How much of the dramatic changes that Donald Trump ordered implemented on Day One of his second presidential term will actually push through?
And equally important, how much of his ideas, which gave him and his Republican party a sweeping victory, are shared worldwide?
As expected, Trump’s flurry of executive orders faced legal challenges within a day after the EOs were issued.
Whether or not the orders are actually implemented, however, it bears watching if the ideas he is espousing will spread far beyond the United States, even as he pursues his America-first policy.
After all, the “red tsunami” that rolled across the US last November, giving Republicans control not only of the White House but also of Capitol Hill and possibly the Supreme Court, showed most Americans warmly embracing Trump’s ideas.
Pre-election surveys had failed to project the Republican sweep; all the top pollsters saw a close race. This has fueled speculation that there is a silent majority in America that does not give genuine responses to surveys. Are there similar silent majorities in other countries, waiting to express their true sentiments in elections?
Among Trump’s most controversial orders, which might inspire similar policies in other countries, are those concerning illegal immigration, official recognition only of two genders (the one at birth), withdrawal of birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, disincentives for work-from-home arrangements, and his withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organization and the Paris climate accord.
Will Trump’s views on “woke” policies affecting the LGBTQ community and promoting diversity, equity and inclusivity also spread worldwide? Or are they already widespread? Effective 5 p.m. Wednesday US time, federal employees under DEI programs were considered on administrative leave.
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In our country, President Marcos’ condemnation of “woke absurdities” related to young children’s gender identification is enjoying support from a significant segment of the population that holds traditional, conservative views on sexuality.
I don’t think BBM’s views on woke issues were influenced in any way by Trump.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Risa Hontiveros filed a substitute measure amending her controversial Senate Bill 1979, the proposed Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act. This was after seven senators withdrew their signatures from the committee report on SB 1979.
A key amendment is the deletion of the line that comprehensive sexuality education would be “guided by international standards.” International guidelines on CSE, however, emphasize that they should be culturally sensitive and adopted to the social norms and values of a country; there is no one-size-fits-all.
At least Trump is not railing against children’s sex education. He’s in no position to do so, after being convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records to pay a porn star hush money during his 2016 campaign for the presidency.
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Still, seeing what’s happening in Trump’s America, people in other countries may also be encouraged to vote for candidates who are pushing back against what they deem to be excesses in liberal policies. Or, in the words of BBM, “abhorrent... woke absurdities.”
Apart from the new policies on gender, which would affect employment, health care and other benefits for same-sex partners and the LGBTQ community in general, Trump’s promised crackdown on illegal immigration is being closely watched especially in countries that are the top destinations for refugees and other immigrants.
Already, anti-immigrant sentiment has helped propel to power right-wing populists in several countries.
Meanwhile, work-from-home arrangements, which became a necessity during the COVID pandemic, are also being rolled back across the globe.
Governments are also watching how Trump would deal with TikTok, which he still wants to be owned in the US by non-Chinese. Trump has said he is open to having his close adviser, billionaire Elon Musk or Oracle CEO Larry Ellison buy TikTok USA. Musk, head of Tesla and SpaceX, has been named by Trump to head the Department of Government Efficiency (exact status still unclear) together with tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Trump’s coziness with his fellow billionaires has raised concern that his administration would be characterized by crony capitalism – another disease in dysfunctional democracies.
Some of Trump’s controversial moves aren’t expected to inspire similar actions outside the US.
He is not alone in his views about the WHO being biased for China, especially at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. But he could be all by his lonesome in his withdrawal of the US from the WHO. (Liechtenstein is the only UN member that is not a member of the WHO, citing the membership cost for its tiny population – 39,584 as of 2023 – and its tiny land area of just 160 square kilometers.)
But the loss of $500 million a year in US contribution (too high, Trump says, compared to China’s $40 million) will surely impact WHO services especially in poor countries. Withdrawal becomes final after a year, and the WHO has issued a statement urging Trump to reconsider his move.
As for his promise to “drill, baby, drill,” US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement – the second time it has done so – will also take effect after a year. Only Iran, Libya and Yemen are out of the agreement, and there has been no stampede to join them among other states.
What Trump is doing with democracy, however, could influence other countries, especially those where the worst aspects of democracy reign.
Beyond moving to prevent the further weakening of democratic institutions, the reasons for the popular appeal of Trump’s ideas must be understood, and confronted without stoking an even stronger pushback against liberal ideas