I attended Trump’s inauguration yesterday. Here are my thoughts.

Summary

The speaker criticizes Donald Trump's inaugural address for ignoring critical issues facing working families in the U.S. Topics such as healthcare, housing, income inequality, and climate change are left unaddressed, despite their widespread importance. The speaker stresses the need for action on healthcare rights, affordable housing, climate change, a higher minimum wage, union support, fair taxation, and campaign finance reform. Emphasizing organization and activism, the speaker calls for continued focus on creating a just society based on economic, social, racial, and environmental justice.

Takeaways

• 😀 Trump ignored crucial issues facing working families during his inauguration speech, focusing only on rhetoric without addressing key problems.
• 😀 No mention of healthcare reform, despite the broken, expensive system and high prescription drug costs in the U.S.
• 😀 Trump failed to address the housing crisis, including homelessness and the high percentage of income spent on housing by many Americans.
• 😀 The growing wealth inequality was ignored, even though the wealthiest individuals have seen their wealth increase significantly.
• 😀 Trump made no mention of the climate crisis, even as extreme weather events have become more frequent and impactful globally.
• 😀 The speaker advocates for Medicare for All, emphasizing healthcare as a human right that should be guaranteed for all Americans.
• 😀 There is a call to address the cost of prescription drugs by tackling the greed of big pharmaceutical companies.
• 😀 The need for millions of affordable housing units and lower-income housing options is highlighted, especially given the current crisis.
• 😀 The speaker stresses the importance of providing free higher education by making public colleges and universities tuition-free.
• 😀 The speaker advocates for raising the federal minimum wage to a living wage of $17 per hour to ensure that workers do not live in poverty.
• 😀 The call for raising taxes on the wealthiest individuals, especially those present at Trump's inauguration, is made to ensure they pay their fair share to fund working families' needs.

Q & A

What was the speaker's main criticism of Donald Trump's inaugural speech?

The speaker criticized Trump for not addressing key issues affecting working families, such as healthcare, homelessness, income inequality, and climate change.

Why does the speaker emphasize the lack of discussion on healthcare in Trump's speech?

The speaker highlights the high costs of healthcare and prescription drugs in the U.S., pointing out that Trump did not mention how to address these issues despite their widespread impact on Americans.

What is the significance of the wealthiest individuals being seated behind Donald Trump during his inauguration?

The speaker points out that the three wealthiest individuals, whose wealth had increased substantially after the November elections, were seated behind Trump, implying a possible conflict of interest in his policies regarding income inequality.

What does the speaker propose as a solution to the housing crisis in America?

The speaker advocates for building millions of units of affordable and low-income housing to address the severe housing crisis affecting many Americans.

How does the speaker view the current state of climate change and Trump's stance on it?

The speaker describes climate change as a global crisis that Trump ignored in his speech, mentioning that Trump's policies, such as promoting increased drilling, would exacerbate the problem.

What does the speaker believe is the most important goal for addressing economic inequality?

The speaker emphasizes the need for fair taxation, particularly urging that the wealthiest individuals, including those seated behind Trump, should pay their fair share of taxes.

What policy change does the speaker suggest for the federal minimum wage?

The speaker calls for raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $17 an hour, arguing that anyone working 40 hours a week should not be living in poverty.

What is the speaker's stance on healthcare as a human right?

The speaker firmly believes that healthcare is a human right and advocates for a Medicare for All single-payer system, where all Americans would have guaranteed access to healthcare.

How does the speaker suggest tackling the rising cost of prescription drugs?

The speaker advocates for tackling the greed of big pharmaceutical companies and implementing policies to substantially lower the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S.

What strategy does the speaker suggest to influence Congress?

The speaker stresses the importance of education, organizing, and applying pressure on Congress to push for policies that benefit working families, stating that with a small Republican majority in the House, it is possible to stop harmful legislation if the public remains organized.