The Trump presidency has allowed for a constant state of spectacle and amusement in the political sphere; these political spectacles have shed light on many issues, including the treatment of women in politics.
Two women who have had a huge impact on female representation and female empowerment were Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Ford’s testimony in 2018 gave courage to more women to speak up about their sexual assault experiences. Yovanovitch’s testimony was one of the major highlights of the impeachment hearings on Friday, Nov. 15.
Yovanovitch was removed from office a few weeks prior to Trump’s allegedly incriminating phone call. The speculation around Yovanovitch’s removal from her post in Ukraine was because she would not cooperate with the unconstitutional requests between the two countries that would help Trump’s chances of winning the 2020 elections.
Her testimony reinforces the power of women in politics and high levels of competency and professionalism. The same cannot be said about Trump’s rhetoric through his about Yovanovitch , which were labelled “intimidating” by Adam Schiff Chair of the house intelligence committee.
Yovanovitch’s highly respected testimony echoes the same composed and professional decorum that Ford had when she testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, during the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States. Kavanaugh was under investigation just like Trump, albeit for different allegations. He also conveyed anger and hate through his demeanor and words.
The connection between Ford and Ambassador Yovanovitch is important to pay attention to because of their public positions against powerful men. Trump and Kavanaugh had their political power questioned by these women. Yovanovitch and Ford did not attack these men or their reputations; these women only spoke with facts and honest recounts.
It is important to draw this correlation between Trump and Kavanaugh, not just because of the ideologies they’ve expressed, but because of their public rhetoric and behaviour towards women. They both symbolize female oppression through public displays of aggression, whether it was verbal or indirect.
Yovanovitch had her reputation and career publicly attacked by the president. Ford was the target of death threats and public shaming after her testimony. Yet, both stood in public televised hearings to speak up for justice. It is essential to highlight their endurance and courage despite the attacks because they can be considered symbols of female power in the political sphere.
Venice faced its worst flooding in 50 years, leaving St. Mark’s Square under a metre of water last Tuesday.Reuters reported that the Basilica was submerged for the sixth time in the past 1,200 years – but the fourth time since 2000. After declaring a state of emergency, Venice’s Mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, also told reporters that climate change was to blame, referring to the high tides as “apocalyptic.” A study published in Quaternary International back in 2017 argued that Venice will be underwater before the next century if no actions are taken to counter climate change.
The first public hearings in 21 years began on Wednesday for Trump’s impeachment inquiry. It is set to investigate whether or not the President abused his presidential powers and sought help from the Ukraine government to undermine Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Politico reported that standout moments included the House moving from quid pro quo to officially accusing the President of “bribery,” and the testimony from the Acting Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor reporting another previously unknown phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump. Also an important moment was U.S. diplomat Marie Yovanovitch’s testimony, which Trump denigrated on Twitter, claiming “everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad.” If the inquiry ends up proving Trump’s wrongdoing, he would become the third American President to be impeached.
A new streaming platform that was launched on Nov. 12 is set to offer access to Fox, Pixar, Marvel and National Geographic productions. Disney Plus comes as another big player against Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime and HBO, among others. Subscribers can expect to find Disney classics such as The Lion King and Star Wars on the streaming service. While Disney has been accused in the past of being culturally offensive, the service deemed wise to include the message “may contain outdated cultural depictions” prior to some of its movies. The platform is available for $8.99/month or $89.99/year in Canada.
Sixteen people have been sentenced to death for setting a 19-year-old girl on fire after she accused her teacher of sexual harassment in Bangladesh. The verdict came after the country was left in shock, protesting for justice. It was one of the quickest sentences to be pronounced in such cases. Nusrat Jahan Rafi was murdered in April by classmates who urged her to retract her complaint. They lured her onto a rooftop 11 days after she came forward to the police with accusations of sexual harassment, as reported by BBC. Bangladesh has an alarmingly high rate of sexual violence. According to UN Women, more than half of Bangladeshi women have experienced some form of sexual violence from their intimate partner in their lifetime.
On Sunday, Trump announced the death of one of the most wanted terrorists, Islamist State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Several media outlets reported that he died in a raid conducted by American troops in northwest Syria, on Saturday night. It was later confirmed by Trump that al-Baghdadi ran into a dead-end tunnel with three of his children, where he detonated a suicide vest. Yet, people are reluctant to link his death to the end of ISIS, as the terrorist organization is most likely to name a successor. Talking about a possible ISIS resurgence in a TIME article, Michael Downing, former head of the Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau for the Los Angeles Police Department said: “Now is one of the most dangerous times, when you injure an animal, that is when it is most dangerous.”
A new Brexit deadline has been granted to Boris Johnson’s government after the Prime Minister was forced by the parliament to request a further extension.On Twitter early Monday morning, President of the European Council Donald Tusk referred to the setback as a “flextension” – meaning if a deal was to be made before February 2020, Britain could still have the opportunity to leave the EU. Johnson has repeated many times that a Brexit deal would happen by Oct. 31, but it has become increasingly difficult to reach a consensus with a minority government. Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU, was first voted for in 2016 and has been extended three times since.
Protests against the cost of living have now taken 11 people’s lives in Chile after a weekend of on-going demonstrations. The vandalism and violence were originally prompted by the rise of transit fares announced two weeks ago, which has since been suspended by President Sebastián Piñera. Yet, the initial reason was only a reflection of a deeper national frustration against growing economic inequalities. As reported by The Guardian, the state of emergency declared on Oct. 19 led to more than 10,000 military troops taking over the streets of Santiago, imposed curfew in major cities and the interruption of subway services. Such interventions haven’t been seen since the end of Pinochet dictatorship back in 1990.
Tensions in Spain have been rising as the Supreme Court sentenced nine pro-independence activists up to 13 years in jail. The sentenced leaders were judged on their role in the 2017 Catalan referendum which was backed up by more than half of the 5.5 million voters but deemed illegal by Spanish courts, reported Global News. The decision, which came on Oct. 14, led to an entire week of extreme protests by separatists. As more than 300 people have since been detained by the police, Catalan President Quim Torra, who initially called for civil disobedience, is now open for talks with the Spanish Government.
The White House finally backtracked and dropped plan after announcing that the next G7 would be held at Trump’s golf resort in Miami. The initial move was considered by many to be further evidence of the President using his office for personal gain. CBC highlighted that Trump was the first administration official to praise one of his properties for hosting the international summit. While it comes as one of Trump’s rare reverse decisions, his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said that he knows people think it looks lousy.
After focusing on our federal election, now is the time to switch to a lighter subject: the ongoing civil war, invasion and occupation of Syria.
Having lost their initial momentum, the Islamic State has been reduced to a presence capable of only hit-and-run tactics against their enemies: pretty much everyone. This is due to the combined efforts of the U.S.-led coalition and the Russian-Iranian backed Syrian regime, with both claiming the credit. Regardless, with such a hostile entity destroyed, peace can finally be restored, and the Syrian people can finally return to… Oh wait, we forgot about the ongoing Turkish invasion.
Turkey’s army has occupied northern Syria. Efforts were conducted in an attempt to wipe out pockets of ISIS resistance but instead missed the mark completely by attacking the clearly-not-ISIS Kurdish forces. They have since established their own rule of law, funded questionable militias and set up some permanent looking military bases, leading to major international backlash.
The Trump administration has condemned Turkey for the invasion, calling for more sanctions from an increase in tariffs to an end to all trade negotiations. According to The Guardian, President Trump said he was fully prepared to “ swiftly destroy Turkey’s economy if Turkish leaders continue down this dangerous and destructive path.” Powerful words, yet ultimately meaning nothing as it was the United States which enabled Turkey to move in against ISIS… the Kurds.
Trump ordered an immediate withdrawal of American forces in the region against the recommendations of legal experts, diplomatic personnel, military advisors, and allied countries. Turkey, now not having to worry about the diplomatic suicide of harming Americans, launched airstrikes against their long-time enemies: Kurdish Peshmerga and YPG forces. The result? What is described as a “massacre” of the Kurds, the release of thousands of ISIS-related prisoners, and criticism from both domestic and international figures.
After being “abandoned” by the U.S., the long-time pro-western Kurds have enlisted the help of the anti-western Syrian regime. This has allowed the army of Syrian President Bashar-al Assad to enter Kurdish territory to defend against further Turkish incursions. Whether or not this results in deterrence is difficult to anticipate, but the move does allow the forces of Assad, an accused war criminal, easy access to past territories lost in the civil war.
But hey, at least ISIS is out of the picture, right? Well, yes, but actually no. It turns out that while everyone has been fighting one another, the insurgency group has slowly but surely been rebuilding their forces, allowing them to still be quite capable of attacking international targets.
Four people were killed and five injured in a shooting last Sunday in Kansas City. Police said the two suspects opened fired in a busy bar around 1:27 a.m. following a disturbance or fight. According to an article in The Washington Post, the four victims were all Hispanic men, but the police refused to add further comments.
A second whistleblower surfaced on Sunday morning supporting previous allegations on Donald Trump’s exchanges with Ukraine’s president. While they haven’t filed a complaint with the inspector general, attorney Mark Zaid said in an interview with the Associated Press that the whistleblower has “firsthand knowledge that supported” the original claims.
Protest in Iraq over unemployment and corruption are still raging since Oct. 1. The death toll was estimated at 106 on Sunday – five days after the first confrontations between the police and protesters. According to an article in Reuters, the Iraqi government agreed to a plan that increases subsidized housing for the poor, stipends for the unemployed and training programs and small loans initiatives for unemployed youth.
Protesters in Hong Kong defied the law prohibiting marching with a masked face. According to an article in the Agence France Presse, the crowds were “condemning the government for deploying emergency powers to ban face masks at public gatherings.” What started as a peaceful march quickly turned into violent confrontations as police dispersed the crowd with tear gas and physical force.
A formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump was officially made on Sept. 24. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the inquiry will investigate whether the President abused his presidential powers and sought help from the Ukraine government to undermine Democratic candidate Joe Biden. The Associated Press reported that the allegations came after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in which you can hear Trump asking for help finding incriminating actions by Biden’s son.
“The president must be held accountable,” Pelosi said. “No one is above the law.”
Global leaders met on Sept. 23, in New York for the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. Discussions on the climate crisis and a possible armed conflict between the United States and Iran were among the headlines. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stood against the U.S. and Iran conflict, urging them to resume negotiations over the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, reported Reuters. Greta Thunberg also made a heartfelt plea, but towards the inactions of leaders regarding the climate crisis. She arguably dropped her most powerful quote yet with “how dare you” in a video that was shared more than 50,000 times.
On Sept. 26, more than 300 captives were rescued from a building that housed an Islamic school in northern Nigeria. Many reports described the survivors mostly as children, boys aged around 5 to their late teens, walking in chains. Police declared that seven people, teachers at the school, were arrested in the raid. Such schools are known to be abusive, yet parents lacking financial resources often opt to leave their children in the hands of the school boards. CBC reported that earlier this year, Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari, himself a Muslim, was planning to eventually ban the schools. It is still unclear how long the children were retained.
Have you watched the Spanish hit series Casa de Papel? Although it’s about a robbery, the main theme in the show is a collective and bold revolution against the enemy of humanity: capitalism.
In one of the last episodes of season one, El Professor, the mastermind behind the greatest heist of all time, sat sipping a glass of wine with Berlin, one of the robbers. Agitated, anxious and trembling, El Professor looked terrified. Berlin then got up, grabbed his glass of wine, and sang:
Una mattina mi son svegliato
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao!
The marxist revolutionary chant was a theme song throughout the series, inciting this rebellious feeling inside every listener. El Professor soon began singing with Berlin, the look of fear turned into determination and excitement. That’s the role of sound in politics.
And just like everything in this world, with a negative influencer comes a negative influence.
It’s no secret that I see the President of the United States as the epitome of a negative influencer. Whatever positive economic advantage people might bring up, in my opinion, it does not make up for the fundamental moral wrongs he brings out in the world. For one, since his election, there has been a universal rise in the far right, or the populists as reporter Simon Shuster wrote in Time Magazine.
How did Donald Trump gain so much influence when he’s a businessman who was once part of a reality show? It wasn’t his eccentric character and lack of formidable vocabulary. It wasn’t his white, rich man charm. It wasn’t even his blatant racism and sexism, although that did play a role in making already-racist people feel comfortable being so. No, it was the subconscious manipulation of people during his rallies — the use of music.
According to an article in the Washington Post, people don’t really talk during these rallies; they’re too busy listening to the music. Trump’s playlist since 2016 included the likes of Neil Young, the Rolling Stones, and Journey. All rock, folky, 60s-reminiscent vibes. You might enjoy them as well, naturally. It’s good music.
But these are methodically picked to bring back the nostalgia of what it meant to be an American in the 60s. “Make America Great Again” is Trump’s slogan and his choice of music is meant to take people back to the time when America was great, in his opinion.
The 1960s was the decade of civil rights movements, when things began to fundamentally change. Blasting the greatest songs of that time while talking about building a wall and grabbing pussies connects the great feelings these songs bring with those words; they become one and the same. This is a theory called the Hebbian Rule, by neuropsychologist Donald Hebb.
“Neurons that fire together, wire together,” Hebb wrote in 1949.
Now, remember this is my opinion, although I am stating some hardly refutable ideas. It’s a natural reaction in people to associate feelings with a song they’re listening to, like a newlywed’s first dance and love, or the song you first had sex to and feelings of longing.
Trump vows to build a wall to detain ‘illegal immigrants’ while Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” plays in the background; it’s an inspiring song and what people are being inspired to in this context is racism.
In 2016, The Rolling Stones issued a statement demanding that the Trump administration not use their music. In fact, according to the BBC, Neil Young, Adele, Aerosmith, among others, were all against the use of their music at Trump’s rallies.
If Trump were a song he’d be the melody people sway to, and his beliefs would be the lyrics they sing along to as if it were their own.
Donald Trump said that peace negotiations with the Taliban were officially dead on Monday. According to the BBC, Trump canceled the hosting of a Taliban delegation after the group admitted to killing a U.S. soldier. The two sides were said to be getting closer to a deal. The talks were aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan. The Taliban had previously said that the U.S. would “lose the most” if negotiations were canceled.
The United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran is installing new centrifuges, trespassing the limits of a nuclear deal. According to the Associated Press, the nuclear deal was meant to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons in exchange for economic incentives. However, the U.S.’s unilateral withdrawal from the deal last year prompted struggle from other signatories to meet Iran’s demands and salvage the treaty.
A typhoon with wind speeds up to 207 km/h killed two and caused travel chaos in Tokyo on Monday, according to the Agence France Presse. More than 30 people were injured and about 2,000 had to take refuge in nearby shelters. The train system and the airport had to shut down their services. Taxis and buses were the only remaining options.
Why we should care about the government shutdown in the U.S.
The U.S. government has shut down yet again, only this time it’s being regarded as the longest shutdown in U.S. history. It all started on Dec. 22, right before the holidays and unfortunately for the time being, there’s no end in sight. According to CBS News, this is the third government shutdown in 2018 alone. In order to gain a better understanding of the magnitude of the problem, there have only been three government shutdowns in the past 25 years up until 2018.
Government officials failed to come to an agreement concerning President Donald Trump’s decision to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump’s refusal to approve a federal budget unless it includes funding for a border wall is beyond absurd. Democrats have rejected Trump’s request to do so for $5.7 billion. This has affected nine federal departments, leaving about 800,000 federal workers without pay.
The shutdown has had an impact on all sorts of industries. Employees such as prison guards, FBI agents and airport staff have been working without pay. Flying is now deemed less safe than before due to a shortage of TSA workers. Airline companies such as Delta airlines will lose revenue of $25 million this month given that fewer government contractors are flying.
On Tuesday, Jan. 15, a federal judge in Washington denied the request to pay workers who are continuing their jobs during the shutdown, including the nation’s air traffic controllers. According to NBC News, the union that represents thousands of air traffic controllers filed a lawsuit on Friday. They’re searching for a temporary restraining order against the federal government for violating the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. constitution, given that they’re being denied “hard-earned compensation without the requisite due process.”
On Thursday, federal workers all over the country missed their first paychecks since the beginning of the shutdown. According to NBC News, air traffic controllers and TSA workers expressed their concerns surrounding passengers’s safety during the shutdown. The air traffic control system in this country is an economic engine. At this moment, we’re seeing this incredible strain on the system, which is unacceptable given that it’s negatively impacting thousands of people.
Meanwhile on Craigslist, listings from federal workers trying to sell their possessions have been flooding the site. These items varied from beds to old toys, which have been listed as “government shutdown specials.” According to the BBC, of the 800,000 federal employees going unpaid, approximately 350,000 are furloughed, which is a temporary lay-off, while the rest remain at work. This past weekend, one of the country’s major airports, Miami International, closed an entire terminal because too many employees have been calling in sick.
Both the House and Senate have passed a bill on Friday to guarantee that all government workers will be receiving retroactive pay once the shutdown is over. Trump is still expected to sign the legislation but for the moment he’s still demanding that Democrats approve funding for a border wall. People’s lifestyles have been placed on hold as a result of this shutdown. Some fear for the worst, wondering if they’ll have enough money to pay next month’s rent, or for their medication.
Even though the shutdown isn’t directly affecting Canadians, it is highly relevant. Thousands of American citizens are left wondering how they’re going to pay their rent and provide for their families as the shutdown perseveres. Trump has been directing all his attention towards building this border wall when in reality this shutdown isn’t a fight about security. It’s affecting thousands of communities and families across the nation and makes us question whether Republicans in the White House are living in the same reality as the rest of the country.
All we can do now is hope for this shutdown to end before more damage is done. Even though they’ll get their pay back once the government reopens, these federal employees aren’t receiving money as their costs of living keep piling up.
People in past years probably envisioned 2018 as a time where people fly spaceships, could teleport or, at the very least, print food—all of which could be considered as quite progressive. But we at The Concordian are sad to remind our readers that our current society is seemingly becoming more regressive than progressive. Just last week, our editorial challenged the CAQ’s religious symbol ban––a ban that prohibits freedom of religion, a basic human right under the Canadian and the Quebec Charters of Rights and Freedoms.
This week, we were stunned to learn that the Trump administration is restricting and stripping away the rights of transgender and nonbinary people. According to a report by The New York Times, Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is considering major changes to Title IX, “the federal civil rights law that bans gender discrimination in education programs that receive government financial assistance.” These major changes include defining gender as determined “on a biological basis that is clear, grounded in science, objective and administrable,” according to the same article.
The Obama administration took concrete steps in extending the rights and protections granted to transgender and nonbinary people in terms of education and health care, by allowing them to serve in the military and recognizing that gender is an individual’s choice rather than something strictly assigned at birth. The HHS’s policy wants to completely destroy this. It aims to define gender as binary, something that is unchangeable and assigned by the genitals one is born with. We at The Concordian believe these policies are transphobic and aim to erase the existence of transgender and nonbinary people in the U.S. This could have a catastrophic impact not only on those living in the U.S., but also others around the world.
The HHS’s policy also stated that anyone with disputes about their gender must use genetic testing to clarify any misconceptions. Using science, a field that has always been progressive and innovative, as a way to reinforce a backwards policy is ironic in its entirety. The memo detailing the policy also states that a person’s sex as listed on their original birth certificate is the one they must identify with, “unless rebutted by reliable genetic evidence.”
Almost 1.4 million Americans identify as transgender––these new policies would undo the rights they have been granted through the Obama administration, and would be another step towards erasing trans and nonbinary voices.The Human Rights Campaign—which is the U.S.’s largest civil rights organization advocating for LGBTQ+ equality—has demanded that the Trump administration not go forward with the proposal, as it will harm transgender people and put them in serious danger. It is integral to recognize trans and nonbinary people as those who deserve basic civil rights, equality and protection.
As we’ve seen throughout history, when an entire group of people are not given equal rights or are stripped of what little rights they do have, unrest ensues. We at The Concordian hope that everyone is as outraged at the Trump administration’s attempt to suppress transgender and nonbinary people as we are. We must remain vigilant in calling out the administration’s blatant disrespect for human rights.
In the past, the U.S. might’ve been seen as a progressive nation that boasted innovative leaders and creative thinkers. But the country’s recent actions prove this is not true; in fact, they go vehemently against the concept of progressiveness by creating policies that aim to disregard and oppress an entire group of people. While we may marvel at how far technology has come over the years and how innovative the Western world may seem, we cannot celebrate progression until our social policies also mirror this way of thinking.
Concordia student Elizabeth Tasong interned at the White House in Washington, D.C. Photo by Alex Hutchins
How one Concordia student’s internship expanded her political perspective
Second-year Concordia student Elizabeth Tasong had the experience of a lifetime this past summer when she interned at the White House in Washington, D.C. The opportunity was offered to Tasong by her aunt, Omarosa Manigault-Newman.
As a student in the community, public affairs and policy program at Concordia, the opportunity was a fitting one for Tasong. She learned from Omarosa, the former White House director of communications for the office of public liaison, by acting as her personal intern.
A Silver Spring, Md. native and dual citizen of Canada and the United States, Tasong came to Montreal in September 2016, at what she said felt like the “perfect time”. Given that she was considering a career in public service and possibly politics, working at the White House for four months helped Tasong expand her skillset and perspective on politics. “I realized how not black and white politics are,” she said. “They’re very, very grey.”
Working in the White House allowed Tasong to draw her own conclusions about the complexity of current issues. “I found that a lot of people kind of assume that, because it’s Trump, everyone in the White House is on the same page, but it’s the exact opposite,” Tasong said. “Everyone has their own intentions, their own views, their own goals, and they’re completely different. While there are a couple of people at the top who make the big decisions, everyone underneath is on different pages. It’s not just one single ideal, one single belief.”
Concordia student Elizabeth Tasong (left) worked alongside Omarosa Manigault-Newman, the former director of communications for the office of public liaison.
Tasong was Omarosa’s full-time right hand at the White House from May to August 2017. Her work included a wide range of responsibilities, such as determining negative effects of the proposed 2018 United States federal budget. “Basically, it outlined all of the budget cuts and expenses that they were proposing in all sectors, and essentially I had to go through and see what type of cuts would disproportionally affect communities of colour, LGBTQ, immigrant communities,” Tasong said. “Which was a lot of [the cuts], because they essentially cut the Department of Education and all the other departments, and then increased funding in the Department of Defence and Homeland Security.”
Tasong’s job was always changing, never static. “I found it was a very busy and kind of hectic environment,” she said. “A lot of things were going on at once. There was never just one thing to worry about; it was always multiple things that were a concern.”
Other than working solely on projects like the proposed budget, Tasong’s time was spent helping Omarosa with her notes, preparing her for interviews and organizing events. “It was a very at the snap of a finger, you just have to roll with the punches type of environment.”
Omarosa herself was responsible for all media, newspaper, radio and television requests that related to the employees in the Office of Public Liaison, a unit of the White House Office within the Executive Office of the President that communicates with associated interest groups. Omarosa resigned from her position in January 2018. “My job was really important because our office was the front door of the White House,” Omarosa told The Concordian. “So communication was imperative—to first communicate their concerns to the president, and then to communicate the president’s response to those constituents.”
Omarosa’s duties mainly involved working with vast amounts of groups and communities in the United States, where the relationship between each one and the White House varied considerably. “It depended on who wanted what when,” Omarosa explained. “If I was dealing with the National Black Police Organization, the African American Veterans Association, the African American Faith Community, it was fine. There were other areas that were very tense, like working with Congressional Black Caucus members or the National Association of Black Journalists, for instance. Those were very tense.”
As the only African-American senior staffer in the administration, Omarosa’s relationship with the black community was exceedingly publicized. “It just depended on the group; it wasn’t a blanket relationship with just a monolithic African-American community,” she said. “There are so many different dynamic aspects of the community that I worked with.”
Omarosa said she viewed her position at the White House as only a one-year commitment and the “springboard” for more to come in her career. “As amazing as it was, this was the second time I had worked in the White House. First for Bill Clinton, then for Donald Trump. It was an honour to serve my country,” she said. “But my service to my country does not stop at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.”
Along with her new insight on the many different beliefs and objectives within the White House, Tasong has noticed some differences in the political landscapes of Canada and the United States. “I find that Canadian politics are much simpler,” she said, describing concerns in Canadian politics as “miniscule” compared to those in the United States.
“We have to come together as a nation. We have to identify the things that we have in common as opposed to our differences,” Omarosa said. “Our nation is operating under a notion: one nation under God. And so that one nation has to be the United States of America, and not the divided states of America.”
