Whither human rights in the era of Trump
| DOI | 10.1177/0924051917708381 |
| Published date | 01 June 2017 |
| Author | Leila Nadya Sadat |
| Date | 01 June 2017 |
| Subject Matter | Column |
Column
Whither human rights
in the era of Trump
Leila Nadya Sadat
Leila Nadya Sadat, Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, MO, USA
On 20 January 2017, the 45th President of the United States of America was sworn in after a
bruising political campaign that left the country bitterly divided and the US electorate deeply
polarised. The winner, Donald J. Trump, garnered 304 electoral college votes to take the White
House, but lost the popular vote by an estimated 3,000,000 votes to his chief opponent, Democratic
party candidate, Hillary Clinton.
1
Trump ran on a campaign that was anti-trade, anti-immigrant, anti-elitist and often racist and
xenophobic. His campaign promises included a ‘‘Muslim ban’’ that would prevent any Muslims
coming to the US;
2
negative comments about women, Afri can-Americans, Hispanics and the
disabled; building a wall on the US-Mexico border that ‘‘Mexico’’ would pay for; and an
immediate withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Paris Climate Change Agreement,
and renegotiation of NAFTA and the NATO Alliance. In short, a broad-side assault on globalisa-
tion, racial and religious minorities and the entire post-war international legal system. Trump’s
negative campaign rhetoric and illiberal policies exposed the shadow-side of US politics, and his
election was followed by a surge of hate crimes according to statistics compiled by the Southern
Poverty Law Center.
3
His attacks on globalisation resonated with many voters, especially with
those who had lost good, well-paying factory jobs as many US companies sought cheaper
Corresponding author:
Leila Nadya Sadat, Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
E-mail: sadat@wustl.edu
1. Scott Detrow, ‘Donald Trump Secures Electoral College Win, with Few Surprises’ National Public Radio (19 December
2016) http://www.npr.org/2016/12/19/506188169/donald-trump-poised-to-secure-electoral-college-win-with-few-sur
prises accessed 14 April 2017.
2. This statement remains on his website. See ‘Donald J Trump Statement on Preventing Muslim Immigration’ (7
December 2015) https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-statement-on-preventing-muslim-
immigration accessed 14 April 2017.
3. Lydia O’Connor and Daniel Marans, ‘Here are 16 Examples of Donald Trump being Racist’ (The Huffington Post, 16 February
2017) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/president-donald-trump-racist-examples_us_584f2ccae4b0bd9c3dfe5566
accessed 14 April 2017; Southern Poverty Law Center ‘Hate Groups Increase for Second Consecutive Year as
Trump Electrifies Radical Right’(15 February 2017) https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/02/15/hate-groups-increase-second-
consecutive-year-trump-electrifies-radical-right accessed 14 April 2017.
Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights
2017, Vol. 35(2) 77–84
ªThe Author(s) 2017
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