by Edgerrin Panaligan // Op-Ed Editor
The first 8 months of Donald Trump’s presidency have been riddled with controversy, turmoil, many problematic issues, and ultimately, it has left the country divided. His job approval rating sits at a record-low 35%, according to Gallup. Five presidents in the post-WWII era have registered approval ratings below 30%, though it came near the end of their four-year terms. President Trump is rapidly approaching that rating within his first year in office. His methods aren’t resonating well with the general population, and impeachment has been floated into the discussion. Though it does seem like the most logical method to oust Trump from office, he has not yet officially committed a crime that would constitute the need for the impeachment process to begin. While President Trump is in office, he deserves a chance to improve his methods and make it right for the citizens of the United States.
AEE English teacher Mr. Paez described the Trump administration as “tumultuous”, and has said that Trump has been “very divisive in his rhetoric”, or the way he speaks to the public. Events such as the simultaneous firings of White House Press Secretaries Sean Spicer and Anthony Scaramucci, Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus have contributed to the chaos going on behind the scenes in the Trump administration. He is getting a bad rap because of a larger issue: he is running the country the way he would run his business. CEOs of most companies have full authority to fire someone for being told something they don’t want to hear. It’s an entirely different ordeal when it’s pertaining to individuals that are on the same team as Trump helping him run the country. When there are vacant positions in an administration, the nation isn’t being run at 100% efficiency because time is spent finding a replacement and making sure that person is prepared for the job, which can become a huge issue. A message is sent with each firing that Trump is extremely hard to work with, which doesn’t bode well for future relationships and negotiations. Trump needs to learn how to trust his team and understand that his opinion can’t always be the end-all-be-all correct answer to a discussion.
There is a problem with clamoring for Trump to go through the impeachment process: the next man up isn’t any better than him. Vice President Mike Pence was the governor of Indiana for 4 years before joining Trump’s campaign. The major controversy that tainted his term was the passing of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015. This act gave businesses a stronger legal defense should they refuse the right to serve anyone who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, with the ability to cite their religious faiths as a reason to justify their actions. If Trump were to be impeached and booted out of office, the presidency would be handed to a man who wears his religion on his sleeves and passed a bill discriminating LGBT individuals, which would socially become a conflict of interest for a nation that is slowly progressing in accepting those individuals and celebrating their differences.
The internet is hurting Trump more than it is helping him. His public image is absolutely shot, and all of his previous allegations and controversies as a businessman are well documented online. His personal Twitter account has been subject to much discussion, most have been negative. His recent attack of NFL players kneeling have been highly controversial. AEE senior Melany Maciel says Trump’s tweets come off as “immature, especially for the leader of our nation.” It is appalling that he continues to use his platform to speak directly to the American people as a means to attack other important individuals and corporations, rather than use it for something positive such as supporting independent businesses and reputable charities. A strong effort from the White House public relations staff and communications team can help fix Trump’s public image and rhetoric. He has to be more selective about what he says to the public, because they are the most affected.
President Trump isn’t a lost cause. It is his first year in office, and though it has been hectic, there is still hope that he will improve further down the line. It may seem unrealistic to expect an entire overhaul in his personality and the way he carries himself, but he should understand that his job is possibly the hardest one in America and that his actions will directly affect millions of citizens, good or bad. This is no longer the business of the Trump Organization, but rather the presidency of the United States. Put on your game face and get to work, Mr. President.
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