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Trump: Why I am not Looking Forward to the next 4 years

Trump: Why I am not Looking Forward to the next 4 years

Last updated on: January 14, 2025 at 7:36 pm by Rob Dalrymple

Trump: Why I am not Looking Forward to the next 4 years 2025-01-14T19:36:45-08:00 Rob Dalrymple

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The Trump Presidency begins in a few weeks. Are you concerned?

Well, I am sure that Donald Trump’s election will provide plenty of material for this blog. This does not mean that I am excited. Actually, I am quite fearful.

Of course, please don’t misunderstand: I pray that I am wrong. In fact, I will try to keep this post handy so that I can repost it 4 years from now in order to report any fears that prove unfounded. I hope that this article, four years from now, will be much longer than this post. I suspect that it may be a blank report.

Now, I realize some readers might wonder why I am so concerned with Trump’s presidency. Before I say anything further, it should be known that I had much to say about the Biden administration. I spoke often about the militarism of the American system and Biden’s proclivity for fighting endless wars. I believe that Biden and many within his administration should be brought before the international justice system, to say nothing about the American justice system, for violations of international and domestic laws.

If I had any comfort (which is certainly not the correct word) with the notion of a Trump presidency, it would have been because I believed he might end the US involvement in America’s endless wars. However, even here, there is concern that Trump will concede to the power and influence of the Military Industrial Complex.

NB: We did a powerful livestream on the MIC in Aug of 2024.

So, yes, I am aware of the arguments of those who support Trump. Namely, that he is not a part of the establishment (the Deep State) and, therefore, will not succumb to them.
What, then, are my particular concerns with the coming Trump presidency?

NB: you may disagree with my concerns. That is fine. These are my concerns. They may not be yours. You may have other concerns that I have not listed. That does not mean that they are not of concern to me. Instead, it may reflect that I put this list together too hastily.

The poor

I am very concerned that Trump’s presidency will aim to line the pockets of the rich and powerful and that he will do so at the expense of the poor. He has already indicated that he plans to appoint a dozen or more billionaires to posts within his administration, which should be of grave concern.

Race/racism/gender/sexuality

For many justifiable reasons, I believe that Trump supports patriarchal white supremacists and that this will be manifested in far worse forms during his second presidency.

Educational inequality

I believe that education is one of the primary keys to creating a just society. The early indications are that Trump will eliminate the Dept of Education. I believe that this will greatly affect inner-city schools and only intensify injustices.

The Palestinians

I have written about this ad nauseum over the past number of years, and I strongly suspect that things will only get worse under Trump. Get worse? How could they possibly get worse than Biden’s support for genocide?

Immigrants

Now, I get the argument that we need safe borders to protect us from foreign infiltrators—though I would say that if the US weren’t causing trouble around the world, there might well be a lot fewer people wanting to infiltrate our country and bring destruction upon us. With that being said, I have no problem with securing our borders.

I am concerned that many people who are legally in the US will suffer from Trump’s border policies. It is not acceptable to chalk up the suffering of US citizens to “collateral damage.” The idea that to get rid of all the illegals, some of who are valid US citizens, may get caught in the crossfire is unexceptable. The only way we could be at peace with such a position is if we are not concerned that we or our loved ones will be among those who suffer. Whatever happened to “Weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15)?

Voter disenfranchisement

This concern overlaps with #1 (the poor) and #2 (race) above. I fear that Trump and his minions will do all they can to restrict voting rights in such a way that the poor and those of color will be excised from the voting registry. Now, you might say that if they are valid US citizens in good standing with the law, they should have nothing to fear. But this is seriously naïve.

It is difficult for the poor and others to pay for birth certificates and to obtain the needed documentation. It is not always easy for an elderly person to travel to a government office to supply them with the proper paperwork. The idea of making sure only qualified voters have the right to vote has all the earmarks of shunning those whom “we”—i.e., those in power—define as not qualified voters from voting.

The deep state

The US empire is no different from any other powerful empire. To suppose that Trump will not acquiesce to the deep state naively undermines how powerful the deep state is.

I am sure that there will be much more. Time will tell.

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About Rob Dalrymple

1298/2021/04/RobDalrymple-200x300.jpg Rob Dalrymple is married to his wife Toni and is the father of four fabulous children, and two grandchildren. He has been teaching and pastoring for over 34 years at colleges, seminaries, and the local church. He has a PhD in biblical interpretation. He is the author of four books (including Follow the Lamb: A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the Book of Revelation & Understanding the New Testament and the End Times: Why it Matters) as well as numerous articles and other publications. His commentary on the book of Revelation titled, “Revelation: a Love Story” (Cascade Books, July 2024) has just been released. His new book, Land of Contention: Biblical Narratives and the Struggle for the Holy Land is available now on Amazon or wherever you get your books You can read more about the author here.

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Column

Trump: Why I am not Looking Forward to the next 4 years

The poor

Race/racism/gender/sexuality

Educational inequality

The Palestinians

Immigrants

Voter disenfranchisement

The deep state

How many minor prophets are there in the Old Testament?