Why are we surprised when Trump does what he said he would do?

The world has been shocked by President Donald Trump’s executive order that suspends America’s refugee program for 120 days, indefinitely halts the Syrian refugee program and bans entry to the US from seven Muslim majority nations (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen). Although suspended, for now, it caused chaos throughout the world’s airports and closed America off to people fleeing the worst conditions in the world. More significantly by creating a law that specifically targets the followers of one religion, Trump is putting into law the naked prejudice of his campaign.

Trump has disregarded the moral obligation that the West has to people feeling violence, tyranny and economic collapse. These are the least fortunate people in the world, who are leaving conditions the West has indirectly created or failed to address. To strongmen like Trump, compassion is a weakness to be expunged. It is essential that we stop Trump from crushing our compassion for people who have been caught in horrific civil wars and sectarian violence.

I am surprised that Trump actually enacted this executive order, despite making it a key part of his campaign for President. I thought it was such an extreme idea that surely he did not intend to go through with it. Trump is clearly a bully with little regard for the lives of other human beings, but I assumed that even he would want to protect America’s (and his own, as President’s) standing as the moral leader of the world. I am not alone in this. So why are we surprised when Trump does what he said he would do?

One reason may be our reassurance that the checks and balances of the American government would hold him in place. Trump may be President, but he is at odds with much of the Republican Party who control of the Senate and House of Representatives. So-called “mainstream Republicans” should act as a check against the extreme actions of Trump.

Congressmen and senators are not standing up to him out of fear of his base and the power they hold during the next primary season. Trump has already nominated a suitably conservative Supreme Court justice. As long as he also delivers the tax cut Congress has been itching to pass, repeals Obamacare and cuts Medicaid, then the Republicans are more than willing to let any number of heartless executive orders pass that motivated by prejudice.

His own government may not hold Trump back, but the pressure from other world leaders has constrained rogues before. Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande were quick to condemn Trump’s action. However, our own Theresa May has so far refused to do so. May is desperate to court Trump as an ally to deliver the trade deal that will make Brexit more viable. If sacrificing our status as a moral leader by refusing to condemn overt prejudice is the cost of Brexit, then it is too high to pay.

How can we criticise the actions of the Russian or Turkish government if we allow similar affronts to decency from our closest ally? One that we have a “special relationship” with? Jeremy Corbyn was right to call for Trump to be banned from the UK while his Muslim ban stands. Only by refusing to respect Trump and the office he holds can we communicate to him that his actions are morally unacceptable.

One reason why I surprised that Trump would actually enact this order might be because I am out of step with what people want? A recent poll showed that 49% of the British public think that Trump’s state visit should go ahead. It is possible that many other people have the same prejudices towards Muslim and refugees that Trump has, but a popular prejudice is still a prejudice and a popular moral outrage is still a moral outrage. We have a duty to these, because we won the lottery of life by being born into stable Western democracies. We owe to those less fortunate to help them however they can. Trump’s action must be opposed even if they are met with widespread support.

Another reason why we did not believe that Trump would enact the Muslim ban is that he lies a lot and contradicts himself a lot. It is difficult to tell what he really means. It is easy to dismiss anything that he says if we want to. This is connected to another reason for our disbelief: it is hard to

We are reluctant to accept that Trump will behave in an openly prejudiced way, enact illiberal executive orders (orders that violate the constitutional requirement not to pass laws that discriminate against someone because of religion) and cannot be held back by anyone, because this denial is a natural defence to prevent our fragile psyches being crushed by total and all-consuming panic about how much danger we are in. However, we must take Trump seriously when he says he wants to do something. We must accept that he will try and build the wall, start a trade war with China and begin a nuclear arms race. In the future he may threaten more extreme actions. We must take these seriously as well.

What Trump is doing is wrong. He may use the justification of national security, but America already has one of most stringent vetting processes for refugees and immigration controls. These measures go beyond those passed by George W. Bush during the height of the war on terror. This is a populist gesture informed by a perception of Muslims as dangerous. It fans the flames of hatred, prejudice and is inherently discretionary. The Republican Party will not stop him. Other world leaders will not stop him. It is up to us, concerned citizens, to stop him.

It is especially important that we take Trump seriously when he behaves like or shows affection for authoritarian strongmen. Trump has praised Vladimir Putin and people in his inner circle have links to Putin. Putin also aided Trump in getting elected through the targeted hacks of his Democratic opponent. Trump also frequently attacks the independence of the press and its right to criticise him. He has given senior government jobs to Republicans responsible for repressing the voting rights of African Americans. We must take seriously the fact that he is a threat to liberty and democracy. We need to take this seriously and to stop denying the truth of Donald Trump.

Donald Trump picture taken by Gage Skidmore and used under creative commons.