Trump's First Month: A Review

Feb. 20 marked the last day of Trump’s first month in the presidential office. Since his official first day last January, Trump has caught the attention of the world with his controversial choices so far, such as his immigration ban against seven countries of Muslim-majority. Meanwhile, Trump’s cabinet has continued to remain unorganized, with members resigning or being fired by the president almost daily. Accusations of “fake news” towards popular media outlets such as CNN by the president have also caused major controversy.
Trump’s sudden ban on refugees from entering the country caused public outcry across the nation and the world, with protesters gathering in airports across the country to show their disapproval. The weekend after the order was put into place, celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher spoke openly about their distaste for Trump’s immigration ban at the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards. Kutcher, who welcomed audiences at home and abroad, stated in his opening address, “Good evening, fellow SAG-AFTRA members and everyone at home – and everyone in airports that belong in my America! You are a part of the fabric of who we are and we love you and we welcome you!”
Trump’s attempt to ban such refugees from entering the country was short lived, as it was deemed unlawful by federal courts on Feb. 9. Not only did the ban violate the constitution, but it lacked specificity and demonstrated genuine prejudice, making it unsuccessful.
President Trump has been using the term “fake news” to express his distaste for media outlets such as CNN and even critically acclaimed newspapers such as the New York Times. However, the use of this term by Trump is completely unjustified, as he only appears to use it when the media is not working in his favor. He bragged to a press conference that he had “the biggest electoral college win since Ronald Reagan.” NBC’s Peter Alexander proved Trump’s information to be false with verified information proving that there had in fact been more impressive electoral college wins than Trump’s in the years after Ronald Reagan. When confronted with this information, Trump backtracked and ignored Alexander.
“He’s lying and insulting people and is just horrible. He is banning people who have a right to be here,” said Alyssa Thompson ‘19.
This event is deeply concerning, as Trump continues to claim that the media has been releasing “fake news” when in many instances, the news sources in question can be deemed factual. Meanwhile, Trump continues to lie to the American public and produce false information about his administration, as evidenced in the press conference aforementioned. Americans should be able to rely on the president and news sources for trustworthy information. However, if the president is lying to Americans and producing false information whilst claiming that other news outlets themselves are the ones producing “fake news”, mass confusion is bound to ensue.