By Alex Pinsk || Assistant Opinion & Editorial Editor
Since being elected, Trump has made it clear that he is unfit to be president. He has threatened to wage war against Mexico, stated that he is ready to downcut much-needed funding for the United Nations, and installed under-qualified family members in government positions. He has provoked different countries, namely China, and their leaders over social media. He has issued certain Executive Orders out of ignorance and lack of experience, declared American Intelligence Agencies unsuitable, and suggested that these agencies “might be turning the United States into something akin to Nazi Germany” according to New York Magazine. These are only a few of the many potentially dangerous feats with which Trump is prepared to move forward.
Maybe you are aware of these insane ideas, maybe you have read an article mentioning one or two, maybe you have not heard of some of them at all. This is because while the media would like to write about every little thing – produce articles that uncover everything controversial that Donald Trump has said and done – at this point, it is nearly impossible. The media has to pick and choose what it publishes now more than ever because there is so much that is happening around the subject of Trump that no one can keep up.
Essentially, we are scared. We see a mention of the wall that Trump wants to build, we hear that he has forgotten the contents of a treaty during important phone calls, and it makes us nervous. All of these constant bits and pieces are unsettling. What is even more unsettling, however, is the fact that there is so much that we are not hearing about with regard to Trump because the media cannot possibly publish everything. In fact, most people only get their news from a couple of news-sources, thus, limiting what kinds of news they see.
Back a year or two ago we saw articles saying that Donald Trump was threatening to run for president. Many of us laughed off these articles, made memes of this man who so many of us could never see as a politician, and essentially just assumed that it was a joke and that Trump would never end up on our ballots let alone in the White House. However, we were wrong.
However much certain elements from different media sites may seem to be humorous, may seem completely improbable, I think Trump’s presidency has proven that, in fact, the most unlikely situations can occur whether we like it or not. We must be aware of what we are reading in the media, and we cannot brush anything over our shoulders however funny it might appear. More importantly, we must dig. It is important to be aware of what is going on and the only way to get a broad view of the happenings nationally and internationally is to read different news sources, to unearth the news that is hidden or purely not included because there was no room.
It is a difficult feat to be an informed citizen, but it is also one of the most important jobs that we have.
First-year Alex Pinsk is the Assistant Opinion & Editorial Editor. Her email is mpinsk@fandm.edu.