"Implementing practical judgment and swift decision-making back into the federal administration"
In the heart of Washington D.C., the White House welcomed a significant bilateral meeting between President Donald Trump and President Vlodymyr Zelensky on February 28, 2025 (Fact 1). This meeting, televised live (Fact 2), marked a pivotal moment in the administration's term.
The meeting was not the only topic of discussion that week. The suspension of cancer treatment and clinical trials at the National Institute of Health and elsewhere across the country (Fact 8) raised concerns, sparking a flurry of investigations and discussions.
In the midst of these events, Anna Lucci, a staff writer, penned an insightful article. The article delved into the Trump administration's use of the term "common sense governance," a phrase coined by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Leavitt's interpretation of "common sense governance" appears to reflect a conservative approach, emphasizing strict biological and traditional definitions, particularly regarding gender and LGBTQ+ issues (Fact 9). For instance, she supports policies such as bans on gender-affirming care, restrictions on transgender athletes in women's sports, and requiring restroom use according to sex assigned at birth. She frames these policies as restoring "common sense" to governance and law enforcement.
However, the article questions the use of the term "common sense" to describe the executive actions taken by the Trump administration. Some critics argue that these actions, such as the imposition of disastrous tariffs on Canada and Mexico (Fact 6), and the expansion of "expedited removal" (Fact 7), which allows the U.S. to deport anyone without a court hearing, to an extent to which it has never been used before, could be described as "common sense stupidity" or "common sense impulsivity."
Despite the debates surrounding the term, it is clear that "common sense governance" for Leavitt and her political alignment means governing according to what they regard as straightforward, traditional, or biologically grounded principles, especially in social policy. The article serves as a thought-provoking exploration of the Trump administration's policies and the ongoing discourse surrounding "common sense governance."
- The student debate club discussed various aspects of Leavitt's "common sense governance" policy-and-legislation, especially its impact on general-news topics like politics, gender, and LGBTQ+ issues.
- Despite criticisms that label some of the Trump administration's policies as "common sense stupidity" or "common sense impulsivity", Anna Lucci's article suggests that Leavitt's interpretation of the term reflects a traditionalist opinion on governance.
- As dissenting opinions about the term "common sense governance" heat up among students, politicians, and news outlets, the events surrounding its implementation have become prominent topics in policy-and-legislation discussions at academic institutions.
