 On June 19th the nation celebrated “Juneteenth National Independence Day”, which has been a federal holiday since 2021. It commemorates the day in 1865 when Union General Gordon Granger ordered the enforcement of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in Texas, effectively ending slavery in the United States. How did President Trump celebrate this momentous day in our history? He ignored it! Some people may view this as another example of Trump’s racist and white nationalist tendencies. I view it as consistent with Trump’s “anti-woke” and “anti-DEI” agenda. On the surface, Trump’s efforts to scrub the government and society at large of woke policies (diversity, inclusion, and progressive social and political ideas), is a backlash against Biden’s policies which pushed the government too far left. It was one of the reasons that Trump won a second term and he is leaning into it. But I think that there is something more insidious at play. Through dozens of executive orders, speeches, interviews and budget priorities, the worst of Trump is being revealed. He is revising history to portray himself and “his” America in a sanitized version that never existed. But more importantly, his policies favor those that he considers “good” Americans at the expense of the poor, marginalized and minority groups.  Trump Reveals Himself in First Term: Early in his first term Trump instituted a series of travel bans on several Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and Africa, as well as Haiti. In closed door meetings at the White House, Trump was reported to have said, “Why do we want all these people from shithole countries coming here?” He went on to comment that the U.S. should get more people from countries like Norway. I guess he meant that he would prefer people of White European heritage like himself. Trump’s travel bans were eliminated by the Biden administration. A few months into his first term Trump came under fire for not condemning the protests by white nationalists at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. The rally erupted in violence resulting in the death of a young woman. In response to a reporter’s question about the rally Trump said that there were “some very fine people on both sides”. The rally was attended by white supremacists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and far-right militias who opposed the removal of the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a public park.  Ending DEI Programs: Two executive orders signed in the opening days of Trump’s new administration set in motion the end to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, labelling them “illegal and immoral discrimination”. These orders apply to all departments within the federal government, federal contractors, and institutions receiving federal grants. The Department of Justice has been tasked with eliminating illegal DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs and activities in the private sector and in education institutions that receive federal funds. Trump’s actions to end DEI programs rescind President Johnson’s 1965 executive order which established the prohibition on employment discrimination by federal contractors based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Trump’s orders also eliminated affirmative action to ensure equal employment opportunities for all. Ending affirmative action programs in hiring and higher education will have the greatest impact on Black people and other minorities. Enrollment of Black students at top universities has already declined, and protections against discrimination in the workplace will now take a backseat to policing “illegal” DEI programs. Who benefits most from the elimination of DEI programs? Those who feel they are the victims of reverse discrimination, mainly White people.  Budget Priorities: A federal budget reflects the priorities and values of the government. The U.S. Senate is currently debating the Reconciliation package (Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill) which will cut hundreds of billions of dollars in safety net programs to make permanent tax cuts that disproportionately benefit high-income earners. Low-income families and minorities will be harmed the most if the bill passes in its current form. Millions of people will lose healthcare coverage due to Medicaid cuts and new eligibility requirements. Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will make it more difficult for millions of low-income families to afford healthy food. The Reconciliation package includes changes to the student loan and Pell Grant programs, putting higher education out of reach for more low-income students.  Whitewashing American History: The Trump administration has been busy removing or modifying thousands of web pages across the federal government. Websites and databases have been scrubbed of words such as “black”, “women”, “injustice”, oppression”, “discrimination”, and others. The Department of Defense removed web pages dedicated to Black veterans like the Tuskegee Airmen, the Navajo Code Talkers, and other minorities. Many of these pages were restored after public outcry, but the intent to minimize the accomplishments of minority veterans was made clear. By minimizing the accomplishments of Black people and other minorities it amplifies the accomplishments of White service members. Trump is selectively altering the public record to reconstruct his preferred vision of America and is instructing all government agencies to do the same. Whitewashing in the context of history is also known as “historical negationism” or “historical revisionism”. It refers to the practice of minimizing or negating aspects of history to present a more favorable version of events. The danger is that it promotes a particular political ideology and distorts the understanding of our past, thus hindering our ability to learn from our past mistakes and holding those responsible accountable. Here are a few more examples: Pardons for January 6 Defendants: In one of his first official acts of his second term President Trump issued a “full, complete and unconditional pardon” to over 1500 individuals convicted of crimes related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump also commuted the sentences of fourteen others, including Steward Rhodes and Enrique Tarrio, leaders of right-wing extremist groups convicted of seditious conspiracy. Trump has called the attacks on the police officers defending the Capitol on January 6, “very minor incidents”. He referred to those convicted and jailed as “political prisoners” and claimed that they were “absolutely innocent”. This feeds the narrative that those who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, are innocent, and therefore Trump is innocent for having sent them there. Afterall, the narrative goes, what happened at the Capitol on that day of infamy was a legitimate protest against an election that was stolen from Donald Trump.  Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History: This executive ordered signed by Trump in March attempts to “correct the widespread effort to rewrite our nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth”. Wow, this executive order seems to do the exact opposite by censoring the Smithsonian Institution and National Park Service. Here’s the impact of the order:  Smithsonian: The executive order claims that the Smithsonian (a Washington D.C. based complex of 17 museums, galleries and zoo) has “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology. This shift has promoted narratives that portray America and Western Values as inherently harmful and oppressive”. The order goes on to state that “museums in our Nation’s Capital should be places where individuals go to learn-not be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history”. Mr. President, by showing the history our country from a White perspective and omitting the perspectives of Native Americans, enslaved Americans, and other marginalized groups, doesn’t that distort our shared history? The executive order prohibits the funding of any exhibit or program that degrades shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promotes programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal laws and policy. In other words, only those programs and exhibits that don’t offend White sensibilities will be funded.  National Parks, Monuments and Memorials: The executive order mandates that the National Park Service, which oversees 433 national parks, monuments and historical sites, coverup or remove all “descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times) and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people”.Signs have already been posted at all National Park Service sites asking visitors to report anything they consider inappropriate. QR codes on the signs make it easy for citizens to report any “offensive” material. All plaques, signs, exhibits, films, ranger programs and written literature will now be scrutinized by Big Brother and his newly deputized informants. Any inappropriate material must be scrubbed by September 17th, Constitution Day. You better hurry before the following parks and monuments become sanitized: Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, Minidoka Japanese Internment Camp, Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, MLK Jr. National Historical Park, Stonewall National Monument, Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, and Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, just to name a few.
Immigration and Travel Ban Polices: The travel bans that the Trump administration has recently put into place mirror those from his first administration; targeting Muslim-majority and African countries. A complete travel ban is in effect for Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Heightened travel restrictions have been placed on the people of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Toga, Sierra Leone, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. There are some legitimate security concerns involving some of these countries, but to portray entire populations as security risks is inherently racist. As Trump’s well publicized mass deportation of illegal immigrants ramped up, his suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program has garnered much less attention. By executive order Trump stopped funding of services for refugees already in our country and left over 120,000 refugees who had previously been vetted and approved stranded in their home countries. Most of these refugees are from Africa and Afghanistan but now have nowhere to go after selling everything they had to resettle in the U.S. The blatant racism of this policy became crystal clear when Trump revised his executive order to allow 59 White South Africans (Afrikaners) to immigrate to the U.S. under the refugee program. Trump justified his decision by claiming that the Afrikaners were victims of genocide even though there is no shred of evidence to the claim. It’s hard to dispute that if you want to jump to the head of the line of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program it helps to be White.  Other Troubling Policies and Actions:
 Is Trump a Racist: Far be it from me to label Trump a racist. But intentionally or not his policies and directives are doing real harm to minority groups within our country. Trump’s preference for White immigrants over Black and Muslim immigrants speaks volumes, as does his blatant whitewashing of American history to sanitize the image of White culture. Trump’s budget priorities will strip minority communities of needed health care, create more food insecurity and financial instability. Federal protections for many marginalized groups have been stripped away during his all-out assault on DEI programs. Call Trump what you will, but his agenda of hate is taking a toll of the lives of real Americans, and whatever his motivations they are certainly not making America great again.
If you enjoy reading this type of commentary, please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 American @gmail.com. Thanks, Armchair American
1 Comment
 Last Friday people took to the streets of Los Angeles to protest immigration enforcement actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Home Depot stores, a garment factory and a warehouse. The protests grew throughout the weekend but were mostly confined to a five-block area surrounding the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles where immigrants were being held. The protests were mostly peaceful except for a few dozen agitators who set fire to Waymo self-driving cars and looted several area businesses. Los Angeles is a city of approximately 4 million people encompassing an area of over 500 square miles. The city of Paramount where the protests began is within Los Angeles County, which covers over 4,000 square miles and includes 88 incorporated cities with a population that exceeds 10 million. Most Angelenos were unaware of the protests unfolding in their county until images on cable and network news portrayed a city in flames and under siege. These images played right into the hands of Donald Trump who promptly federalized thousands of California National Guard troops and deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles, even though the mayor and governor said they were not needed.  Leadup to L.A. Protests: After winning back the White House the Trump Administration began reorganizing federal law enforcement agencies to prioritize the mass deportation of illegal immigrants, Trump’s top campaign promise. The ICE-led plan called “Operation At Large” calls for the use of 3,000 ICE agents, 500 employees from Customs and Border Control, 250 IRS agents, and 2,000 Justice Department employees from the FBI, U.S. Marshalls Service, and Drug Enforcement Agency. The plan also calls for the use of 21,000 National Guard Troops to provide support to the ICE operations. According to U.S. Senator Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, this would be the first time the National Guard has been asked to enforce an immigration crackdown within the United States. On May 9, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security requested 20,000 National Guard Troops “to help carry out the President’s mandate from the American people to arrest and deport criminal aliens”. On May 21, 2025, Trump’s top aide on immigration Stephen Miller met with ICE’s regional directors to give them a new mandate; increase the daily arrest quotas from 1,000 to 3,000. Miller told those at the meeting that targeting only criminal illegal immigrants was not enough to reach the quotas. He instructed them to target stores where immigrant workers congregate, like Home Depot and 7-Eleven.  Trump Sees an Opening: The use of the National Guard to assist with mass deportations is critical for the Trump Administration to hit its quotas. However, each state’s National Guard is under the command of its governor who may not be supportive of Trump’s plans. To utilize the California National Guard without the permission of the governor, the president would have to federalize the Guard, and that’s what he did last Saturday. Governor Newsom has filed a lawsuit to stop the deployment of the National Guard, calling it unlawful. Approximately 4,000 National Guard troops have been deployed to Los Angeles and will remain for up to 60 days unless the courts rule in California’s favor.  Trump Ramps up the Rhetoric: Trump and other members of his administration have been busy portraying Los Angeles as a city under siege, and he promised to “take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the migrant invasion and put an end to these migrant riots”. As the week progressed Trump ramped up his rhetoric, calling Los Angeles a “trash heap” with “entire neighborhoods under the control of criminals”. He pledged to liberate Los Angeles from the “animals” (protesters) and not to allow “an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy.” Trump’s rhetoric would be laughable if it wasn’t so dangerous and a portent of things to come. Rather than bringing peace and calm to the streets of Los Angeles Trump has inflamed tensions and fueled the protests to justify activating the National Guard and mobilizing 700 Marines. The National Guard’s original mission in Los Angeles was to protect federal buildings and personnel, but that has been stepped up to provide support for immigration operations. In Congressional testimony on Tuesday Defense Secretary Hegseth stated, “I think we’re entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland”. Under the Trump Administration the number one threat to the homeland is an invasion by hordes of illegal immigrants.  The End Game: The country is watching in real time as the Trump Administration manufacturers a crisis out of a local protest to justify federalizing the National Guard and deploying the Marines to an American city. This power grab from a state to the Executive Branch is ominous. According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, “We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that the governor and this mayor have placed on this country.” This is a shot across the bow of all those “burdensome” leaders out there, particularly in blue states. The Trump Administration will not tolerate any impediment to its agenda. The real check on federal power within our country lies with the sovereignty of our states, and Trump knows this. He has shown his willingness to usurp the power of California or any other state that does not get behind him and his agenda. If Trump is successful, what’s to stop him from declaring a state of emergency to deploy federal troops to take control of any local jurisdiction? What happens if some manufactured crisis occurs at voting time? It’s a slippery slop as more and more power accrues to the Executive Branch. Trump is turning our country into a police state. We the people can’t let him get away with it.  Updated June 19, 2025: A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Nineth Circuit ruled in favor of the Trump Administration, finding that Trump was within his rights as president to nationalize the California National Guard and send them to L.A. The court stated that a president can deploy the Guard to prevent interference with the execution of federal law.
The court rejected the notion that L.A.'s protest amounted to a "rebellion" against federal authority. The ruling does not address the legality of the Marines in L.A. or who should control the Guard over the short term. More hearings have been scheduled to address these issues. If you enjoy reading this type of commentary, please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 American @gmail.com. Thanks, Armchair American  The tenure of special government employee Elon Musk as head of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) ended on May 30, 2025. This comes as a relief to many, including Musk himself. Musk was brought to Washington, D.C. by President Trump to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal bureaucracy. No one will dispute that this is a good and needed task, but DOGE’s work to date has created chaos without any meaningful cuts to the federal budget.  Musk was in a hurry to make significant cuts to federal spending, something that many politicians and Washinton insiders have been trying to do for years. But rather than taking a methodical approach using seasoned professionals, he brought in mostly young men from the tech world who had little knowledge of how government works or the intricacies of the federal bureaucracy. Musk’s team quickly got to work destabilizing the federal workforce, gutting entire agencies, rifling through sensitive government databases, cancelling foreign aid and research grants, and laying off thousands of workers without any knowledge of who they were or the work they did. All of this was done with the full blessing of President Trump who allowed Musk’s team to run roughshod through agency after agency with little regard for who was hurt or the impact that would result.  DOGE’s Goal: At the outset the stated goal of DOGE was to cut $2 trillion from the $7 trillion federal budget. This was soon scaled back to $1 trillion and now stands at $150 billion. DOGE’s Accomplishments: According to DOGE’s website, it has generated $175 billion in savings for the federal government. Most credible sources dispute this number, and it is impossible to verify the accuracy of DOGE’s claims. The Reality: It is very possible that DOGE’s efforts will end up costing the federal government billions of dollars more than the savings it has found. There are estimates that DOGE’s cuts to the federal workforce could result in new costs of over $100 billion to rehire and retrain for key positions that had been previously eliminated. But the real damage will result from the slashing of the IRS’s budget and the lack of investigations and enforcement that will follow. This will embolden tax evasion and reduce collections by billions of dollars per year. There are some estimates that hundreds of billions in lost revenue will result from defunding the IRS.  Legacy of DOGE: Even without Elon Musk the work of DOGE will continue with team members embedded in various departments throughout the federal bureaucracy. Even though DOGE has been in existence for only four months, the damage it has caused will have lasting impacts. Here are some of the most consequential: 
 The establishment of DOGE and appointing Elon Musk to head it will be another legacy of the Trump Administration. If Trump’s intention with unleashing DOGE on the federal government was to create chaos and to make the federal government a less appealing place to work, he certainly succeeded. If he truly wanted to rid the federal bureaucracy of waste, fraud and abuse he went about it the wrong way. In the first week of his second term Trump fired the inspectors general (IGs) of 17 federal agencies. Inspectors general act as independent watchdogs within government agencies and primarily focus on detecting and preventing waste, fraud and abuse. Unlike members of DOGE, the IGs are seasoned professionals who have the experience and knowledge of the workings of government. They are the ones who could have made recommendations to the president and to Congress about the appropriate cuts to make. With both chambers of Congress in the hands of the Republicans, the president could have allowed Congress to fulfill its Constitutional duty of conducting oversight of the executive branch to seek out waste, fraud and abuse. But that was not to be. In the end, Donald Trump will never cede power to Congress or to independent watchdog groups who might interfere with his agenda. He created DOGE and its legacy will be entwined with his, for better or for worse.  If you enjoy reading this type of commentary, please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 American @gmail.com.
Thanks, Armchair American |
AuthorThe Armchair American. 
Archives
June 2025
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed