What Trump didn’t say in his inauguration speech | Bernie Sanders

I used to be on the Trump inauguration on Monday, and for sure, I disagree with nearly every little thing he needed to say.

What actually struck me, nevertheless, shouldn’t be what he mentioned, which was not stunning given his common rhetoric – however what he didn’t say. The straightforward reality is that Donald Trump gave a serious speech, the primary speech of his second presidency, and ignored nearly each vital problem going through the working households of this nation.

How loopy is that?

Our healthcare system is damaged, is dysfunctional and is wildly costly. We stay the one rich nation to not assure healthcare for all. Not one phrase from Trump about how he’s going to handle the healthcare disaster.

We pay, by far, the very best costs on this planet for prescribed drugs – typically 10 occasions greater than the folks in different nations – and one out of 4 People is unable to afford the prescriptions that their medical doctors prescribe. Not one phrase from Donald Trump on the excessive value of prescribed drugs.

We’ve 800,000 People who’re homeless and hundreds of thousands of our folks spend 50% or 60% of their restricted revenue on housing. We’ve a serious housing disaster in America – everybody is aware of it. And Trump, in his inaugural deal with, didn’t dedicate one phrase to it.

Right now in America, we have now extra revenue and wealth inequality than we have now ever had. The wealthiest three folks in America now personal extra wealth than the underside half of our society. However Trump had nothing to say in regards to the rising hole between the very wealthy and everyone else. And possibly that’s as a result of he had these three folks – the three wealthiest folks in America – sitting proper behind him at his inauguration. And, I ought to add, these three folks – if you happen to can imagine it – noticed their wealth enhance by greater than $233bn for the reason that November elections. No surprise they have been sitting proper behind Trump. They couldn’t be happier.

Throughout his inaugural speech, Trump didn’t have one phrase to say about how we’re going to deal with the planetary disaster of local weather change. The final 10 years have been the warmest ever recorded, and excessive climate disturbances and pure disasters are going down all around the world – from California to India, throughout Europe to North Carolina. Not one phrase about local weather change – besides, after all, to make it clear that he intends to make this horrific scenario even worse with “drill, child, drill”. Sensible.

Within the coming months and years, our job isn’t just to answer each absurd assertion that Trump makes. That’s what the Trump world desires us to do. They need to outline the parameters of debate and have us reside inside their world. That’s a entice we must always not fall into.

Our job is to remain centered on crucial points going through the working households of our nation, present options to these crises and demand that Trump responds to us.

Let me point out simply a few of them:

Sure, healthcare is a human proper and we should be a part of each different main nation in guaranteeing healthcare to all folks via a Medicare for All, single-payer program.

Sure, we should tackle the greed of huge pharma and considerably decrease the price of prescribed drugs on this nation.

Sure, we should construct hundreds of thousands of models of low-income and inexpensive housing.

Sure, we should make it possible for all of our younger folks have the flexibility to get a better schooling by making public faculties and universities tuition-free.

Sure, we should work with the worldwide group to fight local weather change by chopping carbon emissions and reworking our vitality system away from fossil fuels and into sustainable vitality.

Sure, we should move laws to boost the absurdly low federal minimal wage of $7.25 an hour to a residing wage of $17 an hour.

Sure, we should move the Professional Act, and make it simpler for employees to hitch commerce unions and develop the union motion.

Sure, as a way to assist fund the wants of working households on this nation, we should demand that the wealthiest folks, together with these multibillionaires sitting proper behind Donald Trump, begin paying their fair proportion in taxes.

Sure, we should finish a corrupt marketing campaign finance system, which permits a handful of billionaires to purchase elections and transfer us quickly into oligarchy.

Backside line: as we enter the brand new Trump presidency, we have now acquired to stay centered. We will’t panic. Irrespective of what number of govt orders he indicators and statements he points, our aim stays the identical. We’ve acquired to teach. We’ve acquired to arrange. We’ve acquired to convey folks collectively round an agenda that works for all, not simply the few.

Now greater than ever, we have now to combat to create an America primarily based on financial, social and environmental justice. Let’s get to work.

• Bernie Sanders is a US senator, and chair of the well being, schooling, labor and pensions committee. He represents the state of Vermont, and is the longest-serving impartial within the historical past of Congress