By now you would have heard the news that Donald Trump has been re-elected to become the 47th president of the United States.

In polarised times like these, Trump is a figure who tends to draw a strong reaction out of people, whether for or against.

Here, however, I am not so interested in Trump’s personality as his policies. Personalities come and go but policies tend to last a lot longer and end up shaping a nation.

I am an Australian but my wife is American and so is our daughter. Having lived in America for several years, I have more than a passing interest in American news. And as a father, I have more than a passing interest in the sorts of nations we will hand on to our children.

So, what will Trump’s America be like for kids?

In answering this question, three issues come to mind. For the sake of alliteration, let’s call them: guns, gender and gestation.

Guns

Gun violence is one of the first issues that come to mind for many who are concerned about the safety of children in America.

As an Australian, I don’t have particularly strong feelings about the Second Amendment, which grants Americans the right to bear arms – though I empathise with its intent, which is to protect all the other liberties Americans hold dead and defend against tyranny.

Sadly, in the modern era, guns are used for more than self-defence – and they now play a significant role in gang violence and school shootings. As a kindergarten teacher, my mother-in-law now has to regularly provide training drills for her students to prepare for such events.

The complicated fact about gun violence is that most of it is carried out by people who already broke laws to access guns or who have a prior criminal record. In other words, restricting access to guns for law-abiding citizens does not help solve the problem of gun violence.

There is general agreement that enhanced background checks, red flag laws, strengthening mental health services, improving gun trafficking prevention, and safe storage requirements are all policies worth pursuing to keep children safe.

Trump has increased some of these protections but backed away from others. I give him a mixed score on this point. His strong border policies will no doubt help curb some of the violent crime now commonplace on America’s streets. However, I would like to see more done to keep children safe from gun violence during his next term in the White House.

Gender

Gender has been another hotly contested topic in America over recent years. In particular, young girls have increasingly been required to share their sports locker rooms with biological boys and men who identify as female, and have lost opportunities to compete and win as female-identifying athletes have muscled them out.

Most Americans reject the ideology behind these moves, as do I. Girls deserve their own sporting categories.

Trump has an excellent record on this issue, and he made protecting girls’ sports and locker rooms one of his top 20 campaign promises.

Another of his top 20 promises was to cut federal funding for schools that promote radical gender ideology and other inappropriate sexual content to American school children.

Additionally, he vowed to sign a law banning child sexual mutilation in all fifty states. This came after revelations that children as young as 12 have been receiving double mastectomies and genital surgery in some of America’s top hospitals.

On all of these initiatives, I give Trump full points.

Gestation

The third issue to consider is gestation – that is, babies in the womb.

I’m unashamedly pro-life, believing that an unborn baby is a human being from the moment of conception and already possesses the right to life.

I have been disappointed to see Trump back away from some of his earlier pro-life positions. However, his policy achievements during his first term in office were truly impressive.

I don’t foresee Trump achieving much on this front over the coming four years, but his election has put a stop to Democrat plans to create a federal “right” to abortion nationwide. This would have led to many more abortions that currently take place – a truly horrible prospect for the precious little lives who are too vulnerable to protect themselves.

On this issue, I give Trump a passing grade.

A Better Place for Children

There you have it. On balance, I believe Donald Trump will help make America a safer, better place for children. And in turn, he will provide much-needed leadership to nations like Australia.

What are your thoughts on Trump’s election? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Photo by Wikimedia Commons.