I think sometimes, we, as Democrats, need to take a step back and remember that Donald Trump isn’t some boogieman. He’s a real person whose actions have real consequences.

Donald Trump isn’t some one-size-fits-all problem to pin all of the world’s issues on, and we need to stop talking about him like he is.

President Trump has made a million decisions over the past decade that have substantially hurt the American people in real, tangible ways.

We have to stop talking about “decorum” or how he’s “a disgrace to the office of the President”, and we need to start talking about the facts.

For example, did you know that Trump’s tariffs are set to add $2,600/year in costs for the average American family?

Or how about the fact that his brand new tax plan is set to add 4 trillion dollars to the National Debt over the next decade? I mean - c’mon now, none of us can even fathom how much 4 trillion is.

Donald Trump said he’ll run the country like a business, but didn’t mention that he’ll run us, the shareholders, into the ground financially before anything gets better.

If They Show You Who They Are…

Believe them!

Trump is such an interesting and ironic person to me. If you were to ask his voters what they love most about him, they’d say, “He’s authentic and tells it how it is”.

Ironically, him being so true to himself is also how we know that he doesn’t give a damn about me or you.

Let’s just take a look at who was at President Trump’s Inauguration this week:

Ah, yes; the noted working-class allies of Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook CEO), Jeff Bezos (Amazon CEO), Sundar Pichai (Google CEO), and Elon Musk (the literal richest man on earth).

So, let’s take Trump’s beloved authenticity at face level - if his billionaire tech bros are in the front row at the inauguration, and he’s cutting taxes for them and the rest of the billionaire class, it’s safe to say… he cares about billionaires!

He isn’t even concerned with people in our tax brackets. He couldn’t tell us the price of a gallon of gas, he’s never had to stress about the cost of childcare, and I highly, highly doubt that he could navigate the aisles of Hy-vee if his life depended on it.

Trump was born a rich kid, has lived a lavish and well-connected life, and only knows how to fight for the billionaire class that he was born into. Donald Trump simply doesn’t know how to advocate for the middle and working class, and because of that, everyday folks like us will suffer.

Cruel Intentions

Let’s not exonerate Trump and his billionaire tech bros, though. It’s not like they’re doing the wrong things for the right reasons, or out of ignorance; they’re making our lives worse because they actively want to.

While we’ve just looked at who Trump is defending, it’s also important to think about who his policies are hurting the most.

His first flurry of Executive Orders have included… mass deportations, banning transgender individuals from serving in the military, banning DEI programs, pausing federally funded programs, an attempt to ban birthright citizenship, and the cancelation of the US refugee resettlement program.

What do all of these policies have in common? They harm people, not help them.

Trump’s desire to Make America Great Again is just a ploy to make America some exclusive country club. Banning transgender servicemembers doesn’t make our military stronger - if someone has decided they want to risk their life for the flag, it is frankly un-American to deny them the right to serve.

Regarding immigration and birthright citizenship - Trump’s cruelty was evident from Day 1. He started his 2016 campaign by promising to build the wall. He banned Muslims from entering our country. And now, he is willing to deport everyone and anyone.

Trump is only in office to save the ***** of himself and his fellow wealthy and well-connected individuals. If you work a 40-hour week, or have hourly pay, or stress about the cost of childcare - Donald Trump isn’t working for you.

He’s in it for himself. Let’s remember that as he tries to tear us down, hurt our lives, and divide us further.

Around the Horn

This week, former Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr stood in front of Congress as he sought their confirmation to serve as Trump’s Director of Health and Human Services. Aside from RFK not being able to name the four components of Medicare, which seems like requisite knowledge for the role that oversees the program - we learned this week that a young Bobby Kennedy liked to “put baby chickens and mice in the blender” Genuinely, what the ****, guys, what kind of people are running this country.

In a big week for former Democrats turned Republicans, Tulsi Gabbard also took the stand in front of the Senate this week. Gabbard, who is seeking the post of Director of National Intelligence, spent some time defending Bashar al-Assad, the disgraced former leader of Syria who is most infamous for *checks notes*  using chemical weapons on his own citizens. 

I mean, come on now. It feels like Trump is picking names out of a hat of comically evil people to staff his Cabinet. We have got to do better - not even Republicans like these picks!

And finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to offer my own condolences to those who have been impacted by the plane and helicopter collision that occurred in Washington DC on Wednesday evening. Regardless of what is happening in our politics, or in our lives, it’s important to remember that everyone impacted is a real person with real loved ones. 

Regardless of race, gender, or immigration status, there are faces and lives behind the names that we read. If there’s one thing that we can do in these trying times, it’s to be a good neighbor, a good friend, and a good person to those around us. Our kindness and authenticity can carry us through.

Thank you for reading,

Please consider donating to the NDP here. The fight to keep our nation afloat takes money just in the same way it takes compassion. Please consider donating to help fund key battles that make a tangible difference in the lives of Nebraskans.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out at [email protected]. 

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Jack Schiewe