Approaching the 100 day mark, U.S. President Mr. Donald J. Trump may not have much to be proud of, but the same can’t be said for the many Americans who make up the resistance to him. The resistance, in one form or another, has been broad, energized and thus far, sustained; whereas, Mr. Trump has been insular, culture-shocked and, at times, appearing winded and overwhelmed.
What’s known for sure about the first 100 days is that Mr. Trump knew very little about the job he sought – the disclosure of his ignorance wasn’t surprising though nonetheless disturbing – and his perceived likability as a celebrity didn’t transfer over when he became the country’s chief executive. An intense dislike of the president, however, is not what’s driving the resistance, but rather it’s the danger his policies pose to Americans, and the reputation of America.
The resistance to the president was visible on Inauguration Day, January 20th, when anti-Trump protesters, 230 of whom were later indicted on rioting charges, allegedly smashed windows and hurled rocks at police, six of whom were injured. Washington, D.C., the next day, saw roughly 500,000 protesters convene on its grass and concrete for the 2017 Women’s March – where mostly white women wore pink ‘pussy hats,’ a reference to an egregious pastime of Mr. Trump – which also took place in other cities, including Philadelphia.
About a week after the Women’s March, airports nationwide became the rallying point for Americans denouncing Mr. Trump’s travel ban, which caused chaos upon implementation – some refugees and travelers were sent back to their homeland once arriving at their destination – and was swiftly halted by a judge due to its unconstitutionality. Only roughly two weeks had passed from the airport snafus, when immigrants in several cities, in response to threats from the president of increased deportations and the construction of a border wall, executed a strike of sorts to show how important they are to America’s economy. Even employees of Comcast, the world’s largest cable company measured by revenue, exited their Center City Philadelphia skyscraper and marched in the street in favor of immigration.
When Mr. Trump turned his attention to repealing Obamacare – he admitted the healthcare issue is more complex than he could’ve imagined; again, a distributing admission yet unsurprising given how not studious the president is – though he was ultimately unsuccessful at it, vociferous and large protests again erupted across the country; even some of his own supporters weren’t fans of the effort once they realized Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act are one in the same.
Most recently in April, shortly following Tax Day protests across the country, which were meant to pressure the president to release his tax returns, scientists marched in the streets of Washington, D.C., to advocate for using evidence in decision-making at all levels of government, and to, though not explicitly in name, protest Mr. Trump’s proposed billions of dollars in cuts to scientific research and his denial of climate change.
As of now, Mr. Trump hasn’t added to his base, and his only real achievement is seeing his nominee appointed to the Supreme Court. He won’t get funding for his wall this year, and almost every week of his not yet 100 day-old presidency has seen pushback from the American people, who in the process of resisting him are uniting and standing in solidarity with each other.
To be clear, though, the resistance doesn’t exist because of Mr. Trump, but in spite of him.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
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Photo courtesy of the author.