It seems to me that I have been posting a lot more from MSN than usual lately.
That said, this is the first one which I am publishing a post about which is not critical, because this one is not forecasting a soon to come end to Trump's political career. Seeing that sorry excuse for a man, and an even more pathetic excuse for a leader, being in the undeserved position as the nation's elected leader is more than enough for me. Hearing all of the detractors kid themselves into believing that this nightmare will soon be over, engaging in what I feel is blatant and counterproductive escapist fantasies, feels like it is exacerbating matters even more.
However, this MSN article was different. It focuses on something which, I feel, should be addressed. Namely, why this president, more than any other president, seems to trigger almost violent reactions around the world.
Granted, the right in this country reacted violently to Democrats in the Oval Office in recent memory, from Clinton to Obama to Biden. Yet, Trump seems to have outdone all of them, as his mere name and image and voice are triggering to tens of millions of Americans, and countless millions of people all around the world, for that matter.
Why is that?
Catherine Vercuiel opens the article with this thought:
Few presidents in modern American history have managed to ignite fury on both sides of the aisle, and across both sides of the Atlantic, quite so quickly. In the space of just over a year, the second Trump administration has set off a chain of events that has left diplomats scrambling, lawmakers demanding emergency hearings, and allied governments publicly distancing themselves from Washington in language that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
Boy, she's not kidding. While some political tensions have always existed between the United States and other nations, these have grown more serious over the years. Yet even when there seemed to be a lot of tensions between the United States and it's allies during, say, the Bush years and the war with Iraq, there nevertheless was no question that each side still considered themselves allies.
All of that has changed with Trump, and particularly this second term. With no more guard rails, Trump has managed to really rub people the wrong way. He slaps tariffs on most countries around the world, without any kind of focus. Perhaps tariffs, either actual or threatened, might have worked if they were targeted for a specific purpose. Let's say, maybe threatening China with tariffs for unfair economic practices, but making sure to get allies on board and forcing (or trying to) China's hands. But Trump just threw the tariffs up all across the board, with few exceptions, whether the countries were allies or not.
Then, Trump kept threatening to take over other lands. He repeatedly and relentlessly spoke of militarily taking over Greenland, which certainly is not a way to win favor with our European allies. He also repeatedly referred to Canada (a traditional ally) as the "51st state" and openly floated the idea of them joining the United States. Undermining a nation's independent status and repeatedly and completely unnecessarily mocking and haranguing them is also not a smart way to retain them as allies. The whole world watched and judged Trump - and by extension, the United States - harshly. Frankly, the harsh judgement was well-deserved.
Plus, let's not forget the other invasions, threatened or otherwise. Trump threatened to take over Panama again, threatened to take over Gaza and make it a Mediterranean Riviera. He also threatened boots on the ground in Mexico for the drug war. Then he took over Venezuela and threatened that Colombia and Cuba might be next. Then he launched this ridiculous war against Iran. He insulted our allies for not doing enough, then asked them for help (sort of), then insulted them again for refusing to get involved in the war which he wanted and started, without either trying to win their support, or make the case with the American people, or even get Congressional approval.
Yeah, when you act like that, the rest of the world is indeed going to treat you like a pariah. More people the world over view the United States as a rogue state. And let's face it: they are not entirely wrong. When you elect a leader who makes a point of antagonizing other countries and threatens to militarily take over other sovereign countries, you generally are not going to be regarded as the good guy. Why would you be?
All of that, and frankly quite a bit more, is part of the reason why Trump elicits such strong reaction. Yes, he has his cult following, and they will continue their loyal support unquestioningly. But there are more people who view him as a danger and a threat to American democracy and the prospects for world stability and peace.
So yeah, the guy certainly is going to have his detractors. He brings that upon himself, quite frankly.
Let's be real here for a minute: never have I seen so many people take joy whenever something goes wrong for one person, or his family. It's amazing. Never before have so many people seemed to actively root against a President of the United States, and that's really saying something. We have seen people cheering for when bad things happened to Clinton, then Bush, and Biden. But it pales by comparison with the sheer joy that people take when something bad happens to the Trump family, and especially Donald Trump himself. Since I do not like Trump, I will admit to taking some pleasure in seeing him embarrassed as well, such as when he got laughed at before the entire world while addressing the United Nations after mistaking it for a Trump rally. This MAGAlomaniac began his typical self-praising, only to find that he was not among "his" people anymore. Which he should have known, frankly, as the president giving a speech before assembled leaders of the world. That kind of buffoonery seems like something which only Trump, among presidents in American history, would have been capable of making.
As an example of how immediate the response to Trump is internationally, I am also sharing a link to a recent Youtube video about the proposed Trump Tower there changing it's name and citing the reason being that Trump's name has become "toxic" (their words, not mine):
Domestic and international anger ignited after Trump's latest action Story by Catherine Vercuiel • 14h
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/domestic-and-international-anger-ignited-after-trump-s-latest-action/ar-AA235FZf?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=6a053bcb83bf4687a17002ff589d3007&ei=9
Domestic and international anger ignited after Trump's latest action
Planned Australia Trump Tower drops Trump name
https://youtu.be/Nar7dPm8WyM?si=dzvMx8sahPo3ECaU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=dzvMx8sahPo3ECaU&v=Nar7dPm8WyM&feature=youtu.be
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