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  • Thoughts on the Trump Presidency

    Thoughts on the Trump Presidency: What Truly Makes America Great

    #Preface

    The goal of writing this is to shed light on Trump's overall behavior as president from an outsider's perspective, showing why I think it should concern all Americans, regardless of their political views. This is not an attempt to take sides or support a team, nor is it to "own" or "dunk on" anyone. It is also not an attempt to address a specific political issue or policy.

    #A Soft Spot for Authoritarianism

    As someone from the Middle East, it is hard for me to miss signs of authoritarian instincts and impulses in a leader.

    Unfortunately, there are numerous instances of Trump publicly praising authoritarian leaders and their rule practices.

    This includes praising Muhammad Bin Salman's "Crackdown on Corruption" campaign efforts that happened early in his rule, which involved hospitalizations and even deaths during or after torturous detentions and physically/sexually abusing women activists.

    He also went on praising Putin and Kim Jong-Un, claiming they're "Tough" and "Smart", wishing the US had leaders like that.

    It's incredibly disheartening for me to hear the president of the United States openly praise a strongman leader who has repeatedly been accused of murdering critics and journalists and using state resources to enrich himself and his circle, among other things, or a leader who isolates his country from the world, keeping its population under oppressive rule to the point that even hairstyles are controlled by the state, taking both as examples of strength and intelligence.

    What I also find worrisome is Trump's attempts at reviving interest in military parades, which typically only occur in the US as post-war victory celebrations.

    Many authoritarian and nationalist leaders use military parades to project their strength and further legitimize themselves in the eyes of the public.

    #Attacking Legal & Democratic Institutions

    #The Press

    It's no secret that Trump has developed a troubling pattern of attacking the press since first taking office, even attempting to take credit for inventing the phrase "Fake News".

    Things even went so far as playing favorites with the press, favoring certain media outlets and demonizing others.

    Instances include banning a CNN reporter from White House Press briefings over an exchange he didn't seem to like.

    At the same time, there are reports of him and his admin favoring coverage of certain news organizations, like Fox News and OAN.

    This has carried over in Trump's second term as his administration banned the Associated Press from the White House press pool.

    This, of course, is part of a larger effort by the current Trump administration to marginalize unfavorable news outlets.

    Regardless of reporting quality, it's hard to overstate the dangers when a president plays favorites with media outlets while fostering a "Media is the enemy of the people" mindset about unfavorable press coverage in a democracy.

    #Integrity of the Electoral Process

    Imagine this: You are a presidential candidate, raising doubts about the legitimacy of the democratic process through which you are potentially going to be declared president, lending credibility to claims that it's 'rigged' against you

    I find it incredibly hard to believe that Trump understood the implications of such a precedent, not just within the US, but internationally; if he did, I am almost certain that he did not care.

    Is it any wonder that Russia has supported Trump all along, as he effectively validated their false propaganda against US democracy, openly attacking the legitimacy of the election process on his campaign trail and elsewhere, which is the cornerstone of America's tradition of the rule of law, in front of the entire world.

    #Fomenting an Insurrection

    Remember the 2020 Elections? Trump was indeed ready to do anything to win it.

    This video highlights Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's testimony during a hearing to investigate the January 6 insurrection incited by Trump to attempt a coup.

    Trump has also pressured and arguably threatened Raffensperger to "find him" votes that do not exist to win the state.

    Just let that detonate in your brain for a second... The President of the United States, the world's greatest democracy, tried to create votes that did not exist to win a state. On top of that, after losing the election, he incited his supporters to storm the Capitol building based on false claims of voter fraud, all to pull off a successful coup and overturn the election results in his favor.

    Spreading conspiracy theories that weaken public trust in America's long-standing free and fair election process seemed justified for Trump to get his prize, if he even understood the potential consequences.

    The icing on the cake? Trump pardoned the rioters very early in his second term.

    #Final Thoughts

    Is this everything I find objectionable in Trump's presidency? No

    Are other U.S. presidents perfect? Far from it.

    All that being said, I find Trump's behavior especially problematic because it actively undermines the core values that, in my view, truly make America great.

    #So, what truly makes America great?

    What makes it great is what is often taken for granted by many Americans, namely, the values of the Enlightenment as manifested in the Constitution.

    The values that call on us to rise above our worst impulses, to create and maintain a place that's truly an anomaly, a place that eliminates nationalism and authoritarianism, one that upholds the primacy of free speech, which is essential for honest inquiry, discovering truth, and self-correction.

    So Happy Birthday, America! Here I am celebrating your greatness while I still can, just not in the way that Trump thinks I should.