There Is Nothing Great About MAGA

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Throughout my elementary and middle school years, I always considered myself to be smart. I always did well in school and I had a lot of confidence in my skills; my reading level was above average, I knew my math facts, I had a solid grasp on American history, and, most importantly, I knew my vocab like no other. In early January of 2016, I was sitting in my living room with my dad watching the San Diego State Aztecs dominate a Mountain West Conference opponent in a basketball game. Although I loved basketball season, this was always my least favorite time of the year to watch television; instead of enjoying fun sports-themed ads during games, my television, in the months leading up to February, were solely filled with political campaign ads. As a politically naive 14 year old, I remember watching these ads trying to understand what was being said. I vividly remember seeing the host from The Apprentice, that show I would watch with my grandfather late at night when nothing else was on, urging me, the viewer, to vote for him. I recall him pledging “I will make America great again.” This sentence has confused me for the past five years. 

As a middle schooler, when Donald Trump pledged to “make America great again,” my overconfidence in my vocab skills plummeted. I felt dumb; I did not, at all, understand what great meant. In my opinion, America was great. In my history classes over the years, I’ve learned about ways America used to be terrible and awful to groups of people, but how we have changed, to become great today. I was bewildered how Trump could say he would “make America great again” when our old ways were not great. I hated how confused and stupid I felt when I did not understand Trump’s “make America great again” (MAGA) slogan. I have spent the last five years, trying to figure out what this slogan means. From my search, I have realized that what Trump and the populist far-right considers great does not at all align with the true definition of greatness. Trump and right-wing politicians claim they are pushing to pass legislation that will make America great again while in reality, they are passing legislation that is reverting America back to “the good old days,” when legislation only favored white, affluent, straight males. 

America has always claimed to be a representative democracy. Despite these claims, prior to the passage of the 15th and 19th amendments in 1870 and 1919, respectively, neither Black Americans nor women were allowed to vote. Even after these amendments enfranchised Black Americans and women, it was still nearly impossible for them to be able to vote due to legislation such as literacy taxes and polls, voter ID laws, and the grandfather clause. Fortunately, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed these discriminatory laws until it was overturned by Shelby v. Holder in 2013. This Supreme Court decision is exactly what the MAGA movement needed in order to become great again. In 2021 alone, 19 states enacted laws making it harder for people to vote. These laws disproportionately affect the voting rights of racial minorities, the poor, and the disabled. Politicians in the Trumpian movement, such as my very own Governor of Iowa Kim Reynolds, claimed that voter restriction laws are making America great again since “It’s our duty and responsibility to protect the integrity of every election.” Despite this rationale from far-right-wing legislators to restrict voting rights, in reality, there was no evidence of systemic voter fraud in the 2020 election or any proof that these laws would stop said fraud, despite MAGA’s claims. These bills, passed in far-right-majority states, are not making America great, they are not protecting the integrity of our elections, and they are not making us more democratic. These bills are rather ableist and racially charged and are reverting America back to the days when only white and affluent citizens had a say in democracy. 

Not only do Trumpian politicians think it is great to limit people’s freedoms through voting restrictions, but they also consider limiting people’s freedom of expression great. Over the past half-century, much discourse and work have been done regarding rights for LGBTQ+ Americans, such as California’s repeal of proposition 8 (which illegalized same-sex marriage) and President Obama’s repeal of Don’t Ask Don't Tell (which didn’t allow openly LGBTQ+ Americans to serve in the military). Despite all of the ground that has been covered and improvements made, these politicians and their supporters have been working to revert back to the days in which self-expression was limited and not accepted. Once again, in my home state of Iowa, the legislature passed a bill that bans transgender Iowans from participating in sports with the gender they identify with. This bill takes multiple steps backward in allowing transgender Americans to have the same privileges as other citizens and hinders them from being able to freely express themselves. Furthermore, legislators in Florida passed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” banning teachers from mentioning sexual orientation in classrooms, once again limiting people’s freedom of expression. Far-right politicians claim that these bills are making America great again; according to outspoken right-winger Ben Shapiro, the legislation is“protecting small children from the predations of adults.” Despite these claims, the reality is that these bills are hateful and heartless in nature and are reverting America back to the days when LGBTQ+ Americans were ostracized and not granted the same rights, liberties, and opportunities as others.

The main distinction of the “Make America Great Again'' movement so far has been removing the liberties of others. In addition to removing the liberties for groups of minorities to vote or express themselves, these groups are striving to remove the liberty of bodily autonomy for women. In 1973 the decision of Roe v. Wade set the precedent that granted constitutional protection for women to do what they want with their own bodies. Despite this, right-wing politicians have been working tirelessly to restrict women’s bodily autonomy. In 2021, 21 states passed laws that restricted a woman's ability to manage her own reproductive healthcare. MAGA claims this is great because, according to Senator Danny Carroll, it “protects the rights of the unborn.” This rationale is quite ironic; Trump’s right-wing politicians aim to take away the rights of women to do what they want with their own bodies to protect an unborn fetus without awareness or consciousness. 

Overall, these past five years I have come to a realization: I was not stupid for not knowing what Donald Trump meant by great nor were my vocab skills not stellar. Rather, these past five years I have learned that Donald Trump, his supporters, and the populist right have a completely different definition of great than the normal citizen. I cannot rationalize it, nor do I understand their justifications, but this movement is not working to make America great; it is fighting to return to the days in America when white, straight, affluent males appreciate privileges that others do not. The Trumpian movement claims that racially motivated and ableist voting restrictions, limits on self-expression, and restrictions on a woman’s bodily autonomy are making America great again. These movements are awful. Despite this honest and simple truth, far-right politicians and Trump’s blind followers truly believe that their approaches will make America great. The entirety of America needs to realize that the MAGA movementdoes not want to “make America great again,”MAGA wants to make America racist, sexist, ableist, discriminatory, heartless, and uneducated again. If I could go back and tell 14 year old me anything, I would tell myself that these next five years are not going to make America great. Additionally, I would tell myself not to doubt my vocab skills- their definition of great is a wrong one that is rooted in egocentric thought that ultimately causes pain and affliction for many. I cannot comprehend how MAGA supporters truly believe the Trump regime is making America at all great, but America, as a whole, needs to open its eyes and force MAGA to dismantle; it's up to moderate Republicans and Democrats to speak the truth about the harmful actions of the Trumpian movement, before it's too late.