THE REVOLUTION OF COMMON SENSE

A new dispensation seems to have hit the Americans as their newly elected president, Donald trump, continues to ‘shake things up’ in the US by issuing several executive orders just after taking the mantle of office. The new dispensation which they have been heralded into is what Trump calls ‘the revolution of common sense’. It included a variety of big changes in the state, moral and societal lives of Americans, which according to him, have greatly declined during the last tenure. 

On the 20th of January, 2025, America inaugurated president Donald trump as the 47th president, for his second term in office. As the event was held in the congressional complex, Trump took the oath of office which was administered by Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts. 

From Trump’s first term as president between 2017- 2021, he had shown ideologies and policies, very different from his predecessors’. It is no surprise therefore when he clearly stated his different stances on policies of his opponent during the 2024 presidential election, which to some extent gained him more votes.

On several occasions, Trump implied that his predecessor, now successor- Joe Biden’s administration was a total disaster and in fact, often criticized Biden’s policies publicly and drew clear differences between their ideologies. It was highly anticipated therefore as Trump annuls many of the ex-president’s policies. These policies include, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion initiatives (DEI), as well as stances on global warming global warming, immigration and foreign policies.

DONALD TRUMP’S FIRST TENURE x JOE BIDEN’S TENURE

Recall that Donald Trump was first inaugurated as president on 20th January, 2017, following the 8-year Obama rule. His rule was characterized by several distinct characteristics which were often referred to as ‘controversial’ and ‘chaotic’. During his first term, Trump introduced a strict immigration policy banning refugees and citizens of some Muslim-majority countries and separating families that where guilty of entering the country illegally – Family Separation Policy. The Family Separation Policy was utilized by separating the children of illegal migrants from them, while the immigrants were confined in jails or deported, their children are put in separate facilities (Department of Health and Human Services), for proper care and supervision. However, the policy included no plans to reunite the separated families. He further expanded the US-Mexico border wall with the aim of reducing illegal migrations of Mexicans into the US. He also introduced some tax cuts which included reduction in tax rates of corporations and individuals, increment of standard deduction and family tax credits, and began an obvious trade war with China (Trump-China trade war), where he set tariffs and other trade barriers on China in order to reduce America’s trade deficit. These tariffs ranged between 10% to 60% on various Chinese goods. In all, Trump’s first administration was agreeably aided by his personality which the public characterized as racist, misogynistic.

Trump was eventually impeached by the house of representatives on 18th December, 2019, on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of congress. Although he was acquitted by the republican majority, he was impeached the second time, on January 11, 2021 on the charge of insurrection against the U.S. government, of which he was acquitted again. 

With all the dramatic events that surrounded Trump’s administration and the approval ratings of his presidency becoming low, he lost the 2020 election to his opponent, Joe Biden, a defeat he didn’t take lightly. Up until now, Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was full of electoral fraud was dismissed and termed false. These show the dramatic events that surrounded the previous administration of Trump and the upcoming drama that Americans are about to see.  

BIDEN’S TENURE

The 46th American president, Joe Biden, now the ex-president, was sworn into office on January 20th, 2021, succeeding Donald Trump. and served until 2025. On his first day of office, he stated his commitment to the policies of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Accessibility the Federal workforce (DEIA). These policies aim to promote a more inclusive and equitable society, eliminate racial inequality and support underserved communities. 

The underserved communities are citizens that face systemic barriers to accessing resources, services, and opportunities. They include Communities of color such as, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asian American, Individuals living in poverty, Rural communities, Indigenous communities, Immigrant and Refugee communities and especially the LGBTQ+ Communities, who face discrimination, stigma and marginalization.

Biden’s first days in office were notable for some significant policies that he ordered and those that he repealed. He rescinded numerous executive orders and presidential memoranda issued by Donald Trump, these policies include: revocation of travel ban that targeted citizen of countries dominated by Muslims, from entering America, revocation of Trump’s national declaration used to divert funds for the construction of a border wall, reversal of Trump’s ban on transgender individuals serving in the military and many more.

THE REVOLUTION OF COMMON-SENSE 

Trump’s revolution of common sense is the restoration of America's common sense which Trump believes has been lost with the previous administration. It aims to achieve the rejection of the existing power structures which are seen as out of the ordinary, the prioritization of American interests and needs over those of other nations and a return to traditional conservative values. 

End of illegal immigration: Trump promises to change the state of immigration affairs in the country - “All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions of millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came” he said. This is coming from the state of immigration in America and the massive invasion of Mexicans in Southern California. His goal now is to lay more strict immigration rules which would only grant asylum to legal migrants, while illegal migrants would be arrested and detained 

In his words, “I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks bringing devastating crime to US soil, including our cities and inner cities. As commander-in-chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions, and that is exactly what I am going to do. We will do it at a level that nobody has ever seen before.” 

End of sexual and racial diversity: contrary to the recognition and promotion of sexual and racial diversity, Trump’s administration will roll back the efforts of the previous administration to address systemic racism and promote diversity. This means that equal civil rights that were established for the underserved and marginalized groups, especially the LGBTQ+ communities,would be revoked

End of gender identities: He aims to re-establish binary definitions of sex as ‘male and female’ and be rid of other gender identities such as Non-binary, Agender, Genderqueer, Bigender, Transgender, Cisgender, etc. This according to him is to “Defend women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government”. Government ID including passports and personal records will now reflect biological reality rather than the idea of self-assessed gender identity.

Additionally, transwomen will no longer be allowed in women’s sports, neither will they be housed in women’s prisons. Subsequently, federal funding for gender-affirming care centres for incarcerated trans people will also be cut off. This decision has hence sparked concerns among the LGBTQ+ communities and their advocates, who argue that withdrawing legal support will put trans people in risk of violence and harassment.

The end of birthright citizenship: birthright citizenship grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. For example, a child born in the U.S. to Nigerian parents, is automatically a U.S. citizen. However, Trump’s administration has sought an end to that, as he claims that a lot of people engage in ‘birth tourism'. In order to obtain citizenship for their children and in the long run, benefit from it, which is unfair to American citizens. However, Trump has not been able to achieve his goal, the policy was met with criticisms from constitutional scholars and lawmakers.

It is clear that Trump’s ideologies have not changed, as some of his policies reflected policies he enforced during his first tenure, and some outrightly contradicts and erodes policies laid down by his predecessor. It is safe to say that Americans are in for great changes, capable of inflicting far-reaching implications for various segments of the society. Although supporters applaud the president for striving to restore traditional American values, critics continue to warn of the potentials of these policies to tamper with civil rights. 

In all, Americans, brace yourselves, Trump is here, again!