A better look at the claims against President Donald Trump
BY: JACK JURSNICH
Opinions Editor
I am writing this two weeks before Election Day with the hopes that Donald Trump becomes president. The purpose of this piece is to bring down the hatred towards Trump and to clear up some common claims made against him for the past eight years. This hatred is completely unwarranted when looking at the bigger picture, and it is of this hatred that I believe another assassination attempt on the president is possible. There’s more I plan to write on this topic, but I hope this piece is a sufficient gateway for people to start opening up to Trump.
Trump wants to roll back LGBT rights
Wrong. Though he did appoint Supreme Court justices with beliefs against same-sex marriage, he’s also stated multiple times that he wants it to be the states’ decision, rather than a federal decision. Plus, he’s also mentioned a few times at rallies that one of his campaign goals is to “decriminalize homosexuality around the world,” as it is still a crime in many other countries. A big example used against Trump is the “transgender military ban” saying it’s a complete and total ban for trans people in the military, but in the memorandum, Trump left lots of wiggle room. Only folks seeking transitioning treatments through the military were denied to serve because they’d be on inactive duty for more than a year. Transgender folks who did not transition and stayed healthy were allowed to serve. Another purpose to the policy was to gather data by the DoD and DHS on whether transgenders were a hindrance to military effectiveness and funding, which the previous administration failed to do. Trump sounds like a bigot when you only say “trans military ban” but trans people were still allowed to serve under certain exceptions, and also money was saved because it wasn’t spent on the transition of people who wouldn’t even be able to physically serve.
Trump is a racist
Again, wrong. In the “Muslim/travel ban”, he issued a travel suspension for people coming from enemy countries, but not on the basis of religion and nationality as some people thought. Similar to the “trans military ban”, this decision also had wiggle room, still allowing foreigners to come to America but strengthening the visa processes. Only people who would be benefiting the country were allowed in, and those related to terrorist groups or anti-American ideals were denied visas. Another claim is that Trump’s a “white supremacist.” People will say it’s because KKK Grand Wizard David Duke supported his campaign, but Trump also condemned Duke multiple times since. People will say it’s because he said there’s “good people on both sides” during the Charlottesville riots, but more importantly, he “totally condemned” the white-nationalists and neo-nazis who were involved. I’m sure we could keep talking about any other claim but I think these two big examples are enough to at least take this whole ‘bigotry narrative’ with a lot of doubt.
Trump blocked aid to the border
Although it’s true he did urge Republicans to vote against the recent border bills, Republicans – and even some Democrats – would have voted against it regardless of Trump. He opposed the bills but his reason is much more reasonable than him wanting “to run on a problem.” A bill from February titled Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024 was said to aid the border, but what it actually was offering was $60 billion to Ukraine, $14 billion dollars to Israel, and only $20 billion to the border. Conservatives disagree heavily with funding the Ukraine war because we don’t need to be involved in it, so for a bill that sends more money to Ukraine than to our own border, of course Republicans are gonna shoot it down. The Border Act of 2024 was shot down not because it would send money to the border, but because that money would’ve gone straight to speeding up and funding asylum for illegal immigrants, essentially abusing the catch-and-release policy at an even faster rate. The bill would have reduced the number of illegal crossings, but the estimated figure would have still been over a million illegals per year. The bill would have done all of this AND be codified into law, making it harder for the next administration to change the policy. So no, Trump is not “running on a problem” he’s trying to stop the same problem that’s been going on this whole time by getting a better deal.
Trump would ban abortion
No, he wouldn’t. Trump’s stance on abortion is aligned with what the people want, which is exactly why he overturned Roe v. Wade and put abortion rights at the state level. Issues on the state level are more accurately decided than on the federal level. Half of the country would be upset either way for a federal abortion decision, but for a state decision, it would depend on the population for each state to choose, not on the population of the whole country. To add, Trump would NOT sign a federal abortion ban UNLESS the whole country wanted it, but since that is not the consensus of the whole country, that is not a decision for the federal government to make. Regardless of his or anyone’s stance on abortion, leaving it up to the states would allow people more of a choice and a much higher chance for abortion rights than with a federal election that’s split 50/50.
Trump did not incite an insurrection
Trump saying things like “Fight like hell” have been taken way out of context to make it look like he’s pushing his supporters to storm the capitol on January 6. To say “fight like hell” is akin to saying “hit the ground running”, not “go storm the capitol, boys.” What I think is more surprising is that he requested the National Guard to “make sure it’s safe”, but officials didn’t take him literally, saying “the optics of military presence were bad.” Against her own narrative, a video of Nancy Pelosi on J6 shows her saying “I take responsibility for not having [the National Guard].” Regardless of Trump’s rhetoric that day, he was the one who requested troops three days prior, but security officials clearly went against this request. He does not deserve blame for that day, it is the people involved in delaying his order who must be held accountable.
