On Sunday, I returned to the USA after every week in Canada with a robust sense of dread. I had completed my greatest to keep away from the information for seven days however knew the onslaught of day by day outrages emanating from the Trump White Home would shortly demand my consideration.
And the outrages got here quick and arduous – high generals kicked out of the Pentagon for lack of fealty to President Donald Trump; extremist, conspiracy-minded neophytes given the highest two jobs on the FBI; a extremely unethical Justice Division deal to let the mayor of New York escape critical corruption fees so long as he performs together with the president’s immigrant roundup; enormous, unjustified staffing cuts on the IRS that may drive up the federal deficit by letting billionaires get away with avoiding taxes; stupidly reckless dismissals of hundreds of federal staff that may trigger critical hurt to nationwide parks, well being care, veterans’ applications, shopper safety, nationwide safety and quite a few different important obligations of the federal authorities.
Tens of millions of Individuals are going to undergo due to the Trump administration’s demolition job and, in the end, the economic system will doubtless tank, and we’ll all really feel it. There may be some grim, “I-told-you-so” satisfaction in the truth that people who had been gullible sufficient to vote for Trump shall be struggling proper together with the remainder of us. Nevertheless, there’s one group of individuals – individuals who had no say in who would develop into the U.S. president – for whom I’m significantly distressed: Ukrainians.
On Monday at the United Nations, the USA voted with Russia, North Korea, Belarus and a number of other different authoritarian international locations in opposition to a decision backed by America’s European allies that will have condemned Moscow on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This adopted days throughout which Trump colluded with the ruthless Russian autocrat, Vladimir Putin, to gin up a peace deal to offer Putin every little thing he desires whereas leaving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Europeans on the sidelines.
Trump might not be a Russian asset because the time period is used within the spy recreation, however he’s most definitely an enormous asset to Russia. Final week, Trump made the absurdly fantastical declare that Ukraine provoked the battle with Russia and known as Zelenskyy – a brave, legitimately elected democratic chief – a “dictator.” But, on Monday in response to a reporter’s query, Trump refused to characterize Putin as a dictator, saying, “I don’t use these phrases frivolously.”
As if there have been a lot doubt earlier than, it’s now apparent whose aspect Trump is on. He’s keen to commerce away the independence of the folks of Ukraine for the sake of his sycophantic bromance with Putin. And he could be on the verge of ending our nation’s long-standing alliance with the democratic nations of Europe, opting, as a substitute, to comply with Russia’s instance as a bullying rogue nation.
For the reason that finish of the Second World Warfare, the American president has been the so-called “chief of the Free World.” Trump doesn’t deserve, nor does he appear to want, that position. For the sake of human liberty, I hope some European chief can decide up that mantle. And I pray that America can sometime get better from Trump’s betrayal of all that the USA has claimed to face for.
Throughout my profession as a political commentator, I’ve usually sharply criticized American overseas coverage, however I’ve at all times believed that the United States was, extra usually than not, a pressure for good on the planet. Now although, for the first time in my pink, white and blue life, I really feel ashamed of my nation.
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