A letter published May 31, 2019, has assured us that Trump has the guts to drain the swamp and put America first. Furthermore, it is said that while he may not be pleasing, he has pleasing results. Those views are simply astounding to an independent observer.
It is quite likely that a majority of Americans view Trump’s presidency as a profound embarrassment, both for the office and for the nation. Virtually no one believed that a person with such noted deficiencies could become president. Every day the nation wonders what a president with such limited emotional stability and intellectual capability will propose that will be against the best interests of the nation. It was easy to see this coming. His business practices, honed over decades, of bullying, intimidation, unilateral decision making, stiffing contractors and creditors, and scamming those he sucked into his orbit are antithetical to democratic norms and to the presidency.
Trump is simply blundering his way through his presidency, spending most of his time in self-promotion. His policies and actions show very little nuanced thought with little understanding of consequences. Can one say that what he has done regarding health care, tax cuts, trade, the environment, immigration, deregulation, etc., are of benefit to the nation? Hardly. In fact, they all represent a step back from which we will have to recover once he is gone.
As far as foreign affairs, Trump is totally overwhelmed. It is scarcely to be believed that he has such affinity for some of the most brutal dictators in the world. In addition, he likes tough talk. It is not reassuring; in fact, he seems unhinged at times. And why does Trump continually demean our closest allies? His attacks on other world leaders are unconscionable and are truly an embarrassment to this country.
As far as draining the swamp, amazingly, Trump managed to select department heads even more inept and self-interested than he is. Those who had some qualifications for jobs could only stand to be in the Trump administration for a very short time.
Lastly, the earlier letter refers to Trump’s so-called collusion with the Russians as a hoax. Not really. It is clearly evident that Trump operatives cooperated with the Russians regarding the 2016 election in many ways, at many times. Regardless of any potential prosecution, it is clear that Trump is a cheater, totally in keeping with his deficient personality.
One has to agree with one point in the earlier letter: “the choice is clear.” The American public will have a chance to correct one of the most egregious political blunders in American history by electing a man who has made a mockery of the highest office in the land. A hard lesson has hopefully been learned: electing a president is serious business. Trump-like individuals do have the potential to do serious harm to our democratic ways, perhaps to the point of no return. The next president will have some work to do to get America back on track.
Jim Grattan
Gainesville