Current world news has been largely dominated by Donald Trump’s impeachment trial and the circumstances surrounding it. Leading up to and following the inauguration of President Biden, Trump’s behaviour has become steadily more erratic, particularly on Twitter, coming to a head when his account was permanently banned. What also has people talking is the possibility that Trump may become the first president to become impeached twice, depending on the outcome of the current impeachment trial. Trump is also the subject of blame for Capitol rioters who, facing possible jail time, claim that they were “duped” by the former President. Meanwhile, President Biden’s new executive orders have been widely praised, providing a stark contrast to his predecessor. 

Trump’s Twitter Ban

Calls for Donald Trump’s suspension from Twitter have been circulating ever since the former president’s increasingly erratic and harmful behaviour on the platform. Twitter has stated that they banned Trump’s account due to the risk of further incitement of violence. Twitter has also long since made it clear that the account of people in positions of authority is not above the platform’s rules - and it seems that they are more than willing to enforce these rules to protect their users. Trump’s ban has sparked mixed reactions, spanning anything from relief to outrage. Among his supporters, this move was seen to have been “silencing free speech”, with former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency condemning the ban as “dangerous” and “un-American.”

Capitol Rioters blame Trump 

Meanwhile, Capitol rioters who face possible jail time have been blaming Trump for their actions - in particular, one man who, although previously “inspired” by Trump’s rally speech, is now claiming he was “duped”. It seems that both the Capitol rioters and the Democrats in favour of Trump’s impeachment agree that he was to blame for January 6’s fatal insurrection which resulted in the deaths of four rioters and a police officer, and the hospitalisation of sixty Capitol police. The acting head of US Capitol security, Yolanda Pittman, has apologised for a number of supposed missteps including conflicting intelligence, inadequate preparation, and called for an improvement of accountability systems and communications structures. In light of the horrific event, Pittman reveals that many of the officers have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Anthony Fauci fires on Trump

A recent interview with chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci reveals that the former president thought COVID-19 masks “diminished his manhood”. Fauci stated that Donald Trump “was a pretty macho guy” in his reasoning for not wearing a mask. In his interview, published on the 28th, Fauci also claimed that it was unfortunate that many Americans were following Trump’s example of not wearing a mask. Fauci also described Trump’s perception of the virus as an “inconvenient truth that he didn’t accept as a truth”. Fauci described his struggles in standing up to the President and his harmful views, stating that “People’s lives are at stake. I’m a physician. I’m a public-health expert. I know what I need to do.” Although Fauci explained that there was in fact something charismatic and likable about the Trump on a personal basis - this was to do with policy, which was an entirely different matter. Contradicting Trump publically incited anger from those around him - to the point where the White House sent out a list “of everything Dr Fauci was wrong on”, which Fauci dismissed as complete nonsense.  

Trump remains hopeful 

Despite the ongoing turmoils, it appears that Trump has not given up hope. According to the ABC live news blog, Trump has met with Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and the number one conversation topic between the pair was winning back the White House in 2022. This meeting is highly significant as McCarthy is among the most powerful Republicans in America today, and this public meeting highlights the former President’s continuing influence over the Republican party. During this meeting, Trump reportedly made an odd claim - that his popularity “has never been stronger than it is today”. In light of his election loss to Biden (who received the highest amount of votes in history), it is safe to say that Trump maintains confidence which doesn’t seem to be based in reality. 

Biden’s executive order on Healthcare

Meanwhile, President Biden has signed another executive order. These orders specifically target Donald Trump’s actions on a couple of healthcare fronts. One such order directed the Healthcare.gov insurance markets to open new applications for subsidised benefits. This move is particularly significant as it was something that Donald Trump had refused to do. Biden is also in talks with his administration to consider reversing more of Trump’s healthcare policies, such as the curb on abortion counseling and the imposition of work requirements for low-income individuals receiving Medicaid. Biden stated that they were not doing anything else besides restoring health care policies to the way they were before Trump’s presidency. This move is a popular one, with the restoration of Obamacare’s health insurance markets during the pandemic receiving support from consumer, medical, and business organisations alike.