To me the Lord saved President Donald Trump, whose ear was grazed by a bullet during a July campaign rally, to show that democracy is a gift that can be snatched away by anything and anyone.
On March 4 Trump held his joint address to Congress. One of his remarks during the joint address was that God saved him to make America great again.
For the next four years, marginalized communities will not see America become great.
Fear, stress, persecution describe how most of us are experiencing Trump 2.0. America cannot reach greatness through degrading its non-white non-male majority.
Immigrants, in a country of immigrants, continue to toil for the U.S.’s so-called greatness through unappreciated work, such as agricultural work. Most do not see America as coming back to its glory. Many will live in fear of deportation regardless of whether they are undocumented or here legally.
Under Trump, many non-whites will live with the real fear of being targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, despite their citizenship status.
The LGBTQ+ community will live with the real fear of their progress towards equality being reversed. They will find themselves contemplating whether they should live their truth or hide themselves like their predecessors had to do.
College students will find their stress level growing, wondering whether the Department of Education, currently being gutted, will continue to guarantee their student loans, or provide essential Pell grants that allow them to finish their education.
Federal workers, many of whom have served for decades, have begun, and will continue to need to job hunt, after finding themselves fired – from critical jobs for society – without cause.
On Mar. 11, Linda McMahon, the former wrestling-promoter-turned-secretary-of-education, announced that the Department of Education would fire 50% of its workers. This will hurt education for the most vulnerable populations – and Universities – that all depend on federal funding.
Under Trump, journalism is also under threat, as Trump has already begun doling out punishments to some, most notably the Associated Press, whom Trump has barred from the White House briefing room and Airforce One, because the AP refused to call the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America. Other journalism organizations once known as leaders in holding the powers that be to account, have already capitulated to Trump, notably – and tragically – the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, which are both owned by tech billionaires, who care more about increasing their own wealth than maintaining the Fourth Estate.
The journalists of America will live in fear of censorship, a direct attack on democracy. Without an independent press, can democracy survive?
Our guaranteed freedoms are turning into privileges that we find ourselves fighting over. I fear the strength of our democracy will be tested in the coming years.
To me, this is the lesson the Lord sent to us. Sometimes God teaches us valuable lessons through hardships, and Trump 2.0 may be our toughest test yet.
Karina Rodriguez is a sophomore journalism major and the arts editor for the Campus Times. She can be reached at karina.rodriguez3@laverne.edu.
Karina Rodriguez is a senior journalism major with a concentration in broadcast journalism, and editor-in-chief of the Campus Times. She has previously served as sports editor, social media editor, arts editor and a staff writer.
