President Donald Trump was sworn into office nearly two weeks ago, and he has already issued a plethora of executive orders to put in motion the promises on which he built his campaign, despite speculation that he may change his stance on certain issues.
As of Jan. 25, Trump has issued 12 total executive orders, many of which have come under fire from several “dishonest” news sources. In reality, the media has blown the orders a bit out of proportion.
An executive order is an command given by the President to an agency or agencies in the executive branch to associate materials and agencies to execute an action or movement. It is always in the President’s rights to issue these orders, which can come under legal review if needed.
Easily the most controversial of Trump’s early acts has been the so called “Muslim Ban”, or officially, “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”, issued Jan. 27. The order bans visas from citizens of seven nations: Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, for at least 90 days until “extreme vetting” is implemented for immigration from those nations. Not only that, but the United States Refugee Admissions Office that welcomed thousands of fleeing refugees in 2016 will be shut down for 120 days. Only exceptions for the policy will be diplomatic travelers and “green card” holders, who are legally housed in the United States and are free to move from place to place.
The reaction has been volcanic, to say the least.
Millions of protests across the country erupted in airports, streets, and public areas. Democrats in Congress quickly began preparations for the legal motion. Washington state is preparing a challenge to the law with large company support from Amazon and Expedia. “#MuslimBan” was trending along with “#StopPresidentBannon,” referring to Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, “#StopSessions,” referring to voting Jeff Sessions to the office of Attorney General, and “#ReasonsToProtest,” encouraging those who maybe feel reluctant to come out and protest.
The problem is, Donald Trump was elected by us.
We can’t all of a sudden be shocked by what he has done so far, because it is what he has been campaigning for all along. The wall building campaign was kicked off with the “Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements,” the repeal of the infamous ObamaCare was targeted in Executive Order 13765, signed on Inauguration Day, and the temporary ban of Middle Eastern immigration was soon after enacted.
The fact of the matter is, no matter how you felt about the 2016 election, whether Blue or Red, pro-Electoral College or against it, Donald Trump is our president, and it is our obligation to give him a chance to prove us wrong about him.
Photo courtesy of cnn.com.
