If you can remember back to 2017—a lifetime ago in an era of 24-hour news cycles—you might recall Donald Trump’s first and unfortunately not last inaugural address, when he spoke of “American carnage” depriving the nation of life and wealth. He proceeded to create some carnage of his own, but the events of his first term pale in comparison to the complete disaster we’re currently experiencing. Yes, Trump is back, and he has made everyone yearn for those relatively sane days of 2017, when the MAGA movement at least had some checks within the Republican Party. Trump 2.0 has been confusing, chaotic and calculatingly destructive, an agenda that has lent itself to myriad controversies. I’ll run through some of the most dangerous debacles of Trump’s first two weeks; these are just the lowlights because there isn’t enough space to list the deluge of absolute stupidity streaming out of the White House.
One of the most covered controversies involves aviation. A tragedy unfolded in Washington, D.C. last week when a plane carrying 64 passengers collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter staffed by three soldiers, killing everyone involved. It was the deadliest aviation disaster since 2001. A normal president, when faced with such a catastrophe, would attempt to console the nation and look for answers. Instead, Trump quickly blamed the crash on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices, which are meant to create equal opportunities for minorities and marginalized communities in the workplace and have existed since the Civil Rights Movement. Of course, Trump provided no evidence for his claims that DEI was at fault, because there wasn’t any. But that wasn’t the point—he just wanted another scapegoat in his long-running crusade to disparage Democrats and eliminate DEI, so he used a deadly plane crash as political fodder.
Speaking of political fodder, Trump has decided to make quick work of the federal government, sparking a wide-ranging crisis. His Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently sent out a memo that attempted to freeze all federal funding for grants and loans. Although the effort was blocked in court, it represented a brazenly illegal extension of executive power, since Congress had already appropriated those funds. Trump also fired 17 inspectors general, who are supposed to independently oversee government agencies, and purged several high-ranking FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) officials, many of whom worked on two criminal prosecutions of the current president. These actions directly threaten the integrity of the government.
On the shadowy side of the Trump administration, Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has been causing chaos, all in the name of cutting waste. Musk, the world’s richest man, and his group of college-aged workers have gained unprecedented access to the Treasury Department’s federal payment system, meaning they now have data pertaining to all government expenditure, including Social Security and Medicare. Musk also achieved a major goal this week, announcing that USAID, an important agency dedicated to humanitarian activities around the globe, was closing its doors. The rapid— and illegal—shuttering of the agency left many USAID personnel operating in hostile countries out in the cold.
On the issues of foreign policy and trade, Trump imposed massive 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada on Feb. 1, as well as a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports. You may have noticed that the announced tariffs for America’s allies are higher than the one levied on our greatest foreign adversary, but that would mean logical thinking, and the Trump administration doesn’t wade in those waters. Instead, Trump reasoned that Canada and Mexico were allowing fentanyl to stream through their borders into the U.S, so the tariffs were justified. If you haven’t heard about an influx of dangerous drugs from up north, that’s because no such influx exists.
The tariffs on Mexico and Canada were later paused, but the economic impact remains a potential threat. Even Fox News, a network always happy to praise Trump, ran a rolling graphic listing all the goods that would be affected—an awkward debacle for a president who campaigned on fixing his predecessor Joe Biden’s supposedly broken economy.
The final controversy to discuss is also the most recent one. On Wednesday, during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump proposed that the U.S. take over Gaza and displace the two million Palestinians living there. This idea was both shocking and revolting, as it would likely require the deployment of U.S. troops and essentially launch an ethnic cleansing of the area. Trump, likely thinking of the real-estate deals that catapulted him to fame, also said he wanted to establish a “Riviera of the Middle East” in Gaza, turning the war-ravaged enclave into beachfront property. Almost instantly, Trump’s plan faced worldwide condemnation from both European allies such as Germany and France, and Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Although the Biden administration faced criticism over its handling of Israel’s war in Gaza, Trump’s idea would be on a new level of dangerous insanity.
The actions of the Trump administration through these first two weeks have reached such absurd levels as to be overwhelming. Every day, more news breaks out that threatens to destabilize America and the world. Including Trump, we are all in a new era of disaster.