Here we go, America.
Donald John Trump, scheduled to become the 45th president of the United States at noon today (7 a.m. Hawaii time), assumes leadership of a nation whose citizens are deeply divided: many with high hopes the business mogul will bring major change to Washington, and many others fearful of just that.
It’s safe to say that in deep blue Hawaii, there is more fear than hope. It feels like a heavy loss — a native-son president near and dear to Hawaii’s Democratic heart, replaced by his polar opposite — but in politics as in life, the reality is more complex.
For those who fear a right-wing Republican apocalypse, it’s worth remembering what then-President Barack Obama said about Trump shortly after the election: “I think he is coming to this office with fewer set hard- and-fast policy prescriptions than a lot of other presidents might be arriving with.”
While this did not allay Obama’s concerns —“Absolutely, of course I’ve got concerns. He and I differ on a whole bunch of issues” — it’s a reminder that Trump did not win by hewing to GOP orthodoxy, but by defying it. His singularly business-minded approach to solving problems does not fit any political mold.
Certainly, Trump will cause some consternation, probably almost immediately, if, as expected, he executes a series of executive orders targeting Obama administration policies on such issues as immigration.
But Trump, the self-proclaimed dealmaker, has made a deal with the American public — lots of jobs, a healthy economy, a great America, in exchange for the presidency.
It will be up to the public not only to hold him to these promises, but to help define what makes America “great.”
Here at home, we’ve been fortunate to have a president who recognized and advocated for causes of critical importance to Hawaii. It will behoove all of us, especially our congressional delegation, to continue to lobby hard for them, especially since Trump likely will not be on the same page:
>> Climate change. It’s no hoax, President Trump. As the Arctic ice cap melts and oceans warm, Pacific island nations are slowly shrinking under rising seas, an ominous warning of what’s in store for Hawaii’s coastlines absent firm and sustained action.
>> Environmental protections. Protecting our natural environment, including the oceans that sustain our fisheries, led Obama to quadruple the size of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Trump should recognize such actions as smart long-term investments.
>> Clean energy. Hawaii is on track to be free of fossil-fuel dependence by 2045; federal support for renewable energy technology is important to that effort. Nationally, it’s also proven to be a solid and growing industry.
>> Native Hawaiians. When our indigenous people needed to be heard, the Interior Department held public hearings across the islands and got an earful — and then developed rules to create a path for a government-to-government relationship, a significant step forward for Hawaiian sovereignty. Efforts to roll back those rules would be unnecessary and counterproductive.
>> Our place in the world. One would hope that Trump, like Obama, recognizes both the opportunities and threats arising in Asia, principally from China and North Korea; the latter is reportedly testing an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach Hawaii’s shores, while the former is chafing at Trump’s post-election phone call with Taiwan’s president. In the meantime, Chinese investment and tourism are pouring money into Hawaii. A Chinese company is developing a glitzy Atlantis resort at Ko Olina — surely the sort of project Trump can appreciate.
>> Health care. Even as he takes aim at the Affordable Care Act, it’s encouraging that Trump, as well as the Republicans, at least recognized the need to replace it, not simply repeal it. Hawaii’s Prepaid Health Care Act is far ahead of the curve, but it doesn’t cover everybody.
Today, for better or worse — and at this point, who really knows? — President Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office, in defiance of conventional wisdom. And if worried Democrats and like-minded individuals make their voices heard, perhaps Trump can be persuaded to defy the conventional wisdom once again.
