By Halle Brindley – Opinions Editor  

On Nov. 6, headlines confirmed that the next president of the United States would be Republican nominee, Donald Trump. The Republican party also captured the majority of the Senate and is also projected to take over the House. Trump’s current presidential agenda includes “seal[ing] the border and stop[ping] the migrant invasion… carry[ing] out the largest deportation operation in American history… defend[ing the] constitution… including the freedom of speech … [and] cut[ting] federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, [etc]. on our children.” 

On the immigrant problem: Research from Northwestern Now details “that since 1870, it has never been the case that immigrants as a group have been more incarcerated than the U.S.-born… beginning in 1960, the incarceration gap widened such that immigrants today are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than the U.S.-born.” Media outlets and politicians like Trump who push for immigrant deportation in response to alleged “crime spikes” are making these claims on information that is misleading at best, and false at worst.

On free speech: According to UNC Charlette, “Free speech is designed to protect unpopular, hurtful speech. We don’t need the First Amendment to protect popular speech.” Donald Trump’s concern over this can be traced back to the criticisms he has personally received for offensive speech in his public record. (The bylaws of The Campus paper do not permit quoting these statements in print.) 

On the critical race issue: CRT is not traditionally a part of k-12 curriculum teaching. This is a concept explored in secondary school. There has been an increase in teaching history from perspectives besides “the white man’s history.” Historian Donald Yacovone stated in an interview with the Harvard gazette that “If America is to be a nation that fulfills its democratic promise, the history of slavery and white supremacy have to be taught in schools across the country.” A host for WUSA9 (a news network that covers the DC metro area) stated that, “Critical Race Theory is not taught in public schools. The object of critical race theory isn’t to make people feel guilty about things done in the past, or to be ashamed of their country. Rather, it’s an academic concept that explores how America’s history of racism continues to have an impact in the US today, particularly in our legal system.” 

When considering Donald Trump’s first presidency and his promises to the American people, BBC listed the number of promises he delivered (7), partially delivered (5), did not deliver (5), and abandoned (3). Looking at this information and the Washington Post’s ‘Trump Fact Checker’ – a study that examined how many times the former president lied or made a misleading claim in 100 days (492 counts) – Trump’s record shows that he does not always follow through with his word. Why is this important? 

Trump has not always followed through with his promises, nor has he always been truthful. His agenda does not guarantee change under his presidential power; however, in the process of bill-passing numbers wise, Republicans hold a significant advantage over Democrats, suggesting his new promises may be upheld. What is to come in this second Trump Presidency is uncertain.