In an interview with CBS’ Lesley Stahl on “60 Minutes,” Donald Trump said he is fine with the settled same-sex marriage ruling that came out in June 2015.
“These cases have gone to the Supreme Court,” he said. “They’ve been settled, and I’m fine with that.”
Since he confessed his feelings on the issue, many liberals showed appreciation for his sentiment and gave him credit for not speaking out against the decision. Though Trump’s words may seem further left than those of the average Republican, nothing he says should be taken seriously.
When Trump says anything slightly liberal, he’s merely pandering to the majority of the country that hates him. He might say something that sounds nice to hear, but his actions speak much louder than his rhetoric.
If Trump really supported the LGBTQ community, he would not surround himself with a bunch of homophobes. Mike Pence would never be his vice president, and his cabinet would not look as though it will be made up of others who are far-right.
Liberals should also understand that Trump’s personal opinion on same-sex marriage means absolutely nothing. When he appoints a conservative judge to the Supreme Court, he cannot control what that judge decides in any case. The judge he appoints could easily rule against marriage equality if another case went to the court.
Trump also negated everything he said about same-sex marriage when he went on to say Roe v. Wade is not settled law. If one Supreme Court case is not final, then any case has a chance at being overturned.
Marriage equality is not the only issue where Trump wants to seem more liberal. He wants the country to feel as though he will be a president for everyone, but once again, his actions do not match his voiced opinions.
When Trump appointed Stephen Bannon as his Chief White House Strategist, he isolated many people in America, especially people of color. Bannon rebutted the statements that said he was a white nationalist, but he did so by saying he that was simply a nationalist. A man like Bannon is not someone who will unite the country.
Trump has also indicated he will appoint Michael Flynn as his national security adviser. Though Flynn says he is a member of the Democratic Party, he is conservative and extremely anti-Islam.
Former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke supports Trump’s appointments.
“Bannon, Flynn, Sessions — Great! Senate must demand that Sessions as AG stop the massive institutional race discrimination against whites!” Duke tweeted Friday.
When Liberals praise Trump for saying the bare minimum, they ignore the real danger his presidency presents. Though the more left Trump can get the better, Democrats cannot begin to believe his lies before he even officially takes office.
Democrats have a bad habit of allowing the country to move from the center toward the right. Rather than meeting in the middle, it seems as though the left always allows the political spectrum to gravitate in the Republicans’ favor.
Democrats need to fight hard going forward. Republicans made it a habit to obstruct anything that Barack Obama tried to put forth, so Democrats need to take a stand and ensure that nothing too far-right will get through.
I said it before, and I will say it again: do not normalize Trump. Do not pretend he is anything other than a Republican who will ultimately give in to the Republican platform. He will never be anything close to a Liberal, and as he continues to appoint people who are dangerous for this country, we need to make sure that we never pretend they are decent people.
Lynne Bunch is an 18-year-old mass communication freshman from Terrytown, Louisiana.