President Donald J. Trump has been a bombastic, controversial figure for decades. He became famous in the 1980s when he built the luxury Trump Tower in Manhattan, but by the early 1990s he had bankrupted 3 casinos and was $3 billion in debt.
Trump then changed his business strategy, focusing more on building the Trump brand and less on construction and borrowing money, since banks were hesitant to lend him any.
He began licensing the Trump name to luxury hotels and properties worlwide, making him appear richer and more successful than he actually was.
He parlayed the Trump brand into “The Apprentice reality TV series, which cemented the public perception that Trump was a brilliant business tycoon and ultimately helped to propel Trump to the presidency.
This presidency’s hallmarks include a unique scope of scandals. More than 50 high-ranking people in his administration have resigned or been fired in the past two years.
Trump has surrounded himself with criminals, many who have been indicted or found guilty by Robert Mueller’s probe.
Under this shadow of incompetence lies a vicious cruel streak for people who are not “just like him” – straight, white and Christian.
Though, to be fair, Trump’s “Christianity” has been questioned – many doubt he’s religious at all – but Trump puts on the religious façade because he courts the evangelical right, a major part of his political base.
This administration has fought to remove hard-won rights from LGBTQ Americans.
On another front, Trump has presided over a cabinet that chose a cruel deterrence policy in dealing with refugees seeking asylum in the U.S.
This administration has divided children from their parents and housed thousands of innocent people in tent cities. To be clear: the act of seeking asylum is not illegal; it’s a right that’s protected under United States and international law.
You can’t request asylum from your own country; you must go to the a country.
These controversies foster an atmosphere of chaos for this country. It can be exhausting, but it’s crucial to stay informed.
Go to isidewith.com or aclu.org to learn about current topics. Follow reporters on Twitter to learn more about the issues when you’re on social media. Above all, don’t become calloused to Trump’s chaos and corruption.
