Over this past weekend, I ran into this article. The title alone feels like it sums up the state of our nation.
Indeed, Donald Trump is ruining the nation, bringing it down. During his tenure to date – and it has only been a little over three years, even if it feels a whole hell of a lot longer than that! – he has accomplished little, and been responsible for a lot of horrific headlines that have compromised this nation. First of all, the country is more divided than anyone can remember it ever having been before. Hate crimes are up, and there is a wave of blatant hatred, racism, sexism, and general xenophobia unlike anything that this country has seen in recent decades. We have added over three trillion dollars to the national debt, which averages over one trillion dollars for every year of his presidency. The budget deficit is at record highs of over one trillion, as well. We have lost the trust and goodwill of traditional allies, particularly in Europe. We have pulled out of numerous international agreements, including NAFTA, the Paris Climate Accord, and the Iran Nuclear Deal. Farmers have been hurt by Trump’s trade tariffs, which he has applied harshly to both friend and foe alike. Pollution is soaring, the land of our national parks is being auctioned off, and we have more lax environmental regulations than we have had for many decades. Once again, the rich are getting ever more benefits, particularly tax cuts and incentives, while the rest of us are, once again, being asked to foot the bill for all of this.
Trump claimed as a candidate that the entire world was laughing at us, but that he would command respect for the country. Well, in fact, it seems that the rest of the world truly is laughing at us now. And they laughed at him, right to his face, during a speech before the United Nations, for the whole world to see. He praised the healthcare system of a non-existent African nation during an assembly of African leaders. He insulted dozens of countries by referring to them as “shithole nations.” And just last year, world leaders were caught laughing and making fun of Trump’s egotism with his overly long and self-indulgent media sessions. Our image around the world is greatly tarnished.
Of course, he has not restricted his moronic and transparently ignorant comments for other world leaders. His conduct has been horrific and lacking in both gravitas and dignity, much less any kind of presidential stature. His tweets have often earned him the condemnation even of his own political allies. Hell, this man even had a hard time condemning Nazis, which prior to the rise of Trump to the White House, was at least one of the rare topics that almost all Americans could agree on. And through all of this, of course, the entire world was watching, and wondering about us Americans – with justification.
Plus, besides all of that, he has eroded the Constitution, and appears to be aggressively trying his hardest to make the country less of a democracy and more of an authoritarian state. Any remotely critical reporting or questioning of his actions, or the policies of his administration, have been systematically labeled “fake news.”
Through all of these glaring failures – and they can be referred to as nothing but failures – there are some loyal supporters of his who applaud this pathetic failure’s every move and every word. They loudly express their support, and loudly try to shut anyone up who dares criticize their beloved leader, much like they have been known to do in outright fascist countries.
What a nightmare these Trump years have been!
Trump Is Running This Country Into the Ground by Tom Engelhardt, March 4, 2020:
But no matter how much damage the president causes, he'll make it out unscathed, money in hand.
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-corruption-fake-news/?utm_campaign=SproutSocial&utm_content=The+Nation+Magazine&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1R0qSyNHO7vVFth_S9jKLqcriODiE2-WT0pRVuMk_tefwFk0WlyTYk2JY
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