The Second Coming: What Trump’s Executive Orders Mean for the Future of America
Sweeping Changes Ahead: Analyzing the Impact of Over 200 Executive Actions on National Policy and Governance
Today, Donald Trump will stand on the inaugural stage and take the oath of office—not for the first time, but for the second time. This moment alone speaks volumes about the current state of this democratic republic. But what comes next is even more telling.
On his first day back in office, Trump plans to sign over 200 executive actions, including approximately 50 executive orders. This deluge of decrees isn’t just a flex of authority—it’s a carefully constructed blueprint to consolidate power, disrupt progressive frameworks, and realign America’s systems with an ideological agenda.
What does this mean for us as individuals, as communities, and as a nation? Let’s unpack the common threads running through these actions and explore how they reflect larger patterns of control, disconnection, and the fight for liberation.
The Blueprint for Power
From immigration to environmental policy, the executive orders expected today reveal a clear strategy. While their topics may seem varied, they share six defining characteristics that signal a deliberate reshaping of America’s systems.
1. Centralization of Power
Trump’s reliance on executive authority highlights a move toward consolidating decision-making within the executive branch. By bypassing Congress, these orders minimize checks and balances, reinforcing a top-down approach to governance.
Example: Declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border allows unilateral action on immigration policy, sidelining legislative input.
Implication: This erosion of democratic processes places critical decisions in the hands of one individual, reducing public accountability and oversight.
2. Control Through Restriction
Many of the anticipated orders limit access and opportunities for marginalized communities or roll back protections under the guise of "security" or "fairness."
Example: Policies like reinstating the "Remain in Mexico" program isolate asylum seekers from resources and support.
Implication: These measures disproportionately harm vulnerable groups while reinforcing systemic inequities.
3. Undoing Progressive Policies
Framed as correcting "obstacles to progress," these orders aim to dismantle policies addressing equity, sustainability, and inclusion.
Example: Ending federal DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) programs and withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord roll back efforts to address systemic inequities and environmental challenges.
Implication: Prioritizing short-term gains over long-term solutions exacerbates inequality and environmental crises.
4. Nationalistic Framing
Policies are framed with an “America First” narrative, often at the expense of global collaboration and inclusive governance.
Example: Declaring drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations externalizes threats while focusing on punitive measures.
Implication: This isolationist approach risks alienating allies and undermines collective solutions to global issues like climate change.
5. Alignment with Corporate Interests
Trump’s policies often align with corporate priorities, particularly in the energy and business sectors, sidelining environmental and social considerations.
Example: Declaring a national energy emergency and pausing offshore wind leases prioritize fossil fuel industries over renewable energy investments.
Implication: This alignment with corporate interests sacrifices public health and environmental sustainability for short-term profits.
6. Escalating Culture Wars
Many actions reflect ongoing cultural battles, aiming to roll back progressive gains and reinforce traditional power structures.
Example: Ending DEI programs and reframing hiring practices as “merit-based” target equity initiatives under the guise of fairness.
Implication: This deepens societal divides and perpetuates exclusionary practices.
A Christmas Reminder: The False Savior
In my Christmas series: “I Want to Wish You an Eschatological Christmas.” I reminded readers that "liberation begins with connection, not control." As systems of power position themselves as saviors, they often disguise harm as protection. Trump’s approach embodies this dynamic: policies are framed as necessary for security or prosperity while actively destabilizing communities and reinforcing control.
This saviorism isn’t unique to Trump—it’s a hallmark of supremacy culture. Colonizers justified violence under the guise of “civilization,” just as modern systems frame harmful policies as benevolent. The lesson remains: true liberation doesn’t come from those who perpetuate harm—it comes from collective care and mutual accountability.
The Blueprint of Supremacy: A Historical Continuum
Trump’s actions today are not occurring in a vacuum—they are the latest chapter in a centuries-long story of control, exclusion, and the weaponization of faith. As we’ve explored in this series, the arc of Christian supremacy extends from Bethlehem to Project 2025, using theology and ideology to justify systems of oppression. Let’s revisit key moments in this arc to understand how today’s executive orders fit into this broader pattern:
From Bethlehem to Colonization: The Foundation of Supremacy
The story of Bethlehem, where Christianity began as a faith rooted in liberation and community, became co-opted as it aligned with empire. By the time of the Doctrine of Discovery, faith was weaponized to justify colonization, framing land theft and genocide as divine mandates. Today, Trump’s orders echo these justifications by consolidating power and reframing oppression as necessary for “progress” or “security.”
Manifest Destiny and Industrial Expansion: Centralizing Power
Manifest Destiny, which painted westward expansion as divinely preordained, mirrors Trump’s reliance on centralized authority to enact sweeping changes. The consolidation of power under the executive branch today follows the same logic used to justify the displacement of Indigenous peoples and the exploitation of labor during the Industrial Revolution.
“Today, the echoes of Manifest Destiny reverberate both locally and globally, manifesting in policies and practices that prioritize expansion and profit over people.”
The Faithful Road to Wealth: From the Prosperity Gospel to Manifest Destiny’s Legacy of Land, Wealth, and Power
Unpacking the intersections of faith, power, and economic systems is profoundly important work, but it is also exhausting. The weight of confronting the harm caused by supremacy culture—how it shapes our world, our communities, and even our relationships with ourselves—can feel unrelenting. It’s why, alongside dismantling systems, we must also actively build practices that restore us. This is not only about surviving the work but also about embodying liberation.
Trump’s executive orders, such as declaring national emergencies to bypass Congress or restricting access for asylum seekers, reflect this same pattern of unilateral control. Just as Manifest Destiny depended on silencing dissent and erasing marginalized voices, these orders aim to centralize decision-making while minimizing checks and balances.