It might appear from your side of the screen that I have contributed little to these pages in recent months, but not from this side. My document store is cluttered with any number of posts begun but abandoned. My reticence has arisen from the realization that my antipathy for Mr. Trump’s behavior has so colored my perspective on our political dynamic that figuratively standing back a bit to attempt to maintain a broader perspective has been the appropriate approach for me. I literally fast forward by his comments and those of his spokespeople whenever they come up on TV. I don’t believe a word they have to say.
To what do I attribute my deep emotions regarding the President’s actions? It is not his policy choices. Make no mistake: I consider Mr. Trump’s and his MAGA Administration’s approaches on taxes, tariffs, Medicaid, the budget deficit and the federal debt, the environment, science, education, NATO, Ukraine/Russia specifically, immigration — and probably ten other issues we could name if we took a minute — to be substantively idiotic. But perhaps because of my legal training, I don’t take substantive differences to heart, so Mr. Trump’s substantive positions, as sad and counterproductive to our nation’s long-term wellbeing as they are, warrant vigorous debate but don’t strike a visceral cord within me.
What I find distressing is that Mr. Trump’s abhorrent past actions are seemingly fading from the collective American consciousness – like they never happened. He’s lied them away.
They haven’t faded for me.
I trace my visceral feelings about his behaviors to these instances:
His traitorous behavior. He lied, and continues to deny, his loss in the 2020 presidential election. With millions of dollars at his disposal, he lost about 60 lawsuits in swing states challenging former President Joe Biden’s victory. That election was unquestionably close; but to use a trite sports analogy, during the World Series they have about six cameras covering first base from every angle. If the 2020 election is imagined as Mr. Trump running down the first base line, all six cameras would have shown that the ball hit the first baseman’s glove just before Mr. Trump’s foot hit the bag. He was out. It was close, but he was out. His unwillingness to admit it to this day has groundlessly and execrably undermined the Americans’ confidence in our voting processes, the foundation of our system of government. The fact that anybody with a lick of sense should have been able to see through his lies – and millions haven’t – doesn’t excuse his behavior.
His incitement of an insurrection. You saw his speech on January 6, 2021. You saw the result. Calling it a lovefest doesn’t make it one. The attack on the Capitol was an insurrection – an attempted coup – which came within a hair’s breadth of succeeding. Mr. Trump should be in jail, not in the White House. Ditto the comment above regarding anybody with a lick of sense.
His dictatorial behavior. Some of our most renowned presidents have exercised broad presidential power, some skating to or over the limits of presidential power drawn in the Constitution. That said, as far as I’m aware, of our presidents only Mr. Trump – save perhaps President Abraham Lincoln, who had ample reason to call out southern secessionists – has referred to other Americans as “Enemies of the People” – a phrase used by Nazi Propagandist Joseph Goebbels against the Jews, Russian Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin during his Great Purge, and Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong during his Cultural Revolution.
His demonization of immigrants – at least immigrants of color. It obviously started with his 2015 trip down the escalator, calling Latin Americans “murders and rapists,” continued throughout his first term, further continued during the 2024 campaign with his reference to them as “vermin” – an epithet Adolf Hitler used about those he considered undesirable – and now with his Administration’s indiscriminate, terrorizing deportation activities. Undocumented immigrants are indeed criminals – they have entered the country in violation of our immigration laws, no matter how law abiding they’ve been since crossing our border — and what we do about them is a policy issue. But dehumanizing them for doing what anyone with courage should be willing to do if necessary to ensure a better life for his/her family — in practical terms what the forebears of every American citizen save Native Americans and those brought here in chains did do — is a malign act.
His bullying, self-dealing, and dividing Americans – in some cases, dividing families — for his own political gain. His actions in these regards are so well settled that, as lawyers sometimes say, they need no citation.
You could add others; I have limited my list to actions for which there is no reasonable doubt.
All that said, I have come to view Mr. Trump as a personal spiritual as well as temporal challenge. Throughout this note, I’ve referred to my antipathy for Mr. Trump’s actions. The very word, “antipathy,” is obviously a softer, ten-cent synonym for more provocative alternatives. In my faith, and I suspect in many faiths, we are taught that one can “hate the sin, not the sinner”; every day, millions of Christians ask the Almighty to “forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” — which one could argue amounts to those of less forgiving nature rotely giving a merciful God license to judge them more harshly than He (excuse the male pronoun for a genderless being) otherwise might. I don’t believe that I can wish ill upon another. Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, a fellow Catholic, has said that she prays for Mr. Trump; he has mocked her for it. (I must sheepishly admit that Ms. Pelosi has greater faith than I do; although all things are possible with God, unless we can get Mr. Trump on a horse on the road to Damascus, I see little prospect that he will change his ways. 😉 ) I can’t claim to have said many prayers for the President, but I am focusing my antipathy on his behaviors.
For the sake of my soul, as I fast forward by his lies, rants and inanities, I hope I’m succeeding.
We’ll soon get back to regular programming. Stay well. 🙂
McCoy's Noise 
I agree with all of your points about Trump, but like a blind squirrel that occasionally finds a nut, I believe a couple of Trumps actions have caused a few benefits:
1.) His cold hard truth talk to NATO leaders I think have brought them to 21st century reality. What Europe was in 1945 has changed dramatically and their laissez faire attitude to funding their own defense, relying on the US to protect them from Russia had to end. Russia is their backyard, not ours. Time for them to face that reality with action.
2.) While Trumps handling of illegal immigration was been inhumane, it has put the brakes on the flow of illegal immigration which was encouraged by that dolt Biden.
3.) Trumps bombing of Iran (which Carter should have done long ago) shows them that some people have to learn the meaning of the word “respect” the hard way. And it apples to Russia. Enough of all this shit about threatening WWIII. Russia’s lost over 1 million men and more equipment than I have time to list here…fighting Ukraine. Plus the technology and precision of the airstrike had to make Putin think maybe the bear would get its ass kicked hard by the eagle if really provoked.
4.) Finally, the mere re-election of Trump, which lays largely on Joe Bidens doorstep, also highlights the incompetence of the senior leadership of the Democratic Party. It’s time for the 75+ year old leadership and the old ways of doing business to end. Unfortunately the early returns on that show they are not learning anything by forcing out David Hogg. They still have no agenda (outside of fighting Trump – just like last time), no practical platform that attracts the common man (and I mean man…call me a sexist if you want) that they will fight for, and no bright young leaders (although I think Adam Schiff and Pete Buttigieg would kick ass) to lead them.
But it’s a work in progress. Hopefully the Dems get their act together in time for the mid -terms, but I’m not really encouraged.
Edk
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