President Trump is, arguably, one of the most controversial people today. From rather controversial political views and radical plans of action, to blunt, insensitive tweets, people are sure to have some sort of opinion on him—whether that be positive or negative. Some have even gone as far to say that President Trump almost seems to be on the path of a future dictator.
It is almost uncanny, the way that this belief formed simultaneously when President Trump started to show interest in one of the world’s top dictators. At a recent rally in West Virginia, Trump spoke on the dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, saying, “I like him, he likes me. I guess that’s okay. Am I allowed to say that?” (1). Personally, I find the president’s sudden “love” of the North Korean dictator quite alarming, especially since not even a few months prior that same man was set on destroying America, declaring that he had more advanced nuclear weapons that they were working on.
Now I must make it clear I do not agree with the extreme statement on Trump regarding him being a dictator, however, I can understand the acute ideas that possibly influenced this opinion. I believe that Trump’s views on international relations, certain social topics, and environmental issues make him seem like a harsh person lacking empathy. It can be argued based on Trump’s views on immigration, he desires a consistent, “American value” among its inhabitants. Immigration and travel laws are becoming stricter, lessening the movement of individuals into and out of this country. In addition, families have been separated due to deportation, even when that individual may have lived in America and held a love for this country for many long years (2). Is this fair? Opinions on this vary and continue to be discussed.
Furthermore, Trump’s administration has put tension on many different social groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community. Recently there has been debate on the definition of transgender. Trump’s administration has raised question on if the fluid definition that Obama’s administration established should be changed. This change would alienate millions of people who identify as transgender and declare that “this is the way it is and will remain to be until changed/if changed by a later administration.” Such change would end up limiting transgender individual’s choice and affect their happiness in life.
Lastly, environmental issues continue to become more serious, but Trump seems to want nothing to do with these issues and their possible solutions. Trump, along with some other politicians, believe climate change is nothing to worry about and “will change back.” Trump even had America leave the Paris Accord, which regulates and monitors countries’ gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. However, based on numerous scientific research, the idea that climate change will “change back” is not really the case. Yes, climate change is a natural occurring phenomenon, however, we as a society are accelerating the rate to an intense level at which it is currently occurring (4), creating a future dilemma that will cause immense changes in the environment, people’s health, and overall ways of life. If something does not change now, then it will only get worse and it will not be us who fix it, it will be our children’s and our grandchildren’s, and so on. This is selfish on our part, especially when the largest environmental issues are not addressed due to the gain industries receive when they are ignored. These gains are short term; should Trump not focus on something that will have a long lasting effect on our society?
With all of this being said, I must conclude that no, I do not believe Trump is on the way to dictatorship. However, as explored in this article, I believe Trump truly lacks empathy for serious, current issues and many individuals here in the U.S. He wants things a certain way that I believe is not fair to many people, not only of today’s society but generations ahead.
(1) https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-kim-jong-un-in-love-north-korea_us_5bb03817e4b0c7575965aeb1
(2) http://time.com/5347015/trump-family-separation-parents-deported/
(3) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/21/us/politics/transgender-trump-administration-sex-definition.html
(4) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/climate/trump-climate-change-fact-check.html