Irish Examiner view: Trump's hollow legacy of mayhem

Irish Examiner

29-04-2025

Today is the 100th day since Donald Trump swore an oath of allegiance to the American constitution as he took office as the 47th president of that great nation. Never before has such a short time been utilised to wreak so much havoc on domestic and international economic and political affairs.
In 1933, when Franklin D Roosevelt took office, America underwent an earthshaking 15-week period in which the relationship between its people and their government was rewritten.
Back then, Roosevelt's legislative onslaught was aimed at expanding the role of the federal government in ordinary people's lives at a time when the Great Depression had left a ravaging impact on the US.
His imposition of radical change was noteworthy because congress came together to pass more than a dozen major laws in his first 100 days in office.
Today, Trump's blitzkrieg has centred on a barrage of executive orders, none of which were approved or sanctioned by legislators and most of which are now subject to court actions, leaving his tempestuous moves open to reversal.
While Trump has characteristically cited Roosevelt as a model, when it comes to his own impact and importance in the greater picture of American history, it is doubtful he will be remembered is the same way as his predecessor.
Certainly, Trump's shutting down of agencies such as the US Agency for International Development, his unceremonious sacking of thousand of federal employees, his imposition of far-reaching tariffs on America's trading partners, his elimination of diversity programmes, and his sundering of education funding, have created waves.
However, his assault on the fabric of US government will almost certainly not create the climate to allow on his campaign axiom of making America great again.
Roosevelt, on the other hand, put in place laws which have stood the test of time. Nothing in the more than 200 executive orders Trump has issued is likely to last beyond his second term in office.
To date in his presidency, only one significant piece of legislation — apart from required budget measures — has passed through congress. The Laken Reilly Act, which allows undocumented immigrants accused of theft-related crimes to be detained, is that single new law.
By comparison with Roosevelt's achievements, Trump's claims to have laid the foundations for a new political majority ring hollow.
This period of his second term will not be remembered for its impact on American society, but for the mayhem imposed on its citizens and its international allies.
McGregor chaos teaches a lesson
For an organisation which has such a historic fellowship with secrecy, the Masons have not been having a good time lately keeping their business to themselves.
Two incidents — both involving controversial MMA fighter and presumptive presidential candidate Conor McGregor — plunged the Masonic Order in Ireland into controversy.
First, there was the interview between McGregor and American right-wing media provocateur Tucker Carlson, which took place at the Freemasons Hall on Dublin's Molesworth St. Then there was the filming of a video for a band on McGregor's record label — at the same venue — in which a sex act was performed.
To say that it is uncharacteristic for the Grand Lodge of the Freemasons of Ireland to become involved in such polemic events would be an understatement.
Even if, as might be reasonably suspected, they were duped into believing that their property was being hired for other purposes, it suggests a certain naivety on their behalf.
For an organisation that prides itself on its moral rectitude and the high ethical fabric of its membership, the Masons were caught with their guard down.
The Freemasons themselves put their hands up, saying that if the participants and content of these events had been known, the bookings would not have been accepted. They donated the booking fee to charity by way of atonement.
The Masons were nonetheless remorseful and mortified, as they should have been, but theirs is a lesson learned. It is a lesson too for many other organisations who might find themselves being put in an appalling position by people whose moral standards leave a lot to be desired.
Costing lives
It seems baffling and incomprehensible that central funds for roads improvements have been refused by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) at a time when the Government is struggling to implement plans to promote road safety here.
With the numbers of deaths on Irish roads being of constant concern to the authorities, it would appear reasonable to assume that all of the factors which contribute to the safety of drivers on our highways and byways should be considered when such huge efforts are being made to reduce the carnage on them.
Cork County Council recently applied to TII for funds to allow it carry out remedial work on a number of roads it had deemed unsafe. Indeed, council officials are so dismayed by the state of some of our secondary roads, they have described them as 'crumbling'.
Why then are such obvious concerns being overlooked by those controlling the spend on such projects? Why are local authorities having to put speed restrictions on certain stretches of road because their underlying structures cannot cope with the demands of modern-day traffic?
We are constantly being reminded of our responsibilities while using the roads, but surely there is a responsibility too with regard to the maintenance of the network to ensure it is as safe as is possible for those driving on them.
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