Before Trump fades from memory and his influence on the public wanes, it is important to not forget how abysmal a President he truly was. No doubt many will try to re-write history, but we should keep clearly in mind how aberrant he really was. To that end, here is my top 10 /1
list of Trump's worst decisions and actions that should live on in human memory for as long as we are keeping records. [Note: There are many candidates for this list, my choices are idiosyncratic, and necessarily leave off so many decisions (like banning science at EPA) /2
that are deserving of disdain. Herewith my personal to 10 worst (from #10 up to #1):
10. He enabled dictators and attempted to destroy alliances. From his fruitless embrace of Kim Jong Un to his wholesale assault on NATO, Trump tried to destroy the existing system /3
10. He enabled dictators and attempted to destroy alliances. From his fruitless embrace of Kim Jong Un to his wholesale assault on NATO, Trump tried to destroy the existing system /3
of international order. Because of him, Xi is rampant in the world. Uighurs are the subject of genocide. And Trump lost Hong Kong.
9. He and his family profited from the Presidency. He made the government pay his companies for the privilege of keeping him safe. /4
9. He and his family profited from the Presidency. He made the government pay his companies for the privilege of keeping him safe. /4
His children and hotels made money. He lied when he said he was stepping back from his business. And most recently, he raised money for his legal defense that went to his personal profit.
8. He was Russia's pawn. Probably not an active agent, but systematically, Trump /5
8. He was Russia's pawn. Probably not an active agent, but systematically, Trump /5
preferred Russian interests to American. His failure, at the end, to condemn the poisoning of Navalny is of a piece with his pressure on Ukraine to cave to Russian demands. He was, in short, Russia's useful idiot.
7. His wholesale assault on the rule of law destroyed /6
7. His wholesale assault on the rule of law destroyed /6
legal norms wholesale. Examples include: pardon abuse; refusal to abide by congressional oversight; firing of Inspectors General; use of Acting appointees to avoid confirmation; assault on the free press; pressure on DOJ to conduct criminal investigations; etc. The list is /7
nearly endless and the recovery of the rule of law will take a long time.
6. He deployed military troops against American civilians. [I can't believe this is this low on the list]. Not since the aftermath of the Civil War have American military troops been used to supress /8
6. He deployed military troops against American civilians. [I can't believe this is this low on the list]. Not since the aftermath of the Civil War have American military troops been used to supress /8
dissent. Deploying troops in this way is especially destructive of democracy.
5. Trump empowered and enabled racism and white supremacy. His words and actions have enabled hatred in ways that no president should ever do. From support of Confederate flags to Charlottesville /9
5. Trump empowered and enabled racism and white supremacy. His words and actions have enabled hatred in ways that no president should ever do. From support of Confederate flags to Charlottesville /9
to "shithole" countries to calling for the police to respond violently against Black Lives Matter, the list of his racist tropes is near endless. If you support Trump, you may not be a racist, but his racism is not a deal-breaker.
4. Seperating families. Never before /10
4. Seperating families. Never before /10
has anyone been so heartless. Making children a tool for dissuading parents from illegal immigration has to rank as the single cruelest policy decision. It was emblematic of a greater racial animus against "Mexican rapists" and Muslim "terrorists" but by itself, on its /11
own merits it is singularly abhorrent and evil. Deter immigration if you wish -- but not on the backs of 6-year-old kids.
3. His assault on the truth has changed American democracy. We now live in a world where QAnon conspiracies are accepted by Members of Congress; where /12
3. His assault on the truth has changed American democracy. We now live in a world where QAnon conspiracies are accepted by Members of Congress; where /12
voters think that the mainstream press is "fake news" and where even small lies (like the Alabama hurricane sharpie) are discounted. We need to find a way to restore truth to the discussion. Facts matter -- Trump tried to destroy that.
2. [Again, I can't believe this one /13
2. [Again, I can't believe this one /13
is not the top] He tried to steal an election. Building off the assault on truth he created the big lie that the election was stolen and incited a violent assault on the Capitol in an attempt to change the result. Several died, and along the way, the Republican party was /14
destroyed as a serious institution. IT may live for a while; it may even win now and then. But Trump and the party are forever stained as insurrectionist revolutionaries.
1. And finally, top of the list: 400,000+ dead from Covid. The number was never going to be zero, /15
1. And finally, top of the list: 400,000+ dead from Covid. The number was never going to be zero, /15
but it could have been so much lower if Trump had been a leader instead of a narcissistic fool. Failure to wear masks; hydrochloroquinine; UV light up the butt; 20 million vaccines unaccounted for; lack of leadership across the board. The tragic loss of life is almost /16
incalculable. Families and communities devastated. All because Trump couldn't fathom that the virus was not about him.
Every President makes mistakes. Trump's serial mis- and mal-feasance is of historical proportions. Never forget it. /fin
Every President makes mistakes. Trump's serial mis- and mal-feasance is of historical proportions. Never forget it. /fin
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