nutrition, housing, and healthcare programs, while essential infrastructure and opioid response funds disappear. So, Governor Ayotte, will you stand up for your state, or will you keep hiding?
It is essential that we avoid this becoming the new normal. Blatantly breaking laws and the constitution is not normal. Neither is threatening to withhold disaster relief aid because a state is blue or red.
While he is off playing golf, Democrats need to show their focus on the real issues people are dealing with like affordable housing, healthcare, and fair wages. We cannot wait for someone to hand us the perfect strategy on a silver platter. The time to act is now.
