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Donald Trump will serve his second term 2024-2028.
Artwork by Sean Kearney
Donald Trump will serve his second term 2024-2028. Artwork by Sean Kearney
Sean Kearney

Trial two

Jan. 20 marks the inauguration of Donald Trump’s second term, and Gianna Liu ’25 believes that Americans need to prepare for his reckless decisions.

The new year brings in a set of new policies and a Republican majority in the House and Senate. Following his victory in the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump has made radical promises to satisfy his supporters. From his appalling candidate picks to the “Day One” deportation promise, Trump’s second term scares me, and it better scare you too. 

Until the November 2026 midterm elections, Republicans have definite control in Congress, and as long as they remain aligned, Trump will face no barriers to gaining a simple majority when passing legislative agendas. As long as Republicans hold power, “Day One” will start on day one. 

Trump’s deportation plan hopes to deport all unauthorized migrants living in the United States without legal immigration status. According to the 2022 American Community Survey, there are over 11 million undocumented migrants, with over 7 million contributing to the U.S. workforce. If you are celebrating mass deportation, claiming that sending “illegal criminals” away will allow for the possibility of “more jobs for Americans,” I beg you to have more empathy and reevaluate his promised golden economy

Why would people choose to enter a country illegally? Why can’t people just do it the right way? I ask you to reframe those questions to, “Why would people choose to elect a convicted felon as president?” During Trump’s 2024 Madison Square Garden Rally, he vowed that his mass deportation would “rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered” from undocumented immigrants, or as he calls them, “vicious and bloodthirsty criminals.” But who is going to rescue the White House from Trump?

Regardless of political ideology, sex offenders are criminals, and it’s agreed that criminals shouldn’t take positions in government. Or so I thought. Yet clearly, some of us can’t agree; more than half of the country’s voters elected a sex offender, felon and riot inciter into the highest position of power in America — maybe the entire world. Is it even surprising that our government has become infiltrated with more of these men?

Though he withdrew his candidacy, Matt Gaetz is a prime example. A man accused of sleeping with a minor was nominated as America’s Attorney General. Do you really want a man accused of sleeping with an underage girl prosecuting federal criminal cases or handling criminal prosecution policy? Trump’s decision to nominate Gaetz is a mockery of America’s justice system and taints the image of such a high position. Fortunately, both Republican and Democrat senators blocked Gaetz’s debut in the judicial branch Nov. 21, and Trump was forced to reappoint Pam Bondi as Attorney General. Yet, Gaetz was just the beginning of Trump’s preposterous appointees. 

It is easy to get caught up and forget the privileges we have as Americans. As West students, we are privileged to a free education, supported by the government and the right to exercise free speech. While my biggest burden is paying college tuition, many youths around the world face persecution, war, poverty, violence, struggling to eat or feed their families and fighting each day for an education. Yes, many American students live through these same hardships, but you can’t blame someone for chasing a better life, even if it means crossing a border.

America isn’t a glory, but our country provides resources that give people a chance to improve their circumstances. Most unauthorized migrants aren’t criminals; a study conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety found that undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes and a quarter the rate of native-born citizens for property crimes. Instead of spending $88 billion on one-year sweeping deportation, Trump should prosecute criminals in his cabinet, Congress and the rioters from Jan. 6, 2020. Life must be lush when you can attack your nation’s Capitol and be pardoned a year later. 

I am not suggesting a loose border or approving criminal activity. Trump dehumanizes human beings looking for better lives. Unauthorized migrants are real people who want to survive in this cruel world. It is hypocritical for Trump to call these men and women criminals when he isn’t a saint. 

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About the Contributor
Gianna Liu
Gianna Liu, Print Co-Editor-in-Chief
Gianna Liu is a senior at West High. This is her third year on staff and she is the Print Co-Editor-in-Chief. When Gianna isn't busy taking photos or writing the next big story, you can find her bouncing a volleyball on the 10-foot line, watching the newest kdrama, walking 10,000 steps and volunteering.
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