When Trump was first elected, I surely was not the only person who expected this to be a nightmarish term of office. And indeed, it has been that.
Yet, there was always a sense that it might get worse. The first few days revealed that the presidency had not fundamentally changed this man, and that any and all talk about him somehow rising to the occasion of the office was gone.
Within months, it became clear that many of the campaign promises - scrapping the Iran Deal, or pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord - were not mere idle threats, but things that he fully intended to follow up on.
By the summertime, and the whole Charlottesville fiasco, it was clear that there were legitimate concerns regarding the link between Trump's rise to power, and the spike it hate crimes and hate groups in the country, as Trump seemed alarmingly reluctant to point to white supremacists as a cancer on this country.
And on and on. There have been horrible news headlines regularly with this particular president, any of which would have tarnished any other president who came before him, but which only seem to enhance his popularity among those who he appeals to. Who else could get away with referring to other countries as "shithole nations," after all? Who else could have so blatantly given a huge tax break that primarily benefited only the wealthiest - to the point that even Republican Senators like Marco Rubio warned that it went entirely too far - yet get away with lying so transparently? Who elese could literally tell thousands of lies, and again, get away with it.
But where Trump could really be a problem on a global level - as if he has not been already - is if he actually starts a world war. Many people claimed that as an exaggeration, but he has threatened more than one nation with the threat of wiping them off the map. And now, he has shown that he is not above the wag the dog philosophy of starting a war right on time for election year - literally two days into the new year!
The Iran war could break out fully, to the point that detractors could no longer deny that it has risen to be an actual war. Hell, it could even become World War III, although again, that threat might be exaggerated, as too many people too quickly pull the trigger in claiming that is what it is.
One thing that is troubling, however, is that Trump's attacks without giving Congress - all of Congress, not just his political allies in Congress - is going well beyond the actions of presidents in the past have done, and that is saying something! Congress is now scrambling to try and check his power, but as usual, it already feels a bit too late, like this is after the fact.
We knew Trump would try to abuse the power of the office he now holds. But this is a new chapter even in that, and it is a dangerous one, where even Nancy Pelosi is warning Trump that he is not actually, in fact, a dictator. Does Trump understand that?
It seems like we will find out now. But this Op/Ed piece by Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times explores that, and it is well worth a look:
The Nightmare Stage of Trump’s Rule Is Here Unstable and impeached, the president pushes the U.S. toward war with Iran. Michelle Goldberg By Michelle Goldberg Opinion Columnist Jan. 6, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/06/opinion/trump-iran.html?fbclid=IwAR2Ld9Dyi9BiWyh64V2N8xQBLPF4g2DWgVU0K9wekBgYZ7Lds9Rp-HHVwA0#click=https://t.co/vPqBtcyWqZ
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