The deficit, TikTok, pardons and colonialism!

Shannon Bohrer

(2/2025) Since last year's election, numerous disparities have developed between the previous administration and the incoming party, now the new administration. The previous administration made changes, enacting laws, and regulations, etc., before leaving office, which is normal for an outgoing party. In normal times, the incoming party says very little about the changes, but that has changed. It appeared that the incoming administration believed they should have input on everything. It is as if the Trump administration believes they should be the governing party before their term starts.

Beginning with our national debt, which is always contentious. Congress is frequently raising the dept ceiling with a continuing resolution. It is easier than passing a budget. The previous continuing resolution was to expire on December 20th, 2024. Congress passed a spending bill, keeping the government running through March 2025. We are accustomed to last-minute spending bills, with both sides arguing that we spend too much. Therefore, the continuing resolutions have deficit limits. However, with this last continuing resolution, the President-elect requested that Congress "suspend the federal dept limit" ostensibly to prevent future political disagreements. How much does the next administration plan to spend? Thankfully, they did not suspend the debt limit, at least until March 25th.

Another contentious and seemingly continuous issue is the fate of TikTok. The Chinese-owned social media company has been accused of spying while collecting user data. Congress banned TikTok because the company presents a national security risk. The law banning TikTok is effective January 19, 2025, one day before the inauguration. TikTok has lost all appeals and can only continue if it divests its Chinese ownership. However, Donald Trump's lawyers filed a last-minute appeal with the Supreme Court.

TikTok’s history of being a national security risk is paralleled with its popularity. It has been banned in other countries for collecting private information and weaponizing false information. When Trump was in office four years ago, he denounced the "Chinese-owned video sharing app" as a threat to Americans' national security. The appeal conflicted with the outgoing administration’s position on national security concerns. So, why is Trump appealing the ban to the Supreme Court?

Of course, by the time you read this, either the Supreme Court will have stayed the ban, or TikTok will have survived, at least temporarily. Another possibility is that TikTok divests itself of its Chinese ownership.

Another issue is the Presidential pardon power. This was an unexpected issue with the previous administration until the former president pardoned his son for charges related to illegal gun possession and income tax violations. The pardon was surprising because the former president was questioned on the topic multiple times, each time saying he would not pardon his son. Both parties questioned the pardon, but the incoming party vilified the decision.

Trump's lawyers filed motions, making their case that the incoming president should also be exonerated in the New York hush money trial. Trump's lawyers’ argument included the position that the hush money case "must be immediately dismissed" because to continue the process disrupts the president-elect’s transition and "threatens the functioning of the federal government." They argued that if Biden pardoned his son, the Hush Money trail where Trump was found guilty, should also be dismissed.

The equivalency of dismissing a state conviction for the incoming president because President Biden pardoned his son does not exist. Of course, when you read this, the incoming president will be the sitting president who pardoned and commuted sentences for individuals who worked in his administration during his first presidency.

Steve Bannon, a consultant to Trump's first administration, was accused of collecting money for the "We Build the Wall" program and then pocketing it. Bannon was charged with fraud, as he "covertly routed" the money to himself and others. Trump pardoned Bannon before he went to trial; however, he can still be tried on state charges for the same crime. It was reported that the program collected over twenty-five million dollars, none of which went to building the wall.

Another Trump consultant who received a pardon was Paul Manafort. Manafort managed the Trump campaign while having connections to foreign adversaries. He was charged with financial crimes, illegal lobbying for foreign entities, and witness tampering. He was found guilty and sentenced to seven years. Trump granted Manafort a pardon.

A Trump confidant and longtime ally, Roger Stone, faced charges related to a Russian interference investigation during the 2016 election. He was charged and found guilty of witness tampering and giving false statements to Congress and was sentenced to forty months. He was pardoned.

Trump’s first national security advisor, Michael Flynn, was also pardoned. He lied to the FBI about his Russian connections, and the charges stemmed from Muller’s Russian investigation. Trump pardoned him after he pleaded guilty but before he was tried. Later, the government declined to pursue additional charges stemming from the same investigation.

The pardoning of so many people within Trump's first administration and the promise of pardoning others on his first day in his new administration do not seem relatable to Biden's pardoning of his son.

The deficit, TikTok, and pardons are minor topics of interest, compared to the proposal of adding Canada to the United States as another state. At a recent press conference, President-elect Trump said he was planning to do so. Canada has not responded in a positive manner. Trump says he will use economic pressure to procure Canada. At the same conference, Trump said he wanted to acquire Greenland and would use force if necessary. Greenland is a territory of Denmark. Since Denmark is part of NATO, using the American military to secure another NATO country's acquisition does - not sound right!

At the press conference, the acquisition of other countries began when Trump said the United States would take back the Panama Canal. The canal was transferred back to Panama with a treaty between Panama and the United States. The treaty calls for the canal to remain neutral in peace and war. Since the U.S. ships pay the same price as other countries, the United States is not being "ripped off" as Trump professes.

This article was written before Trump was sworn in, so some things may change before it is published. While not sworn in, Trump’s proposed actions and policies resemble those of a dictator, believing he is in control of everything. His position is also compatible with favoring Colonialism.