Our nation’s 250th birthday should be a time to celebrate everything that makes our country great, what we all hold dear and unites us as Americans, but regretfully, recent events have led this humble spirit to embrace the phrase popularized by Maya Anjelou: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” Talk about an understatement, at least when it comes to Trump’s diehard MAGA supporters! The president’s poll numbers are tanking, but approximately a third of the electorate continues to stick with him no matter what—and lately there have been quite a few whats. I’m tired of having to strain my empathy to accommodate MAGA grievances: what in heck is wrong with these people?
As we celebrate this milestone, President Trump appears obsessed with two things above all else: monuments to his “legacy” (I shudder to think what that is) and the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (“SAVE America Act”), which he claims is necessary to prevent voter fraud and noncitizen voting. The monuments, such as the hideous “Triumphal Arch,” are just an embarrassment, but the SAVE America Act, which the president even mentioned in his 4th of July speech, is serious stuff. Plain and simple, it would make it harder for many people to vote based on stricter identification requirements. If passed, registering to vote will require one of the following: a valid U.S. passport, a certified birth certificate paired with a photo ID, a naturalization certificate, or a consular report of birth abroad. Women whose name no longer matches their birth certificate would even be required to provide a marriage certificate. Needless to say, a lot of people don’t have any of those items readily available and in many cases can’t afford to obtain them (including a lot of Trump voters, something the president may not have considered).
Like Gerrymandering, the “SAVE America Act” Represents a Return to the Jim Crow Era.
When it comes to fraud and noncitizen voting, there is no evidence that supports the need for such legislation. The SAVE America Act does, however, fit in nicely with Republican gerrymandering meant to reduce African American representation in Congress, their attempt to take us back to the days of Jim Crow. The fact is, if you make it harder to vote you inevitably take away people’s right to vote as well. “SAVE America” makes a good slogan for Trump’s ever-xenophobic MAGA base, but the legislation should be called the “Save Trump’s Fat Ass Act,” given that his motivation is obviously to skew the 2026 election in the Republican’s favor and prevent the Democrats from taking control of Congress and impeaching him again. (You know what they say about the third time being the charm.)
In the meantime, the president doesn’t seem to think that inflation (as in the “affordability” of gas and groceries), the housing crisis, our chronically unhealthy healthcare system, or a costly unnecessary war with Iran are important issues for voters. (Regarding the war with Iran, if Trump can’t get the Strait of Hormuz open permanently, before too long he’s going to be dealing with economic problems that dwarf the recent rise in gas prices.)
The idea that stopping people from voting will “save America” just means stopping the dreaded “other” from exercising their constitutional right to vote, not stopping fraud or noncitizen voting. The country has come a long way in 250 years, becoming the most powerful nation on earth and surely surpassing the Founding Fathers’ expectations. But this humble spirit fears that, in some ways, we’re going backwards, in no small part thanks to President Donald J. Trump and his endless catering to the very worst angels of his MAGA supporters’ nature.