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It’s been little over a week since President Trump’s second inauguration, and he has already launched a flurry of far-reaching and important executive orders which are going to shape the lives of thousands, if not millions, of Americans.
His revocation of birthright citizenship — the legal principle that anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically a citizen, regardless of their parents’ nationality or immigration status, as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment — has already been challenged in federal court by more than 20 states.
He has also revoked security details for many people he considers to be undeserving of such guard, such as his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Biden’s former Chief Medical Advisor, Anthony Fauci. No matter one’s political views, it is alarming that both men have faced credible threats against their lives, from both enemies abroad and at home: Pompeo has been threatened by Iran, and Fauci has been the recipient of numerous death threats from rabid anti-vaxxers who have condemned the mask mandates and quarantines as draconian and anti-American.
Throughout all of this, however, there has been one bright spot for Republicans, a shining example of bootlicking at the feet of Donald Trump.
Pete Hegseth, a controversial man whose stances on women in the military and emails from his mother have alienated many voters and senators, was confirmed as the Secretary of Defense on January 24th. I did not mention this man in my rundown on Trump’s cabinet picks because at the time, it seemed unlikely that his confirmation would stand, and I had thought Matt Gaetz would be a more interesting honorable mention.
Hegseth, however, has his share of skeletons in his closet. His mother has sent him emails which went on the record during his confirmation hearings in which she said that she couldn’t stand by his behavior against women. He has also said that reducing standards in order to get more women into the army has resulted in the army becoming weaker, and that the U.S. military should have a uniform standard across gender divides. Because of this, even Republican senators, including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, did not support his confirmation.
Hegseth says he intends to revoke any and all traces of “woke” and “DEI” from the military because it is “dissuading” white men from joining, which allegedly results in a lower-quality military. His confirmation is concerning — not only because of what he intends to do, but also because it shows how much Republican unity there is around anti-woke sentiment and pro-Trump dogma.
This is likely a precursor of what will happen over the next four years. So before any more of Trump’s nominations and decisions are cemented: if you know anyone who will be affected by these sorts of policies or confirmations, the time to act is now.
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