So many people out there are overjoyed that Donald Trump was elected our 47th President. No more of that East Coast Marxist Socialism that only caters to the elite and special interests. They proclaim that they have taken their country back. Donald Trump understands us. He represents our interests. He is one of us. Or is he?
I will demonstrate in the three issue areas below that perhaps Donald J. Trump is not a man of the people at all. It could be that he is beholden to special interests of his own, such as billionaire tech company owners or right-wing demagogues who want to insert religion and white privilege back into government and society. But…I’ll let you be the judge.
Price Controls
Assumption: President Trump will lower inflation back to pre-pandemic levels and make everyday items like food, gas, and medicine more affordable again.
Reality: One of the first executive actions that Trump took after his inauguration was to rescind President Biden’s order aimed at lowering prescription drug prices in the U.S. Included in Executive Order 14087 were provisions that lowered prescription drug costs, including granting Medicare the authority to negotiate prices for certain high-cost drugs, as well as introducing price caps for essential medications like insulin.
With Trump’s repeal, pharmaceutical companies now have greater freedom to maintain and even increase their exorbitant profits despite the continuation of punishing healthcare costs to consumers. The companies say that the high price of drugs is necessary to fund their research and development work. Drug manufacturers will now recognize even larger profits, further lining the pockets of the executives of these companies. A man of the people.
Law and Order
Assumption: We stand by President Trump because he will be a law and order president who not only stands up to foreign adversaries but also violent offenders who are too often kicked back on the street after light prison sentences.
Reality: On Trump’s return to the White House, he pardoned or commuted the sentences of almost all 1,500 of the January 6 rioters who stormed the Capital on that fateful day in 2021. This included members of the militant groups, the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, and other violent offenders who were serving terms as lengthy as 15, 18, and even 22 years. The proclamation freeing the rioters read.
“This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation.”
What could go wrong, right? One of the defendants, Daniel Baller, was arrested the day after his release on unrelated gun possession charges. On January 6, 2021, Baller, who was awaiting trial, was charged in 2023 with 12 counts tied to the Capitol attack, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon and using explosives to commit a felony. On that day, Baller allegedly worked with other rioters to aggressively push against police outside the Capital and, seeing that their efforts were failing, threw an explosive device into the entrance. It detonated on 25 officers, according to the FBI.
He was arrested for an unrelated gun possession charge because he was accused of possessing a firearm as a convicted felony in May of 2023. From the information in the charging papers, the arrest was in conjunction with two of his previous felony convictions. One was for a domestic violence battery by strangulation in June 2017, and the other was a conviction for battering and resisting law enforcement with violence from October 2021.
Obviously, President Trump and his cronies did not examine Mr. Baller’s rap sheet closely enough. A man of the people.
Protection of Rights
Assumption: Some people feel that the pendulum of U.S. public policy has swung too far in favor of “special interests.” These folks claim that Trump will protect “the little guy:” those who are struggling and are forgotten in today’s society—those hard-working individuals who only want their fair share of the pie. The people who do not seek a handout but just a little help navigating life. He would never let them down.
Reality: Before a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s stoppage of federal grants and loans, the poorly communicated action was already causing shock and confusion throughout the country. For instance, even though Medicaid was not supposed to be part of the federal spending freeze, state Medicaid agencies could not access the funds that cover more than 72 million struggling U.S. citizens.
Meals on Wheels programs rely on federal grants to serve more than 2 million senior citizens annually. They are unsure how a potential freeze could harm their program. Roughly 37% of the program’s funding comes from the Older Americans Act, which is a grant on the freeze list. Jenny Young, spokesperson for Meals on Wheels America, told CNN this about a possible freeze.
“Right now, we’re battling conflicting information as the White House has said Meals on Wheels would not be impacted.”
A man of the people. I’ll let you decide.
