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As of Jan. 20, 2025, Republicans will have control of the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court. At the top of their chain of command will sit Donald Trump, supported by a range of controversial cabinet members who observers say were selected primarily for their deep personal loyalty to Trump himself. Trump will also enjoy the legitimacy of a popular mandate, having become the first Republican presidential candidate to win the national popular vote since 2004. In addition to all of this, Trump will begin his second term with more executive powers than any previous president in U.S. history as a result of the Supreme Court’s July 1, 2024 decision in Trump v. United States.
Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor Dr. Rashad Richey retraces how we arrived at this point and why he says 2025 will be a year defined by its disasters. Dr. Richey concludes that Congress must stand firm as a check against the power of Trump’s executive branch in order for the American idea to survive this year.
The following is an excerpt from the above video:
Let’s talk about 2025 in reality. The reality is ‘25 is probably going to be a disaster, at least policy-wise. Why? Because Donald Trump has decided he’s going to pick individuals to be in charge of policy who A) don’t know policy; B) don’t give a damn about policy; and C) don’t know policy.
Understand that each organization is basically a permeation of the leader. When the leader is incapable of holding anyone accountable to a particular standard, then the managers and supervisors, and then, yes, the employees will not be held to the standard of service for you. This country has not developed based on the notion of serving a man. It’s based on the notion, at least allegedly, of serving us, the citizens of the country.
Now, granted, we may have differences of opinion and we may look at one thing in different ways, but at least we care about the one thing. You see, policy is the point. Politics is not personality, it’s not. Policy is the point. It’s the entire reason we vote for individuals to represent and advocate for us at the Capitol. But when you decide to trade in policy in order to receive a personality, what happens to the agenda of the people? Well, it gets lost. It gets lost in the shuffle.
But understand the void. Well, something will fill it, and what’s filling the void now? Well, millionaires and individuals who would never check Trump, would never provide exacting advocacy for you, members of Congress in the Republican Party who have decided to bend in places where the backbone should not. This becomes your representative class. They are the individuals who are supposed to be your line of defense.
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