Editorial: President Trump, We Will Be Watching Your Actions

A new era begins with Donald Trump’s oath to office. This is the time to be vigilant of the actions of the new government, which arrives with the lowest approval ratings and a false belief that it has a popular mandate.

As a new administration enters, it would be good to talk about hope instead of danger. However, the actions of the President-Elect during the transition period do not calm the anxiety he provoked during his presidential campaign. On the contrary, they heighten it. The wish that Trump’s most questionable actions would be replaced by something more presidential after his triumph in the election did not come true.

His aggressive and divisive tone was enhanced, as he sees anyone who does not agree with him as his enemy. The hyper-sensibility that drives him to fight anyone who criticizes him, however big or small, was relentless. His narcissistic ego made him humiliate defeated candidate Hillary Clinton and government agencies, and to praise anything coming from Vladimir Putin.

His poor relationship with the media, which he says is dishonest, is a strategy to discredit reports of an unusual and turbulent transition full of contradictions, peculiarities and unanswered questions. His misuse of Twitter did not improve either.

On the other hand, his cabinet selection is disastrous. The government, far from representing the populism that took him to the White House, will be made up of millionaires, high executives from the private sector, and Wall Street leaders. They all share a free-market philosophy that opposes the government’s regulatory powers and is against consumer protection.

Trump surrounded himself with people who see the protection of the environment, water, land, air, public education and workers as problems for the private sector.

For Latinos and immigrants, this is a much-feared step backward. The antagonism Trump showed against immigrants and Mexicans during his campaign did not let up during the transition. He is a real threat to undocumented people, including Dreamers.

Meanwhile, for the first time in 35 years of Democratic and Republican governments, there will not be one Hispanic member in the cabinet. The transition team did not listen to the country’s main Latino organizations.

We hope that President Trump will recognize that he is, fundamentally, a civil servant, and that he must govern for all, not only for those who voted for him – particularly when they were the minority among the people who cast a ballot.

Trump must understand that this is not a kingdom and the United States is not a company in which the CEO orders whatever he pleases and everyone obeys.

However, if there were no changes between the campaign and the transition, it is hard to believe that they will occur in the White House.

This is not a time to be intimidated. We must stand strong.

From our publications, we are committed to watch over the Trump Administration and denounce abuses committed against our people, combat political persecution and defend freedom of expression.

We hope that President Trump will recognize that he is, fundamentally, a civil servant