USA – The News Reel

Donald Trump, whether you swing to the left or the right side of the political spectrum you can’t avoid the man. The billionaire politician that has made a name for himself judging fashion shows, demonising minorities, trying to build an unscalable wall and holding onto the role of presidency tighter than a toddler to a lollipop. Recently Trump has again maintained his iron grip on the Oval Office as he was acquitted in his impeachment trial. A trial in which Trump was acquitted of the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of congress. A trial in which Trump was 20 votes in the US Senate short of losing. And a trial that those that testified and voted against Trump in are already starting to hear that famous phrase of his “You’re fired!”
This however raises the question of what does it mean to be President in a country that has for so long prided itself as the land of the free? The American Dream has always been one that is marketed as a rags to riches story with freedom and triumph over prejudice as its central theme. The statue of liberty boldly displays the Emma Lazarus quote Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these the homeless, tempest tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door. The question though is raised of what does this sentiment mean in a modern world and in a country under a president that does not often represent this sentiment?

When a president can mock a sixteen year old activist on Twitter, separate toddlers from their parents at the border and brag about assaulting women, what does that mean for the country he rules? A land of the free cannot mean free for only a select group of people, after all the founding fathers wrote We, the People, not Some of us, the People.
The impeachment hearing may be over and once again Mr. Trump may have held onto his shiny desk in that historic office and whoever you support politically, the political landscape can currently seem rather bleak. There is, though, still light in this tunnel. That light lies with you. The double-edged sword of freedom and democracy means that whatever politics you support you have the right to support it, you can make the change. Whether that is through voting in the next election, educating yourself on what is happening, joining a movement you believe in or simply being kind to your neighbour, the power and the future of the land of the free lies with you. So whether you choose to follow Gandhi’s example of be the change you wish to see in the world or simply the words of Dr. Seuss’ Lorax, unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, its not, the future is in your hands.