During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump told us his excellent deal-making abilities would solve many of our domestic and international problems. His subsequent behaviors have proven differently.
Republicans claim he makes good deals and tears up bad ones, but the wreckage is left behind: climate change (little done), North Korea (still developing nuclear weapons), China (trade and South Pacific Islands), Turkey (betrayal of the Kurds and handing the leadership in the area to the Russians), Russia (still trying to interfere with our elections), coronavirus (Trump’s delay, ignorance, and spread of misinformation may have led to avoidable deaths), immigration (still messed up), governing by tweets (questionable veracity and easily fact-checked), NATO (the near destruction of one of our most successful alliances), environmental protection (terminated necessary regulations), and Iran (almost stumbled into war).
Not surprisingly, we see: NAFTA (not settled), decaying infrastructure (little done), managing ability (very little, as shown by Trump’s forced turnover of staff in federal agencies and his own cabinet), annual budget deficit and national debt (made worse), wealth inequality (tax “reform” and new budget favored the wealthy again), and health care (about ready to implode).
Furthermore, Trump daily uses propaganda (such as demonizing, projecting his own faults onto his critics, and endlessly repeating big lies like that the Mueller investigation cleared him).
When criticized, Trump responds like a much younger person. Last winter, at a cabinet meeting, he directed each member to say how much he or she liked working with him. Recently, at a photo op with survivors of the virus disease, he showed a video in which it was claimed a number of state governors complimented him.
ADVERTISEMENT
We would welcome the president and his deal-making skills — if he could show them to us.
Donald E. Maypole
Lake Nebagamon
