Donald Trump's Consolidation of Power: Shifting From Democracy to Oligarchy

The idea of a Trump-led administration gives half of the country a headache. There is a feeling of imminent doom clouding over our heads, and his first few days in office have not been reassuring. Donald Trump, unshaken by his 45% disapproval rating, jumped headfirst into his presidential role to do all his political campaign promised. However, while these promises are desirable for some, they purposefully exclude citizens that already suffer from a great deal of discrimination. This social hierarchy creates a skewed degree of power, allowing institutions to formalize inequality through policy. Outcasted individuals are finding themselves with even less power than they had prior to Trump's presidency, and they are using this power to incite change by forming together as a collective voice against the current state of affairs. An example of this is the Women's March that erupted the day after Trump stepped into office. Motivated by Trump's pro-life ideals and his obvious disrespect for women, evinced by his "locker room talk" that surfaced during his campaign, groups of people flooded into the streets around the world to express their distaste for Trump's anti-abortion policy. The vox populi calls for media attention, which in turn gives power to the people, allowing their voices to be heard.

John Gress- Getty Images

Trump's other recent stances are just as terrifying for affected individuals. His threat to impose more violence on Chicago streets with martial law, his continuance of the Dakota Pipeline, and his attempt to start building a divisive wall between Mexico and the United States are all threats to targeted American citizens because of the violence that will erupt within their communities. Minorities, women, and LGBTQ+ people are living in fear from the realization of Trump's threat to their current rights. The fact that women are being told what they can/cannot do with their bodies, that minority bodies are subjected to harassment and violence through total institutions and hate-driven violence, and that LGBTQ+ people may be subject to conversion therapy once again are immediate threats that people are fighting against. It is unfortunate that this fight, no matter how strong, is currently ineffective because of Trump's censorship of the media.

Shannon Stapleton- Reuters

According to a recent report by Politico, Donald Trump has completely stifled the EPA in his efforts to ban climate change initiatives. His appointment of Scott Pruitt, a climate change denier, is already a huge blow to conscious environmentalists. Additionally, he has frozen the EPA's funds and current program proposals, and has cut off the EPA's communication with media outlets. This, unfortunately, is not uncommon in history. We have seen how control of the media has aided in the creation of totalitarian governments. For example, Adolf Hitler's Nazi party. The media, which is supposed to serve as the people's check on the government in our democratic system, is being heavily manipulated to give more power to Trump and his cabinet. Since World War II, the propaganda produced garnered power through concepts surrounding war and nationality. This propaganda created a segue of power, translating into our current perception of the media: the people's source of knowledge. Along with silencing the EPA, Trump has also controlled which media outlets are given information in press conferences by stating that some produce "fake news". He has also used terminology like "alternative facts" to avoid confronting his public falsities. By controlling the knowledge produced and distributed, Trump controls what citizens know about governmental affairs. This is the reason that George Orwell emphasized media usage in his text1984; governmental control over the media means control over the people through forced naivety. In 1984, Orwell predicts that this centralization of power allows the government to be controlled by an elite few. If we don't find a way to counter Trump's effect on the media, we may very well end up finding our world analogous to Orwell's. We may find ourselves in a dystopian, oligarchical society.

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