26 January 2025, Braamfontein
The Young Communist League of South Africa (Ufasimba), as the autonomous militant youth wing of the vanguard of the working class, the South African Communist Party (SACP), unequivocally condemns in the strongest terms the reactionary and anti-progressive policies of President Donald Trump. Since his inauguration on January 20, 2025, Trump has unleashed a barrage of policies aimed at reinforcing the stronghold of U.S. neoliberal capitalist exploitation and bolstering imperialist aggression.
On the matter of Cuba: Imperialism’s Relentless Target Since 1960 and Beyond
The unjust reinstatement of Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, enacted through his signing of Executive Order 13818, constitutes a blatant act of imperialist aggression against the Cuban people and their fundamental right to self-determination. For more than six decades, the United States has maintained an illegal and inhumane economic blockade against Cuba, a deliberate and calculated strategy explicitly designed to dismantle its socialist project and weaken its standing in the global community. On January 14th, 2025, former President Joe Biden rightfully removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, acknowledging its significant contributions to global peace and development. In a move emblematic of his vindictive spitefulness and a regressive agenda, Trump chose to reverse this approach. Trump’s reversal of Cuba’s removal from the U.S. terrorism list has no legitimate justification; instead, it is a calculated maneuver to appease the most reactionary elements of the U.S. political establishment.
These actors include his far-right base, the so-called “RINOs” (Republicans In Name Only), the military-industrial complex, and corporate interests that benefit from maintaining Cuba’s isolation from global discourse. By reinstating Cuba on the terrorism list, Trump aims to delegitimize its socialist model, undermine its international standing, and justify the ongoing illegal blockade against the nation. This action is not merely a policy decision but a deliberate strategy to suppress Cuba’s achievements and perpetuate the exploitative dominance of U.S. imperialism.
For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Trump relied on his trademark press briefings using the podium of the U.S. presidential seal to stage a grotesque spectacle of misinformation and self-promotion on the contrary during the same time Cuba deployed more than 3,700 medical professionals to 39 countries, saving countless lives and demonstrating the power of solidarity . Similarly, during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Cuban healthcare workers were among the first to respond, risking their lives to combat the epidemic. This is precisely why Trump’s new administration seeks to continue its policy of undermining Cuba through baseless accusations of terrorism to justify an illegal blockade.
On Trump’s Executive Orders: The New Imperialist Onslaught on Humanity
Trump’s recent spree of executive orders are not merely policy decisions; they are weapons in the arsenal of imperialism, meticulously designed to entrench capitalist domination. Each order represents a direct assault on international solidarity, environmental sustainability, and the rights of the oppressed. Governing through executive fiat, while technically legal, is a loophole to rule via coercion rather than consensus. It allows a single individual to impose their will unchecked, bypassing democratic process and undermining the constitutional principles of checks and balances.
The YCLSA refl ects below on specifi c executive orders that exemplify Trump’s renewed imperialist onslaught on humanity, exposing the exploitative and reactionary nature of his administration’s agenda for the next four years.
- Abandoning the World Health Organization (WHO):
Under Executive Order 13994, Trump formally withdrew the United States from the WHO, undermining global efforts to combat pandemics and other health crises. This decision leaves vulnerable populations without access to vaccines, treatments, and critical resources, prioritising his nationalist rhetoric over the collective well-being of the world.
- Backtracking on the Paris Accord:
Through Executive Order 14008, Trump reinitiated the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, accelerating climate change and disproportionately impacting the poorest and most vulnerable. This decision epitomises the reckless pursuit of profit at the expense of both people and the planet.
- Universal Tariffs:
Executive Order 14017 introduced a 10% universal tariff on all imports, a protectionist strategy designed to safeguard U.S. domestic capital at the expense of global economic stability. This universal tariff will disrupt international trade while placing a significant strain on developing economies and perpetuates neocolonial dependence on Western markets.
- Crushing Labor Rights:
Under Executive Order 14026, Trump has systematically undermined labour rights, reducing critical workplace protections and making it more difficult for workers to organise themselves. These measures are direct attacks on the working class, aimed at suppressing collective power and ensuring the dominance of capitalist interests. This executive order is a calculated strategy to entrench bourgeois hegemony and exploit the proletariat, ensuring that the working class remains divided and powerless.
The YCLSA views Trump’s policies as nothing less than a declaration of war on the global working class and oppressed nations. We condemn his imperialist ambitions, including his threats to assert control over independent territories like Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal. As the Young Communist League of South Africa, we will continue to stand in revolutionary solidarity with our oppressed comrades in the African Continent, Palestine, Cuba, Latin America, and across the globe. Together, we will resist imperialism, fight for socialism, and build a shared future rooted in justice, equality, and solidarity.
Issued by YCLSA
National Secretary- Mzwandile Thakhudi
For interviews and Enquiries
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