“I love the poorly educated”

Donald Trump  (February 23, 2016)

 

It is not surprising the leading Republican presidential candidate limits his campaign stops to adoring crowds who, without any evidence, believe his lies about a stolen election, Democrats being socialists, the Justice Department has been weaponized, and his victimhood.

Discarding his vengeance-filled litany agenda and inane claim he’ll end the war in the Ukraine in 24-hours, Trump’s speeches lack coherent policies for improving the lives and protecting the liberties of everyday Americans; other than more tax cuts (adding $8 trillion to the national debt during his first term) and building a wall.  

His own words, actions, and judgments during and after his presidency, provide the clearest insights into a second Trump Administration and make clear his goal to establish a powerful and autocratic Executive Branch, answerable to no one (“I have an Article 2, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president." – July 23, 2019), and should terrify Americans who cherish the ideals on which our nation was founded, our Constitution and liberties enshrined in the Bill of Rights. 

  • His perpetuation of the fiction he lost the 2020 election due to wide spread voter fraud, a myth he began circulating ten months before the November election.
  • His urging his MAGA base, including armed white supremacists and anti-government militia organizations, to march on and attack the Capitol to prevent Comgressional certification of the Electoral College vote.
  • His increasingly virulent attacks on anyone, from former Cabinet members to judges, prosecutors, journalists, and political opponents, who questions his actions or words. 
  • His creation of an enemies list of people and institutions he blames for his legal misfortunes.  During an interview with Glenn Back, he said he’d have “No choice” but to lock up his political opponents. – (August 2023).  More recently, he suggested retired Joint Chief Chaiman General Miley’s actions were, “treasonous”, adding in “times gone by,” the punishment would be “death.”
  • His hypocritical contempt for our armed forces, labeling disabled veterans “suckers” and “losers” during 2018 ceremonies commemorating the end of World War I; referring to John McCain, “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured;” and in 2019 during a welcome ceremony where wounded and disabled veterans were recognized, Trump is quoted as saying “no one wants to see” wounded soldiers, adding “Look, I don’t want any wounded guys in the parade. This doesn’t look good for me.”
  • His fearmongering, inflaming racial and social prejudices toward minorities, immigrants, LBGTQ+ and other marginalized and powerless groups people can blame for both the country’s and their real and imagined social and economic ills.
  • His handling, retention, and storage of highly classified documents in violation of the Presidential Records and Espionage Acts.
  • His unwillingness to accept established scientific, medical and other facts when “alternative facts” and conspiracy theories serve his personal and political interests.
  • His claim “We have it totally under control.  It’s one person coming in from China.  It’s going to be just fine.” (January 22, 2019) after which more than one million American died from Covid-19.
  • His efforts to delegitimize many of our nation’s most critical and heretofore highly-regarded institutions and people who work for them.
  • His public attacks on our NATO and other allies while embracing autocrats (Putin, Kim, Xi, MBS) whose claims he has accepted rather than contrary reports from America’s intelligence agencies.
  • His demonizing the electronic, print, and social media whom he has portrayed as “the enemy of the people.”
  • His threats to staff the government bureaucracy solely with supporters.  “We will pass critical reforms making every executive branch employee fireable by the president of the United States.” (March 12, 2022).

Trump’s vision of America is a far cry from the nation so many courageous Americans have fought and often died to create and protect!

Make no mistake, Donald Trump is not under 91 indictments to “protect you” (his supporters).  His actions are a desperate effort to save himself from the consequences of his own illegal and unconstitutional actions and preserve his mythical fortune and fabricated business credentials.

When Trump issues threats on the campaign trail, it is imperative people listen and remember other modern autocrats and dictators, from Mussolini to Hitler to Putin, were all democratically elected.

On the last day or the Constitutional Convention in September, 1787, Benjamin Franklin was allegedly asked, ”Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy?”  … to which he replied, “A republic if you can keep it.”

In November 2024 Americans need to ask themselves, “Can we still keep it?”