WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has initiated a campaign.
Against paper straws.
“These items are ineffective,” he remarked from the Oval Office on Monday, stating that U.S. policy will now seek to eliminate biodegradable sipping sticks. “I’ve used them numerous times, and they often break or collapse.”
The following day, Trump also criticized energy-efficient light bulbs and low-flow toilets, showers, washing machines, and dishwashers, directing the Environmental Protection Agency to revert to “common sense” standards to ensure consistent water flow and adequate lighting.
Since his return to office nearly a month ago, the president, who vowed to conclude the war in Ukraine and lower food expenses, has made several decisions that resonate with his supporters but appear to have little effect on the daily lives of most Americans, from renaming the Gulf of Mexico to restricting government employee pronouns in emails.
“Some of these matters are simply Trump’s irritations – he’s expressed concerns over straws and shower standards for years,” stated Jennifer Mercieca, a historian of American political rhetoric at Texas A&M University and author of “Demagogue For President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump.”
Others, like renaming the Gulf of Mexico, are assertions of dominance, she noted.
“The authority to rename mountains and bodies of water signifies the ability to define reality, to erase maps (and potentially redraw national boundaries) – this power surpasses the limited Constitutional authority of a president,” Mercieca said. “Ultimately, I believe that Trump aims to achieve monumental things, trying to leave a lasting impression on the nation and the globe.”
The White House defended Trump’s initiatives, portraying them as a departure from climate and cultural policies supported by activists and enacted by the prior administration.
“President Trump is reinstating common-sense policies and delivering on the promises that garnered him the overwhelming support of 77 million Americans,” asserted Harrison Fields, the White House principal deputy press secretary. “In just his initial three weeks, he has undertaken bold, decisive actions to rectify the damage inflicted by the Biden-Harris administration and to better the lives of all Americans.”
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Many of Trump’s actions have reacted to initiatives established by previous presidents, particularly Joe Biden.
Biden mandated in the summer that the federal government gradually eliminate the procurement of single-use plastics, such as straws, from food service operations, events, and packaging by 2027 and from all federal operations by 2035. Furthermore, he finalized regulations that enhanced efficiency standards for appliances, including washing machines and dishwashers, along with new requirements for light bulbs sold in the U.S. to comply with higher minimum-efficiency standards by 2028.
Trump’s order will compel the federal government to cease purchasing paper straws and ensure that they are unavailable in federal buildings. Additionally, he tasked his Domestic Policy Council to develop a national strategy to eliminate the use of paper straws.
Trump announced on social media his intention to revert to previous standards for light bulbs and instructed the EPA to return to water standards from his first term that would apply to sinks, washing machines, and dishwashers.
Some of Trump’s decisions, such as barring federal employees from including pronouns in their emails, aim to resonate with his conservative supporters. Others, such as prohibiting transgender women and girls from participating in female sports or eliminating “X” as a gender option on passports, target specific groups.
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NCAA president Charlie Baker, for instance, informed a Senate committee in December that there are fewer than 10 transgender athletes competing in collegiate sports. Following Trump’s directive, the NCAA updated its policy to state that only student-athletes assigned female at birth would be permitted to compete in women’s collegiate events.
Data on how many Americans chose the “X” option on their passports is lacking. Nevertheless, when the Biden administration introduced that option in 2021, the Williams Institute at UCLA estimated that approximately 16,700 individuals would annually request gender “X” markers.
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The White House contends that Trump’s policies regarding straws, gender, and other issues reflect public sentiment. However, surveys of his early policy initiatives have yielded mixed results.
A Marquette Law School poll released on Wednesday revealed that 63% favored the federal government’s acknowledgment of only two sexes: male and female. Sixty percent supported the deportation of undocumented migrants, and 59% endorsed his decision to declare a national emergency regarding migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Conversely, 71% disapproved of his order to rename the Gulf of Mexico, and 65% expressed opposition to his endeavor to reclaim the Panama Canal.
A CBS News/YouGov survey published on Feb. 9 granted Trump a 53% approval rating for his first three weeks in office. Seventy percent affirmed that he is following through on his campaign promises, regardless of their approval of him. The poll also indicated agreement with his emphasis on ending diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, with 45% stating he’s dedicating the right amount of time to the topic, while 16% believe he hasn’t focused on it sufficiently.
One worrying sign for the new administration emerged, as 66% expressed that Trump is not doing enough to reduce prices. During his campaign, Trump pledged to lower food prices on his first day as president. However, shortly after the election, he recognized that decreasing grocery prices would be challenging.
On his first day back in the White House, Trump ordered federal agencies to implement measures aimed at reducing costs associated with housing, health care, food, and fuel. However, inflation remains challenging to control, unexpectedly rising to 3% in January, the highest in seven months, as reported by the Labor Department last week.
Trump attributed the increase to Biden. “BIDEN INFLATION UP!” he posted on Truth Social, his social media platform.
Democrats, however, remain skeptical.
“If there was one mandate Donald Trump had, it was to tackle inflation on day one, as he pledged to do,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stated from the Senate floor. “But he is not addressing that.”
Trump is concentrating “on everything but what Americans need,” Schumer continued, asserting that the president is diverting attention to other matters, such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico, annexing Canada, and constructing hotels in Gaza.
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And then there’s Denali, or Mt. McKinley, as Trump desires everyone to refer to it.
The indigenous Alaskans living near the majestic mountain peak named it Denali. In 1896, a gold seeker named it Mt. McKinley in tribute to William McKinley, who would become president the following year. The U.S. government formally recognized the name as Mt. McKinley in 1917. However, President Barack Obama reinstated the name Denali in 2015. On his first day back in office, Trump signed an order reverting the name to Mt. McKinley.
However, Trump’s decision is not receiving a warm welcome in Alaska.
The Alaska Legislature recently passed a resolution urging Trump to retain the name Denali. In Congress, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has introduced legislation to officially designate the mountain as Denali. The bill, co-sponsored by Alaska’s other Republican senator, Dan Sullivan, mandates that any reference in U.S. laws, maps, regulations, or other records utilize the Native Alaskan name.
“In Alaska,” Murkowski asserted, “it’s Denali.”
Mercieca, the Texas A&M historian, suggests that Trump’s attempts to rename mountains and bodies of water are geared towards enhancing his legacy. She referenced a survey of political scientists and historians conducted last year that ranked Trump as the least favorable president in history.
“However, if he can redefine the nation’s borders, overhaul the government, and restore access to plastic straws, then he’s truly accomplished something remarkable,” she stated. “Perhaps he aims to demonstrate that he is a world-historical figure. A hero.”
Follow Michael Collins on X @mcollinsNEWS.
