Trump is Ruining America’s Greatness for Gen-Z

We want change, not destruction.

Trump’s presidency is a ticking time bomb for future generations.

At 22 years old, I have spent the majority of my formative years with a literal conspiracy theorist as the President of our country. It feels dystopian to watch as he lays the groundwork for problems that will take decades to solve — setting up landmines that my generation will need to maneuver around.

At 14, I saw his victory as an aberration: a scary fluke that could be remedied over time. His second victory felt less like a fluke, and more like a turning point for America as a whole; much of what made America great depended on unspoken leadership norms that Trump is now blatantly ignoring. The consequences of using Putin-esque rhetoric to posture towards our NATO allies, for example, goes beyond ‘violating a norm’ and is genuinely destabilizing.

On day one, Trump signed multiple executive orders that seem intentionally aimed to inflict maximum damage. He immediately signed an Executive Order to end birthright citizenship then revoked an LBJ-era rule called Executive Order 1124, which forbade federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, etc.. When our generation is handed the keys to the institutions, the fingerprints of Donald Trump, Susie Wiles, Steven Miller, and many more will still remain.

Trump pulled us out of the Paris Climate Accord on Day 1 — within hours of the inauguration. The Paris Climate Accord is a simple alliance that prevents countries from emitting too much carbon by setting a cap — the type of long term thinking America should be leading the charge on. Opposition to such a simple agreement can only stem from: 1. denying climate change; 2. prioritizing profits over the planet; or 3. dismissing America's role as a leader in this effort. Each of which reflects a disconnect from reality.

The list of countries not in the Paris Agreement? Iran, Libya, Yemen, and now… the United States. The effects of this — namely the immediate erosion of international climate cooperation and trust in the U.S., coupled with the long climate consequences — will reverberate for decades. We had a chance to be leaders in this sector, and Republicans blew it.

On Day 1, Trump then pulled us out of the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO ensures all countries cooperate, share information and resources, and maintain healthcare standards. This serves to create a more healthy populace overall and opposition to it largely stems from conspiracy theories pushed by our leaders. Republican politicians fabricated lies about an organization America founded to regain power, leading to this withdrawal without any valid justification. The effects of this again, will reverberate for decades.

Here is the part that truly concerns me: Trump then signed the Schedule F executive order, which allows him to hire and fire civil servants at his will, not based on merit or experience, but based on how loyal they are to him. Him signing this executive order on the same day he pardoned the January 6th insurrectionists is not a coincidence — it is to send a very intentional message: if any civil servant commits a crime in the favor of Donald Trump, they are above the law. Trump will fill our institution with loyalists, and these loyalists know they can inevitably receive a pardon for breaking our laws — they truly are following their leader.

Trump’s second victory has changed the vision I have for America. I once thought that my 20’s would consist of me doing work to make sure liberalism dominates the discourse both domestically and abroad—liberalism meaning the freedom to love who you want, practice any religion, and live authentically.

Rather than spending my 20’s helping liberalism prevail, we are now in an uphill battle to make sure Trump and other far-right populists abroad don’t stomp out the embers liberalism. The LBJ-era Executive Order I mentioned earlier is a prime example of the direction this administration is taking us: backwards rather than forwards.

Liberalism is on its back foot and we should not stop fighting for it.

Despite all of this, I have faith in the resilience of American institutions and the American people. As I’ve said, Trump is placing landmines that will be in the ground decades from now, but they can be defused. I have faith that likeminded citizens across America will help us course correct, and I have faith in all of you reading this post.

My generation has already proven to be uniquely engaged when it comes to protesting, record breaking voter turnout, and steering the political discourse online. These are not small things, I see them as proof that the next generation of leaders is rising to meet the moment. I’m becoming increasingly confident that the Democratic Party that emerges from these next few years will push the ideals of freedom, equality and compassion with a new force.