Trump's twisted values: Pardoning Jan. 6 rioters and denying babies citizenship | Opinion
There's a good rule in life: When a bishop has to lecture you about the values you espouse, you might be espousing the wrong values.
President Donald Trump wasted no time showing Americans what he and his Republican Party value in America and its citizens.
It can all be distilled down to two simple formulas:
Babies and the Constitution = Bad.
Domestic terrorists = Good.
Trump shows his values by trying to end birthright citizenship
Before you could say “Oh god, not this guy again,” Trump signed an executive order declaring that children born to undocumented immigrants in the United States will not be recognized as citizens.
That’s a reversal of birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the document I’m quite sure Trump has never read.
Presidents don’t get to executive order their way out of the Constitution, so there’s a good chance this order will be shot down by the courts.
But the broader point – a rejection of the babies born to what Trump and Co. would label “others” – is crystal clear.
Afghans who helped US soldiers now in limbo thanks to Trump
Couple that with another executive order signed Monday that halts refugee admissions.
About 2,000 Afghans – people who helped the U.S. military in Afghanistan and some of their family members as well as family members of U.S. service members – are now stuck in limbo, despite already being approved for resettlement in America.
Both these orders track perfectly with the “We hate them furriners!” brand Trump and his GOP coattail-chasers have forged.
After all, the MAGA universe routinely – and wrongly – equates immigrants, documented or otherwise, with criminals.
But when it comes to Jan. 6 rioters, they get a free pass
But where we really start to see the Trumpian values come into focus is with the blanket pardons the new president handed out to more than 1,500 rioters from the domestic terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Many of them were convicted and locked up for assaulting police officers, seditious conspiracy and all manner of decidedly non-good things. Some of them belong to extremist groups like the Proud Boys.
Some are antisemitic; one wore a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt.
And Trump just sprang them all. Why? Because those are the people he considers good – heroic even. Because they believe, with religious fervor, his lies. Because they were willing to literally fight for him. Because they stand for whatever it is he believes in and thus are good and proper Americans.
Unlike babies.
Or refugees who’ve aided American soldiers.
Or migrants seeking safety and a fresh start.
Bishop at inaugural service pleads with Trump to 'have mercy'
If you doubt my assessment of the immorality Trump and his Republicans are signaling out the gate, consider the words of the Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, who presided over Tuesday’s inaugural prayer service and directed part of her sermon directly at the president:
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives. And the people, the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meat-packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors.”
Amen.
MAGA's response? Deport the bishop!
There’s a good rule in life: When a bishop has to lecture you about the values you espouse, you might be espousing the wrong values.
Of course the words of faith leaders who don’t align with MAGA morals are meaningless to Trump and his cult members. Shortly after the service, a sitting member of Congress, Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, posted on social media: “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.”
Thoughtless louts and felons and extremists. Those are the “Americans” Trump values, both in words and in deeds.
Good is bad, bad is good.
If you find yourself siding with the felonious billionaire over the bishop, it might be time to take a good, hard look in the mirror.
Follow Paste BN columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk