Trump-Olio

Donald J. Trump's second term began with a bang this week, and I'm not talking about the lavish inaugural ball that had world leaders jockeying for invites. Trump signed a flurry of Executive Orders on his very first day, fulfilling promises he had made on the campaign trail. As he did his first go-round. I recall commenting back then that Trump was better to his word than many previous Presidents and other politicians.

Here are four lists of those executive orders.

The Guardian - The New York Times - Wikipedia - ABC

They can be sorted into categories - with the should-be-obvious acknowledgment that opinions will vary, and with the caveats that this isn't a complete list, I have not read all the details, and that I have not included those I'm either indifferent to or uncertain about.

GOOD:

• Ending DEI in the federal government.

• Temporary suspension of offshore wind leases.

• Revoking clearances of the "fake laptop letter" signers.

• Re-evaluating foreign aid.

• Securing the borders.

• Withdrawing from Paris Accord.

• Federal hiring freeze.

• Federal regulatory freeze.

• Ending federal censorship.

• DOGE

• Tapping into Alaska resources.

• Enforcing immigration laws.

• Exiting global corporate tax deal.

• Resuming "Wait In Mexico."

• Repeal Biden-era vehicle emissions regulations.

• Roll back Biden-era appliance energy efficiency regulations.

• Promote LNG exports.

• Ending government “weaponization.”

• End "environmental justice" programs.

MIXED:

• January 6 pardons.

• National energy emergency.

• "America First" trade policy.

• Withdrawing from WHO.

• Delaying TikTok ban.

• Suspending refugee admissions program.

BAD:

• Restoring the federal death penalty.

• "External Revenue Service."

POSSIBLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL/ILLEGAL:

• Ending birthright citizenship.*

• Designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

I'll save my reasoning for each EO's categorization for future blog posts - and I reserve the right to recategorize as I ‘get to know them better.’ If there's one in particular you'd like discussed, hit me up in the comments.

But, today’s bit is not about score-carding Trump’s EOs.

It’s about expectations and reactions.

The proximate prompt for this blog post is the first item in the "mixed" category: the January 6th pardons. Because Trump enacted - a blanket pardon rather than assessing each individual's actions, some legitimately bad acts have been expunged, and that people who went beyond nonviolent trespass or minor vandalism got pardoned with the pack. This reflects the bluntness of government, and echoes the broader "mixed-bag" history and expectation of Trump presidencies. Of course he should have been more selective, but anyone shocked by this all-encompassing pardon hasn’t been paying attention.

Even a saintly politician (yeah....) will do things you or I disagree with, no matter how politically aligned you are. That's just reality, and it's a caution against a nirvana fallacy. And against defending everything one of them does. Judgment should be in the aggregate, and each of us will have an opinion as to whether there's more good than bad or vice versa.

My point today is directed at the Never-Trumpers (I'll save the "lighten up, Francis" focus on the giddy Trumpkins for another day, after the euphoria has worn off). You may consider one or another individual action as "disqualifying," and I just read a diatribe that claimed Trump already committed three impeachable offenses: ending birthright citizenship, pardoning the Jan 6 rioters, and delaying the TikTok ban. Which is absurd - if any action found unconstitutional by the courts or the Court were an impeachable offense, we'd have no politicians left in office. Oh, and pardon power is absolute. So, just stop already.

If you want reasonable people to consider your arguments, they should be reasonable. If you want to be reasonable in your assessment of Trump-47, give each action its own consideration.

Experienced cruciverbalists have often encountered the word "olio," which means "a miscellaneous collection of things." That's going to be Trump's presidency, given that apart from a vague/eye-of-the-beholder "America First" lens Trump isn't anchored to any particular ideology. It was Trump's first term, which I have often referred to as a mixed bag. That doesn't mean there will be parity between "good Trump" and "bad Trump," but simply that there will be some of both. So, I abide.

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That today's title also echoes Beavis and Butthead is a bit of serendipity I couldn't pass up.

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* The past couple days have once again affirmed that immigration is the hot-button issue for the Trump crowd. My social media feed is littered with self-proclaimed Constitutional scholars pedantically Trump-splaining that it’s “obvious” Trump has the authority to end birthright citizenship via executive order, and being dismissive to the point of obnoxiousness of any suggestion otherwise.

National Reviews Jim Geraghty says “not so fast.” I agree, but, yes, there contrary opinions.

All that’s apart from whether it’s a good or bad thing, which I will likely discuss at a future date.

Beyond precedents and legislation, such a seismic change to the nation’s citizenship rules should not be made by one person. Even if we convince ourselves that the birthright interpretation has been wrong for 150+ years, we should seek that change via legislation first, and via Amendment if that’s ruled unconstitutional.

That’s academic at this point. The EO was issued, lawsuits have been filed, a judge issued a temporary injunction, and this will end up before the Supremes. As it should. That’s their job and their role.

Oh, and if the conservatives reject Trump’s EO, I predict they will be called traitors.