A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Opinion
The fact US President Donald Trump is executing his campaign promises in a flurry of executive orders does not mean they should be accepted as the new American reality. So it is good to see the worldwide condemnation of his travel ban targeting refugees and seven Muslim-majority countries, and the
legal challenges already under way. Even his supporters are questioning the slipshod way it was introduced, with ambiguous wording, no carve outs for a smoother transition, the need for a reversal on how green-card holders are affected, and no forewarning for the various departments of state affected.
It will not be plain-sailing for Trump as he attempts to impose his new America-first world order, especially if he runs his government like he ran his business interests and his popularity falls futher (Gallup had him on 51 percent disapproval by Saturday, a record eight days to reach majority disapproval).
Over the weekend Americans saw their airports sieze up due to the order and protests against it, people with valid entry documents being turned away, and the White House defending the detention of a five-year-old boy for hours at an airport. It was not a good look for the new president, compounded by his dubious claim only 109 people were detained under the new immigration rules.
Perhaps, though, there will be some lessons learned by the insular former property developer and reality TV star. Commentators on right-wing Fox News last night, while supportive of the immigration pause to ensure US borders are protected, were highly critical of the process. One said it seemed like something cooked up by Trump, his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, and alt-right publisher and now chief strategist — and, controversially, regular attendee of the Principals Committee of the National Security Council — Steve Bannon.
A recent Quinnipiac poll indicated 48 percent of Americans approve of “suspending immigration from terror-prone regions, even if it means turning away refugees”. Trump does have support for his policies, but he risks forfeiting it through blunders.
