BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)
President Trump's agenda has shaken the pillars of American democracy and the rule of law. But we’re not the first generation to face oppression. The key is not to give up simply because he made any of us blink.
Was the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll a DEI hire? Elvis Presley’s life serves as an unexpected but poignant lens for understanding how Americans can stay true to who we are as a people while confronting the new Pharaoh in town.
Activism burnout is real. Like Elvis, sometimes we’ll need to forgive others being performative in their solidarity; other times, we ourselves must be ready confront the devil in the flesh.
The New Normal
We are now 21 days into the new presidential administration in the United States of America. So far, President Trump has wasted little time delivering on his campaign promises of quick and dramatic changes to Washington DC, pushing forward his policy agenda with a strong focus on consolidating power and authority. Much like Richard Nixon, whom Trump has openly admired, these early moves reflect a determined approach to reshaping Washington. Many across the land are filled with fear—not only for their future and livelihoods but also for the fate of our great nation. A sense of hopelessness is in the air, as I hear from friends on the left, right, and center alike, all of whom seem resigned to a grim future.
Shock & Awe
Trump Declares War on Dora the Explorer
Many point to President Trump’s harsh approach to foreign relations with some of our closest allies, and others are heartbroken by actions that seem to violate constitutional norms, like shuttering the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the chaos resulting from the dramatic shutdown of USAID. Far from least on anyone’s mind are the Pharaoh-like hunting of children and parents born to the wrong family and in the wrong parts of the world by immigration authorities who are no longer restrained by the formalities of previous administrations, including deportations at sensitive public spaces such as churches, schools, and hospitals.
The fear gripping immigrant families in cities like Chicago—where ICE raids have forced children to stay home from school, and community life has come to a standstill—echoes the cycles of neglect and violence decried in Elvis Presley’s song In the Ghetto. It is a cruel irony that a president who so admires Elvis seems indifferent to the societal wounds that Presley’s music so poignantly captured. In just three short weeks, America’s massive federal government has awakened like a military parade—where goose-stepping is non-optional. Despondency seems to define the mood of our huddled masses, yearning for dignity, integrity, and freedom.
““Even if Judgment Day is upon you and you have a seed in your hand, plant the seed.” ”
A Moral Reflection
And yet, I am reminded of the wisdom in the words of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): "Even if Judgment Day is upon you and you have a seed in your hand, plant the seed." This serves as a powerful reminder that even amidst despair, our small, hopeful actions can create ripples of change. Perhaps because of my open and public faith in God, I see things differently. Much as the preacher Paul saw beauty in the ugliest of Roman punishments (the crucifixion) for those who loved Christ’s life and words, I see a redeeming American quality in how we respond to the worst impulses of the Trump administration. Rather than allowing America to be defined by the new draconian militancy we see in Washington, I believe we can and should be defined by how we act consciously and collectively to protect our constitution and laws. A defining test for our generation of American policymakers and leaders is how we proactively reach out to those we disagree with, regardless of how vehemently.
As Moses confronted the oppression of Pharaoh, Christ condemned the Moneylenders at the Temple, and Muhammad spoke truth the powerfully unjust elites of Mecca, we too now have a moral obligation to directly serve due notice on the policies of the Trump administration. As the Gospel says, “Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth” (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Or as God instructs in the Quran, “Speak to [Pharaoh] gently so that he may take heed or show respect” (20:44 – Abdul Haleem Translation).
Elvis, Nixon and…Trump?
“People, don’t you understand The child needs a helping hand Or he’ll grow to be an angry young man some day...”
A few days before Christmas in 1970, the King of Rock-n-Roll came to the White House to meet with one of Donald Trump’s personal heroes, President Richard M. Nixon. It was an odd meeting. A year earlier, Elvis had released the hit single In the Ghetto, openly lamenting America’s failure to invest in the working poor:
People, don't you understand
The child needs a helping hand
Or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day...
The song continues:
And his hunger burns
So he starts to roam the streets at night
And he learns how to steal
And he learns how to fight
The ballad concludes with the young man’s death after a life fueled by poverty, humiliation, hate, and societal indifference. Nixon, whose own farm boy youth was filled with tragedy and impoverishment, was known to lack sympathy for America’s urban poor. Despite this, Nixon received Elvis warmly, and the two discussed ideas on how to influence America’s youthful baby boomers to make better choices for their personal lives than the heartbreak offered by drug addiction. Less than seven years later, Elvis tragically died from his own battle with addiction to prescription drugs. He was only 42. In 2018, during his first term in office, President Trump posthumously awarded Elvis Presley the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Here lies the beauty of American contradictions: two conservatives admired a socially conscious celebrity with a libertine streak. In turn, Presley sought to save others from the dark path that eventually claimed his own life.
Elvis: How Diversity Gave Rise to a King
I see Elvis’s inspiring impact on two Republican presidents and his call to policy action in his last decade of life as an important bridge across the chasms in America today. The quintessential American icon was defined and shaped by his role as the connector of diverse American communities. During his teenage years in Memphis, Elvis helped Jewish families on the Sabbath by performing tasks forbidden to them, like carrying groceries, turning electric lights on and off, and completing physical labor. His deep respect for his childhood home of Tupelo’s black gospel community and later Memphis Jazz musicians influenced his own ballads and melodies. He collaborated regularly with black musicians, and while he was publicly silent during the Civil Rights movement, he recorded If I Can Dream in 1968 as a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and message. Like all human beings, Elvis was flawed, but like most Americans, he tried to do the right thing when he could.
A Very American Lesson
Here is the lesson for the rest of us: we need not lead every protest, join every direct action, or challenge every act of institutional terror visited upon us in the days to come. We must simply commit to speaking truth to power on behalf of those who cannot, help those in need when and where we can afford to, and when possible, join forces with one another in public (and private) to do what is right. For perhaps, God will change the hearts of the oppressors. Insha’Allah.
Conclusion
I see today in America a beauty to behold in the painful stations of the collective crosses each one of us is being forced to bear. Like nearly all of Christ’s apostles, we are far from perfect. But even with our flawed approach to goodness, our belated efforts of collective action and lukewarm embrace of social justice and helping our fellow creations, we still keep trying to do the right thing. Elvis knew his addiction was killing him, and he sought save other from his fate. He was silent when John Lewis and other civil rights activists were beaten down on the Bridge to Selma. Yet he released If I Can Dream in memory of Martin Luther King Jr, and often violated segregation laws himself to spend time with his black friends in the Deep South. He never voted in a presidential election, but just as Richard Nixon won the White House, he released In the Ghetto, whose lyrics echoed slain presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy’s concern for the welfare of America’s most impoverished and ignored citizens.
As we face the coming weeks, months, and years, each of us must confront a defining question: how will we stand up to the excesses of the new Pharaoh, speak truth to power, challenge his stark vision for America, and still appeal to people of different thinking than ourselves? This is not just a matter for history books—it is a matter of who we are as a people and what we want America to stand for. We may not have all the answers, and we may not always act perfectly, but like Elvis—flawed, imperfect, yet striving for redemption—each of us has a role to play in making the country we love a better place. E Pluribus Unum. Out of many, we are (still) One.