Gov. Phil Scott continues to urge Vermonters to take a chill pill and ignore the bull rampaging through the china shop. He tells us to stop focusing on “the rhetoric in D.C.” — without identifying the source of the rhetoric. He did so once again last week in an interview with Vermont Public’s Michaela Lefrak which was faithfully, painfully, completely transcribed on VP’s website. Feast your eyes on this cornucopia of good talkin’.

Well, what— again, we have to wait for whatever the action is he takes against us here in the state, and react to that. And I, I think we have been doing that, but, but for all of us to fall into that trap, I think, is, would be unfortunate and it takes away from all the problems that exist here in Vermont today, that we’re not doing because we’re focusing on the rhetoric that he, he wants to stir up, and I don’t believe we can live in chaos for the next three and a half years. They just have too much to do, too much to accomplish right here in Vermont.

Winston Churchill would be proud.

Anyway, the governor couldn’t be wronger about this. First of all, we’re going to be living “in chaos for the next three and a half years” no matter what. Donald Trump is going to keep waving all the red flags and eroding our democracy and our federal government even if we take Scott’s advice and whistle resolutely past the graveyard.

Trump is a bully. He backtracks when confronted, and then seeks the soft spots in our defenses. It’s exhausting and yes, it takes a lot of time, but we don’t have the luxury of sitting back and waiting for rhetoric to turn into reality. Just ask immigrants, refugees, and transgender folk if they’re feeling secure these days.

Even when it’s nothing more than “rhetoric,” it creates tremendous uncertainty across the board. As Public Service Commissioner Kerrick Johnson told a legislative committee in February, “It changes daily in terms of the program. It changes daily in terms of the program and the people we’re required to work with. It changes daily in terms of the interpretation of the language and what’s being sent.” How the hell can the state do its job in that environment?

But c’mon, it’s gone far beyond mere rhetoric in more ways than I can count. Still, I’ll give it a try. What follows is a list of specific actions taken by the Trump administration that have already had a measurable impact on Vermont and Vermonters. I dare the governor look over this list and gabble placidly about “rhetoric.”

• Detentions bordering on kidnapping. Ask Mohsen Mahdawi or Rümeysa Öztürk or the eight farmworkers frogmarched from a Franklin County dairy farm about Trump’s “rhetoric”. In fact, there are 74 people being detained in Vermont prisons (eight women and 68 men) who were taken into custody by federal agents. Who are they, and why are they there? Are they in a mood to blithely accept Scott’s reassurances?
• Crackdown on F-1 visas. On April 18, the BBC reported that more than 1,000 international students at American colleges and universities have had their visas revoked or their legal status changed. This is having a chilling effect on all international students and higher education generally.
• Schoolchildren gone. We have seen two high schoolers and a kindergarten student sent packing here in Vermont. Ask any student from elsewhere how secure they’re feeling these days. Or how reassuring they find Scott’s “rhetoric”.
• Refugee resettlement. Trump has paused federal funding for refugee resettlement programs and legal aid around the country, including Vermont.
• Cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development have caused financial turmoil for Vermont entities that have depended on USAID funding.
• The tariffs. Scott chalks this up to “rhetoric” because Trump has endlessly threatened to impose tariffs on imported goods. But a lot of tariffs have crossed the rhetoric/reality boundary and are hurting American businesses and consumers. And even when tariffs aren’t imposed, the constant threat is having a chilling effect because we don’t know where the next non-rhetorical blow will fall.
• Vaccine access. Well, if RFK Jr. has his way, there may not be vaccines much longer. But for those of us who see them as vital public health tools, Trump’s cut in funding for vaccine access and educational programs is bad news. It means future epidemics are more likely to happen. Hope you liked the Covid experience.
• Food banks. Federal supplies and funding have been cut, leaving food banks struggling to keep up with increased demand. It ain’t rhetoric if it means you go hungry.
• Local food purchase programs. Much of the food was going to school cafeterias. These cuts are hitting Vermont farmers and schoolchildren.
• Heating assistance. The Trump administration has cut the entire staff that managed the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Fortunately we’re out of this winter’s heating season, but what’s going to happen next November and beyond? Is the Scott administration planning for it, or just hoping it turns out to be nothing more than “rhetoric”?
• Covid-era relief funds for schools. Trump has clawed back millions of dollars meant for public schools, many of which have already spent the money.
• Climate resiliency. Trump has canceled funds for about 40 already-approved resiliency projects in Vermont municipalities alone.
• Electric vehicle infrastructure. Trump has paused funds for improving our electric vehicle charging system, which is kind of necessary if we’re going to transition away from gas-fueled vehicles.
• The Vermont Humanities Council is absorbing a completely non-rhetorical 42% cut in its funding, formerly received from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
• Libraries. Trump has decimated the Institute of Library and Museum Services, which will hit small rural libraries especially hard. Fortunately we don’t have very many of those in Vermont Oh wait.
• Speaking of libraries, a very small example of a non-rhetorical impact: The two communities that share the Haskell Free Library are still reeling under changes ordered by the Trump administration.

I know that’s not a complete list, but I’m tired. And I think my point is made. Phil Scott would have us turn our attention away from the raging forest fire that is the Trump administration and focus on the problems we face right here in little ol’ Vermont.

I think he’s got that backwards. I think it’s time to set aside Scott’s agenda and the Legislature’s, and focus our attention on how we can fight back, and how we deal with all the harm that our unnaturally orange president has already done and will do in the future. The things “we can accomplish right here in Vermont” may well be completely swamped by the almost incalculable impact of That Man in the White House.