Trump is Not Making America Great Again, He is Dismantling America’s Greatness Brick by Brick

By Alon Ben-Meir

It is heart-wrenching to watch Trump nonchalantly sign off on scores of executive orders that are unconstitutional, defy existing laws, and adversely impact the lives of millions of people, especially the young. What is glaringly obvious is that he wants to demonstrate how powerful he is and that nothing will stand in his way of shaping America in his image. But what is also manifestly obvious is that he cares less about the implications and the consequences of his malevolent acts, which, if anything, betray what America stood for, for two and a half centuries.

Fortunately, the judiciary in this great country largely operates above the fray. Several federal judges issued injunctions blocking many of Trump’s orders. Oregon’s attorney general put it succinctly when he recently stated, “No president should be able to rewrite 120-plus years of interpretation of the Constitution with a stroke of a pen. That is the existential threat.”

Freezing Foreign Aid

Witnessing the devastating impact of Trump’s executive order to freeze almost all foreign aid is heartbreaking. His decision has left millions of vulnerable children without access to lifesaving food across the globe. Over 1.2 million people in Sudan who were supported by US-funded programs are now left without access to food, essential medicine, and clean water, which they need to survive.

The consequences are equally devastating in refugee camps in Ethiopia, where 3,000 malnourished children relied on US-supported efforts through Action Against Hunger. Trump’s inhumane decision is not just heartless; it shatters the very ideals of compassion and leadership that once defined the United States. A nation that once led the charge in fighting hunger and saving lives is now, under Trump’s savage assault, abandoning millions of innocent children to starvation and inevitable death. His wanton action demeans rather than preserves America’s greatness.

Freedom of Expression

Trump’s executive order targeting international students who participated in protests against the war in Gaza, deporting them under the accusation of supporting the terrorist organization Hamas, is deeply troubling. This executive order is not just about deporting foreign students; it’s about silencing dissent. Students may now fear deportation simply for exercising their right to speak out against injustice and atrocities. Labeling peaceful protests as potential support for terrorism undermines democratic values and stifles free speech on critical issues of human rights and justice, which is the hallmark of dictatorship, and no American should stand for it.

Moreover, it is essential to clarify that not all students who protested are foreign students. Many American citizens, Jewish and non-Jewish students, have also participated in these protests and spoken out against the war in Gaza. Will they be deported too? And where to? The rights of freedom of speech, press, and peaceful protest are enshrined in the American constitution. Now, we have a wannabe dictator who wants to usurp these fundamental rights, which underpin the banner of America’s greatness.

Immigration

Trump’s actions to shut down safe and legal migration pathways are a direct assault on the rights and dignity of people fleeing war, persecution, and poverty. By suspending refugee resettlement, terminating parole programs, and revoking Biden’s efforts to create orderly asylum processes, Trump is imperiling countless lives and pushing desperate individuals back into the hands of human traffickers and dangerous journeys. This is not about security; it’s a cruel and inhuman political strategy that ignores humanitarian obligations and debases our moral values.

Indeed, Trump’s harsh immigration policies are more than just a domestic issue. His mass deportation campaign doesn’t just tear families apart in the US but also causes a horrific chain reaction in the countries these migrants originate from, such as increased poverty due to decreased remittances, and overtaxed public services, such as schools, from large numbers of returned migrants.

Organizations like the Migration Policy Institute warn of the pressure this will place on resources and the lives of vulnerable people seeking refuge. This isn’t just about borders; it’s about human lives being treated as political hostages. Immigrants are what made America great, and Trump is shattering this uniquely American legacy.

Birthright Citizenship

On his very first day back in office, Trump signed a xenophobic executive order attempting to eliminate birthright citizenship, enshrined in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. His attempt to unilaterally redefine the meaning of the 14th Amendment claims that birthright citizenship does not extend to those born in the US whose mother was unlawfully present or simply visiting or on a student or work visa at the time of their birth.

This interpretation is particularly unusual and contradicts the established precedent set in the 1898 United States v. Wong Kim Ark decision, which found that any person born within the United States was entitled to citizenship. While it is highly likely that Trump’s executive order will collapse under legal challenges, the fact is that it almost doesn’t matter. The true outcome of this out-of-bound and ominous order is to sow bigotry and confusion, tearing the American people further apart. Trump must remember that birthright is sacrosanct; neither he nor anyone else can tamper with it in the name of his fake notion of making America great again.

Transgender Rights

Trump’s continued attacks on the very existence of transgender people are disgraceful and pointedly cruel. In the United States, 1.6 million adults and youth aged 13 and older identify as transgender (including transgender men, transgender women, and gender non-conforming individuals), less than one percent of the total population; the percent and number of people who identify as transgender has remained constant over time according to the Williams Institute at UCLA, disproving claims to the contrary. Indeed, transgender people have existed throughout history across numerous cultures.

The targeting of such a small portion of the population is bigotry, plain and simple, which Trump exemplifies as he is trying to legislate them out of existence entirely, mandating that any government-issued IDs list a strict binary sex rather than gender identity. He is ignoring the fact that even biological sex itself is not a strict binary. This order seeks to put transgender people at serious risk, as many have already been verbally and physically attacked for their gender expression not matching what others perceive, correctly or incorrectly, to be their biological sex.

Transgender people have every right to express their gender identity however they see fit, and no government can legislate how these individuals should live their lives. Their rights and, indeed, their safety are now threatened as they have never been before, courtesy of Trump’s obscene orders.

Many of Trump’s unlawful orders will be legally challenged and will end up at the Supreme Court. The question is, will the majority-conservative Supreme Court Justices live up to their sacred impartiality to protect and defend the Constitution that they have sworn to uphold, or bend to the whims of an authoritarian felon who uses his executive orders to satiate his voracious lust for power? Although he is currently trying to ignore federal court orders, the question is how far Trump will, in fact, go to impose his authoritarian will.

If Trump is allowed to pursue his disastrous agenda, he will not make America great again. America is already a great, unmatched nation. What Trump is doing is dismantling America’s greatness brick by brick and demolishing the American Dream, which countless people near and afar yearn to experience.

We must stand up to these hateful and unlawful acts and demonstrate that the American people are united in the most solemn quest to protect our democracy and the values that this country has held dear for nearly 250 years.

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations, most recently at the Center for

Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.

Email: alon@alonben-meir.com                                                  

Web: www.alonben-meir.com