January 30, 2025

Trump’s first eight days: a blueprint for regression

topic:	Political violence
located:	USA
editor:	Nour Ghantous

It took Donald Trump just over a week to prove that his second presidency would be just as destructive - if not worse - than the first. In eight days, he has bulldozed through climate policies, immigrant rights, international diplomacy and the very concept of democracy. Each decision feels like a wrecking ball aimed at progress. Here’s a breakdown of the damage so far.

1. Withdrawing from the Paris Climate agreement- again

One of Trump’s first moves was to yank the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement again, undoing Biden’s 2021 reinstatement. It’s a blatant declaration that America will no longer cooperate in the global fight against climate change. The consequences? Rising emissions, diplomatic alienation and a free pass for polluting industries to keep destroying the planet. The US is the world’s second-largest carbon emitter; its withdrawal leaves a gaping hole in international efforts to curb global warming. For frontline communities already facing droughts, floods and wildfires, this isn’t just policy - it’s a matter of life and death.

2. Cancelling student visas for pro-Palestine protesters

In a move reminiscent of authoritarianism, Trump’s administration has begun revoking student visas for foreign nationals participating in pro-Palestinian protests. Universities have long been spaces for free expression, but this decision weaponises immigration policy to silence dissent. It sends a clear message: Speak out against US foreign policy, and you’ll be sent packing. The human rights implications are evident: the criminalisation of protesting and the dangerous precedent for political repression.

3. Readying Guantánamo for 30,000 migrants

Expanding a longstanding practice by both Republican and Democrat governments, Trump signed a memorandum to expand Guantánamo Bay - not to house suspected terrorists, but to detain up to 30,000 migrants. This is a grotesque escalation of his war on immigration, branding those fleeing poverty and violence as enemies of the state or “criminal illegal aliens.”. Guantánamo has a notorious history of human rights abuses, including torture and indefinite detention without trial. Now, it risks becoming a mega-prison for people whose only crime is seeking a better life.

4. Withdrawing from the WHO

As the world grapples with new health crises, Trump has decided the US no longer needs the World Health Organization. His reasoning? The same accusations he peddled in 2020 - that the WHO is biased and incompetent. Cutting ties with the world’s top public health body endangers global cooperation on disease prevention, vaccine distribution, and pandemic response. It’s a move that prioritises political theatrics over human lives.

5. “Drill, Baby, Drill” becomes policy

During his inaugural address, Trump delivered a line that sent shivers down every climate scientist’s spine: “We will drill, baby, drill.” He wasted no time making good on that promise, fast-tracking new oil and gas projects and gutting environmental protections. His message is clear - renewable energy is out, fossil fuels are king. This means more pipelines through Indigenous land, more offshore drilling, more emissions and more environmental destruction, all in the name of short-term economic gain.

6. Trying to overturn birthright citizenship

For years, Trump has fantasised about gutting the 14th Amendment, which guarantees birthright citizenship. Now, he’s attempting to make it a reality. His latest executive order seeks to strip citizenship from children born to undocumented immigrants. If successful, it would create a new class of stateless individuals, stripping them of fundamental rights and legal protections. It’s a direct assault on the Constitution, fueled by his obsession with an exclusionary, whitewashed vision of America. For now, the executive order has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge who called the order “blatantly unconstitutional.

7. Reviving the Greenland fantasy

Trump is once again fixated on acquiring Greenland, a Danish-administered territory. Danish officials and the global community laughed off his first attempt in 2019. He’s at it again, citing “strategic interests” and Greenland’s rich mineral deposits. But this isn’t just a geopolitical absurdity - it’s a looming environmental catastrophe. Greenland’s melting ice sheets are a ticking time bomb for rising sea levels, and Trump’s plans would only accelerate that destruction. Worse still, it disregards the rights of Greenland’s Indigenous Inuit population, who have made it clear they don’t want US ownership.

8. Threatening to take the Panama Canal by force

Flexing his imperialist muscles, Trump has now openly threatened to “take back” the Panama Canal by force. Following a treaty signed decades earlier, the canal has been under Panamanian control since 1999. Trump’s threat is not only a violation of international law but a reckless provocation that could destabilise Central America. It’s a reminder that his foreign policy operates on brute force and intimidation, not diplomacy.

What comes next?

If these first days are any indication, Trump 2.0 will be even more aggressive in dismantling rights, protections and global stability. These decisions aren’t just about political ideology - they have devastating consequences for the planet and the people on it. The question isn’t whether Trump will keep pushing regressive policies - it’s how much damage he can do before he’s challenged.

Image by Tayeb MEZAHDIA.