Yes! If we apply Hirschman’s concept of exit more broadly to Trump’s first six weeks in office, we can see multiple ways in which he used exit as a strategy—moving away from established policies, norms, and agreements rather than attempting to reform them from within. Here are some key examples:
- Exit from the Norm of Allowing Migrants to Enter (Immigration Restrictions)
- One of Trump’s most high-profile early actions was his January 27, 2017, executive order (often called the “travel ban” or “Muslim ban”), which restricted entry from seven predominantly Muslim countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen).
- This was a stark departure (or exit) from the long-standing U.S. approach to welcoming refugees and immigrants, particularly under the Obama administration, which had expanded protections for asylum seekers and refugees.
- Trump framed this policy as a matter of national security, but critics saw it as an abandonment of traditional U.S. commitments to humanitarian relief and global migration norms.
- Exit from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Policies
- Even in his first few weeks, Trump began rolling back Obama-era diversity and inclusion initiatives.
- While most of his full-scale attacks on DEI came later (e.g., the 2020 executive order banning certain diversity training programs), his administration signaled early on that it would exit from the emphasis on diversity programs in government hiring, education, and federal agencies.
- For example, he nominated officials to the Department of Education and the Department of Justice who were skeptical of affirmative action and federal oversight on civil rights issues.
- Exit from Certain USAID (U.S. Foreign Aid) Obligations
- One of Trump’s first major foreign policy moves was reinstating and expanding the “Mexico City Policy” (also called the “global gag rule”), which blocks U.S. funding to international organizations that provide or promote abortion-related services.
- While previous Republican presidents had reinstated this rule, Trump expanded it to cover all U.S. global health assistance, meaning billions of dollars in USAID funds were now subject to the restriction.
- This marked an exit from previous U.S. commitments to funding certain international health and reproductive rights programs.
Conclusion: Exit as a Governing Strategy
Rather than working to modify or improve existing systems from within (which would be the “voice” approach in Hirschman’s framework), Trump often used exit as a political strategy—choosing to pull the U.S. away from norms, policies, and institutions that his administration viewed as ineffective, unfair, or counter to his “America First” ideology.
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