A freeze on federal hiring, banning immigration from seven countries, erasing climate change actions and deregulating Wall Street are all actions the current president has taken since his swearing-in Jan. 20. Many of the actions have been executive orders, but President Trump is also commander in chief, and he has soldiers to answer to as well as the rest of the United State of America.
Curtis Hall, IU student and Navy veteran, said Trump is handicapping the government by giving orders without prior approval and no plan for the details.
“He is violating the Constitution,” Hall said. “This is not what I fought for, lost friends for and tried to save. He does not represent my America.”
Hall said he thinks people are buying into the sensationalism Trump spread, and instead of doing research on the subjects, they just believed him.
“I have lots of family who were supporters of Trump,” Hall said. “My Republican military friends were also supporters. They saw a need for change and did not think Clinton was a valid choice.”
Hall said he is worried the new policies will affect how the U.S. is seen on a global perspective. He said he fears, among other things, that the ban will result in the loss of troops’ lives. He is worried locals will not see troops as people they can trust. This may degrade relations and put lives at risk, he said.
Miles Vining, former infantry marine graduated from IU in December 2016, disagrees with Hall. He said he does not think the immigration ban in particular will affect the safety of troops, but the locals just do not care.
Vining said veterans are as diverse as the rest of the population and in more careers than he can count and cannot speak on behalf of all vets. He said he did not vote for President Trump, but he is doing some things right.
Vining writes for the firearm blog and said he is a proponent of the Second Amendment and so seems to be Trump.
“Trump is the best option for the industry,” Vining said. “He is passing a hearing protection act and making parts more accessible.”
Despite his assurances that Trump and the military are on the same side, the president does not have Vining’s unwavering support.
“The guy is an idiot and a moron,” Vining said. “But he is trying to be more endearing to the military, trying to show he cares. Although the LGBT community probably is unhappy.”
He flew out to see the widow of the Navy Seal killed in Yemen and says he is making an effort to show he cares.
Others like Thomas Stewart, a junior at IU, disagree.
President Trump publicly mocked veterans who had post traumatic stress disorder and said they are not as strong as those who do not suffer from PTSD.
“Any politician can fly out to a grieving widow,” Stewart said. “The way he treated veterans who had PTSD showed what he really thinks of veterans.”
Stewart has been living on military bases all his life before moving to Bloomington. Stewart’s father is retired from the Navy and his brother is currently on active duty.
Stewart said he doesn’t know if the president will keep his campaign promises, but Stewart hopes he will respect the needs of service members and their families. Stewart is not sure the president will be able to handle foreign policy.
“He does not have the background to truly appreciate the gravity of a situation,” Stewart said. “He lacks planning, and he does not know when a situation is too conflagrated and getting out of hand.”
Stewart said he wishes the president would focus military efforts on humanitarian issues.
He is concerned the president will focus on projecting strength and force. It is the humanitarian efforts that show our virtue as a nation, Stewart said.
