On Jan. 27, the Idaho House of Representatives passed a resolution calling on the Supreme Court to strike down Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark SCOTUS case that established nationwide recognition of same-sex marriage. The resolution still requires approval from the Idaho Senate before it would constitute an official request from the state, but Idaho’s motion against gay marriage threatens the marriage rights of at least 14 million queer Americans in the United States — a grave concern in itself.
However, the fear triggered by the conservative motion for Obergefell v. Hodges to be overturned is emblematic of a larger issue: the Trump administration’s calculated use of the political tactic “shock and awe.”
Originally a description of U.S. military strategy during the 2003 Iraq War, “shock and awe” in a political context refers to the U.S. government’s systematic use of public disorientation following times of collective shock. The goal is to disorient the public, exhaust opposition and push radical policies into law with minimal resistance.
The Idaho resolution comes only a week after Trump’s Jan. 20 anti-trans executive order, which officially limits gender recognition to either “male” or “female” and allows for the Executive Branch to enact “sex-protective laws.” Triggering outrage among queer communities, these anti-LGBTQ+ moves are especially shocking given that the Republican platform relaxed its stance on anti-gay legislation in the lead-up to the election.
While the GOP’s identitarian politics inadvertently distract Americans from other pressing issues, the Trump administration is deliberately leveraging these debates to deflect from its failures and broken campaign promises. Even Trump supporters find themselves shocked by his admission that his administration is struggling to lower grocery prices post-election, as well as by new policies that closely align with the largely condemned Project 2025 agenda. Though Trump previously claimed ignorance of Project 2025, current initiatives to pause federal funding, end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and end birthright citizenship were all originally outlined in the Project 2025 playbook.
Some may argue that many policies were part of the GOP platform prior to the 2024 election and are not intended to create “shock and awe.” But the issue isn’t whether they were advertised — it’s that they are being enacted in far more extreme ways than originally proposed. Republican officials have openly admitted to using this strategy. GOP Senator John Barrasso, FOX News broadcaster Piers Morgan and GOP “border czar” Tom Homan have all publicly admitted to the Trump administration’s deployment of “shock and awe” tactics.
“When President Trump takes office … there is going to be shock and awe with executive orders,” Barrasso declared.
Sure enough, in his first week alone, Trump signed 36 executive orders.
Trump’s ultimate goal seems clear: overwhelm the public, induce feelings of helplessness and decrease oppositional forces whilst consolidating power for himself and other business leaders with governmental influence.
It’s honestly pathetic that the GOP is so forthright about their harmful political tactics and agendas, and we’re just letting it happen.
All three branches of government are dominated by Republican majorities overwhelmingly in support of Trump’s agenda, effectively undermining checks and balances. All the promises originally made by the Trump campaign during election season are either being completely abandoned or weakly attempted, while his administration actively creates mass hysteria. Without strong Democratic opposition, the Trump administration is likely to continue passing unpopular policies whilst ignoring the desires of the electorate.
This is a bipartisan issue. We are all collectively being overlooked in different ways: some are seeing their rights stripped away, while others are being completely forgotten. We can exercise our power as citizens by staying informed, letting ourselves rest, processing jarring information and continuing to advocate for issues that speak to us.
The minute we allow ourselves to be despondent is the minute the Trump administration escapes accountability. We must not fall into catatonia.
Celeste Cariker PZ ’28 is from San Juan Capistrano, CA. She intends to major in political studies and has special interests in social justice and law. In her free time, she plays guitar, lifts weights and listens to music.
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