Column: The Trump presidency begins to take shape. Immigration is front and center

There are 69 days until President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in, and he’s starting to pick the team that will run his White House — giving insight into which campaign promises will be his priorities.

At the top of the list seems to be immigration and the Great Deportation. That’s followed by dismantling the Department of Education and weakening the Environmental Protection Agency. All that comes from a series of videos and statements released on his own Truth Social and other social media platforms.

Oh, and unity. He’d like to unify the country. So let’s dig into what exactly unity might look like.

A bright spot?

If the past few days have brought any glimmers of hope for democracy, which I still argue is in jeopardy, it is in the appointment of Susie Wiles as Trump’s chief of staff.

Politico writer Michael Kruse wrote a sweeping profile of Wiles in April that is worth a read. A longtime Republican operative whose resume goes back before Reagan (she served as his scheduler in the White House), Wiles has a good reputation on both sides of the aisle. She is not politically rabid on any of the issues — immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, deregulation — that have animated the MAGA base and which other Trump acolytes push.

Though many have struggled to understand why a non-MAGA Republican such as herself has aligned with Trump, the proof is in the pudding, as they say. Because here she is — Trump has named her as his chief of staff.

That makes her one of the most powerful people in the country, in a role never before held by a woman. Maybe her reasoning is as simple as taking power when it’s offered. Only Wiles knows.

But despite being instrumental to Trump’s victory, there’s the chance her influence could be a tempering one on his agenda because she has historically lacked the far-right ideology that drives the rest of Trump’s inner circle.

That, anyway, will remain my hope until proven otherwise.

The Great Deportation

One place where it’s clear that there will be no tempering of Trump’s campaign promises is around immigration. Trump has made two key appointments on this issue: Stephen Miller, formerly of Santa Monica, is reportedly his pick for deputy chief of staff; and former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thomas Homan has been chosen as Trump’s “border czar.”

Miller has been a Trump ally since before his first term and has been clear on his views about immigration and what makes an American a real and valuable American. He’s championed not just the mass deportation of undocumented people, but removing citizenship from naturalized citizens. Unlike Wiles, Miller’s extreme positions seem to be a badge of honor, and an agenda he has long waited to implement.

Homan is the tool for that implementation, a sledgehammer meant to turn to rubble the fragile communities and economies where undocumented people exist, with California at the top of that list. Homan presided over family separations during the last Trump term.

Though Trump — and Homan — have said that those with criminal records would be targeted first, he’s also said that “no one is off the table,” and that he will run the “biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” That includes workplace raids.

It might also include attempting to withhold federal funds from cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, which provide sanctuary for undocumented residents, spreading the pain to include all Americans as a way to break political will for resistance.

The shadow power

Trump has also promised quick executive orders banning transgender people from participating in women’s sports. Though it’s unclear exactly how that would work, it wouldn’t be surprising — especially since Elon Musk seems to have moved from mega-donor to confidante.

Musk, you may know, has a transgender child from whom he is estranged. He has publicly said he considers this child dead, having been killed by the “woke mind virus.” For the record: Vivian Jenna Wilson is alive and well, and a few days ago called her father a “delusional and grubby little control freak” for his views that seek to undermine her existence.

But Musk has made no secret that along with dismantling federal departments to cut trillions from the budget (never mind the services such as Medicaid or Social Security that these workers manage) he is waging a war against transgender rights. So expect his new bestie Trump to help with that.

It’s the education, stupid

Trump has also in recent days promised immediate action on education, dismantling the Department of Education (and “bringing back” prayer in schools, which really hasn’t been a thing since separation of church and state but is a huge part of Christian nationalism). The DOE, of course, oversees civil rights in schools — that’s not just a race or gender thing. Special education services could also be affected.

And (surprise), the DOE also oversees Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in school sports. Guess how that will be interpreted?

Trump wants to dump educational issues on the states, while simultaneously allowing for “school choice,” which is shorthand for allowing private schools, including religious ones, to take public money — thereby hollowing out the public education system by draining its funding.

Remember Betsy DeVos, his education secretary the first time around? DeVos said recently that she’d be willing to come back to help gut the department. Vivek Ramaswamy is another name that has been floating around for the role, and he makes DeVos look like a moderate on the issue.

Climate Woes

Last but not least, Trump announced the appointment of former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, soon to be renamed the DBD Department. That’s Drill, Baby, Drill. In announcing Zeldin, Trump promised quick deregulation across the board, which may include opening up federally protected land to private business, from drilling to building.

What else you should be reading:

The must-read: Trump’s border czar promises ‘hell of a lot more’ deportations than first term
What’s next: California Counts Methodically as House Control Hangs in the Balance
The L.A. Times special: Newsom heads to D.C. to lobby for California’s wish list before Trump takes over

Stay golden,
Anita Chabria

P.S. What do you want from me? No really, what do you need this newsletter to be? With the election over, we’re thinking about the future of this political newsletter and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do we stay focused on the White House? Should we look more at how a Trump presidency will affect California and how California will respond? Do we check out of the national mess and focus on California, and our politics here in the Golden State?

Drop me a line (anita.chabria@latimes.com) and let me know what you think.

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