By Arthur Clinton, Second year, English.
Donald Trump achieved a decisive election victory over Kamala Harris in 2024, winning all 7 swing-states and gaining 86 more electoral votes than his opposition. A recent Washington Post-Schar School poll revealed that Trump’s economic policies, and his history as a businessman, were the reasons that one-third of his swing-state voters ultimately chose him.
With his golf courses, resorts, and real estate portfolio contributing an estimated $1.8 billion to his net worth, it’s safe to say that Trump is at the head of a property empire, and he seems to be taking his business venture mindset into his second stint as President.
At a rally in Flint, Michigan during his 2024 election campaign, Trump dismissed the importance of addressing global warming and the risk that rising sea levels pose. He claimed that a rise in sea levels would result in ‘more seafront property’, asking the crowd: ‘Isn’t that a good thing? If I have a little property on the ocean, I have a little bit more property, I have a little bit more ocean.’ Aside from denying the threat that climate change poses, Trump seems to revel in the idea of more coveted beachfront property; ignoring the low-lying island nations at risk of disappearing entirely, in favour of an increased valuation on his property portfolio. His approach encourages a complete lack of accountability and concern for the future in US policy-making.
In the months preceding his presidency, Trump showed interest in expanding US territory into Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Canada; he cited strategic and economic security as his justification. He stated that he was prepared to use ‘economic force’ to acquire Canada and turn it into the 51st United State, and has not ruled out using military force to expand into Greenland and Panama. Trump’s dogmatic focus on economic growth is appearing to manifest itself in a neo-colonial rhetoric; he wants more land, because more land equals more money for the United States economy.
Inauguration day saw Trump sign the ‘Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness’ executive order, which renamed the Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America’ across the United States. Although a laughable and egocentric executive decision to make, I wonder if there is a more ominous plan looming; perhaps Trump hopes to pave the way for US expansion further into the Gulf in the near future.
Questioned on the day of his inauguration regarding the ceasefire in Gaza, President Trump was wholly focused on the potential the area had for development. He described the ruined city as ‘a massive demolition site’, stating, with no concern for the tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed since October 2023, ‘[Gaza]’s a phenomenal location, on the sea, best weather’ and that ‘some beautiful things could be done with it’. One can’t help but wonder if President Trump is imagining a seaside golf course and resort on Palestinian land. He speaks of an active war zone with a worrying lack of empathy, proving his government’s foreign policy to be narrow-minded and unashamedly business-centric.
Trump has even asked Jordan and Egypt to take in more Palestinian refugees to enable a ‘clean out’ of Gaza, admitting that it might be a long-term move for the Palestinians. In the same press conference, the President confirmed that the US had resumed the shipment of 2,000lb bombs to Israel ‘because they bought them’, explicitly valuing business above peace for the Palestinian people.
In a press conference on the 4th of February, Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (who is wanted by the ICC for war crimes in the Israel-Hamas war) to the White House. He proposed ‘the idea of the United States owning that piece of land [Gaza], developing and creating thousands of jobs with something magnificent’. Later in the conference, he claimed that 1.8 million Gazans would be resettled elsewhere whilst the area is redeveloped. In the name of US economic growth, Trump is keen to sacrifice the homes of nearly 2 million Palestinians in favour of thousands of jobs. His priorities are clear, and they are detached from the suffering of millions.
President Trump followed his comments up on the 26th of February, posting an AI-generated video of ‘Trump Gaza’ that depicted the Palestinian city as a Vegas-style resort where it rains money from the sky, and Elon Musk’s Teslas line the streets. The video also contains an enormous golden statue of Trump standing in the middle of Gaza, a clear sign of the personal influence and economic involvement the President desires in Palestine. Although the original creators claim it was intended as a piece of political satire, Trump sharing the video on various social media platforms reveals his egocentric intentions and economic fantasies.
For me, the Trump administration is a warning to voters and governments around the world; running a country like a business leaves social, ethical, and environmental concerns ignored whilst profit-driven foreign policy reduces people to economic assets rather than humans with rights and freedom.
Featured Image: Tiziano Brignoli / Unsplash
What do you make of President Trump's business-style approach to governing?
