Actions of the Trump administration will foster corruption, will not promote civility

Yahoo

5 days ago

Many in the United States consider Donald Trump to be a savior. To the contrary, he and the actions of some in his administration will foster corruption and ongoing incivility in our society.
Consider the gift of a luxury Boeing 747 from Qatar to replace Air Force One. The jet fetched $400 million when new. Some estimates it will cost $1 billion to retrofit the plane to Air Force One standards. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accepted the gift.
Two provisions in the U.S. Constitution place restrictions on gifts to the president. The one relevant here prohibits the president or any elected official from receiving gifts from a 'King, Prince, or foreign State' without congressional approval. What kind of example does accepting this gift give to the rest of our country, especially to our youths?
In a recent meeting at the Oval Office with Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, Trump purported to show a mass burial site of white farmers. The photo was, in fact, a burial site from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Trump purveyed other inaccuracies in the meeting, and has actually brought white South Africans to the U. S. while other refugees ― people of color. What message is being sent? Does this promote civility toward people of all races?
Consider some in Trump's administration. Hegseth used his personal phone on a Signal chat exchange about national security issues, including a recent military strike in Yemen. He also reportedly has the unclassified app Signal installed on his computer in the Pentagon.
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Kristi Noem, the former governor of South Dakota (the first woman elected to that position), gained notoriety when she admitted to shooting her dog, Cricket, as well as a goat. These acts of cruelty were witnessed; otherwise, who knows if she would have admitted to them? Noem is now the director of Homeland Security. During a recent Senate hearing, she did not know the meaning of "habeas corpus," claiming that the term refers to the president's authority to deport criminals. In fact, the writ of habeas corpus requires the government to publicly justify detaining or imprisoning someone.
Finally, there's Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, whose misunderstanding of health and medicine is epic.
It's also worth mentioning Trump's 'big beautiful budget' bill, which contains a provision disallowing courts from using funds to hold executive branch officers in contempt. House Republicans want to cut Medicaid; their bill will also trigger over $500 billion in Medicare cuts. Meanwhile, the poor and retirees brace to lose their health care coverage.
Unless you're fabulously wealthy, you'll suffer under this administration. The incompetence alone is damaging our country; corrupt actions threaten even more damage to the fabric of our society. For those who actually care about the U. S., now is the time to speak out and act.
Nancy E. Snow is a professor of philosophy at the University of Kansas. She formerly was a philosophy professor at the University of Oklahoma and director of the Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Trump administration does not promote civility | Opinion