Trumpism Is an Interruption to America's Greatness

Written in July 2020. I’ve left it as published.

I hold the opinion that Hollywood has played and has continuously played a significant role in creating the American brand. I’m sure someday (if it hasn’t already been done), someone would do a research drawing a direct link from Hollywood and the huge influence it wields on the perception foreigners have of America.

The American Brand, and by extension the American dream, is an easily recognized one; loved and aspired to by millions of people around the world. For millions of us who have come to genuinely fall in love with America, the fact remains that we have never even secured a visa to the United States, little more the mention of visiting it. And yet, many experience a feeling of great indebtedness, passionate sense of patriotism and an increasing level of defense to the land of opportunities. Sometimes even to the detriment of our native countries.

Personally, one thing that has intrigued me to no end about America is its politics. Perhaps it has something to do with how well structured the government is. I love how every public official is held up to the highest standards in the land. The American government was so structured by the founding fathers and all those who contributed afterwards, so that no one person is considered above the law. It makes it extremely difficult for any President to go rogue. As you can imagine, this is especially fascinating given the political backdrop in Africa where I come from, where government is structured in a way that the good ones and not rogues, are the enemies of state.

America appeals to our deepest aspirations. Fans the slightest flickers of hope into big obtainable dreams. That was the America of President Woodrow Wilson who changed world order of diplomatic relations, by shifting away from balance of power sustained and driven by territorial power blocs to self-governance, self-determination and national sovereignty. The America with the likes of Herbert Hoover who democratized empathy through humanitarian aid to countries in dire need of them, and food programs to starving nations. It was the America of JFK who oversaw the milestone achievement in the way humans would go on to interact with space. It’s also the America of Barack Obama who affirmed to us all that if you are bold enough to dream it, no matter your skin color or race ancestry, you too could become leader of the free world.

Bringing all of those great events into consideration; the American people who permitted them to happen by voting right and the elected officials who gave their best to remake the world, it is disheartening to watch how one man has chosen to pose as a threat to centuries of goodwill.

For the life of me I couldn’t understand how anyone took Trump seriously as a candidate. He failed to meet the basic requirements expected of an American President. Take the financial requirements for instance, Trump has pointedly refused to release his tax returns! His adamant stance against it, could easily validate the assumption that he has too many skeletons in his closet and therefore, his unwillingness to submit to the norms and customs expected of one aspiring to the highest office in the land. But guess what? Deciding against telling the truth, especially where it is being expected, is just as bad as lying to the American public about those taxes. Why this clear act of defiance against institutionalized principles of accountability and transparency were condoned by voters is beyond me.

Although the American President isn’t expected to be a saint, he is held to the highest moral standard as an example of everything good about America. It is why President Bill Clinton was impeached for abusing power and not being forward about the details when he was investigated. So, it beats me how Trump despite having numerous reported cases of alleged sexual harassment and impropriety (some of which he seems to enjoy bragging about), was still considered worthy of the Oval Office.

As if those weren’t bad enough, long after he went on to become the 45th president of the United States, with the huge pile of responsibilities that accompany the office and his tedious schedule, he has somehow managed to maintain a streak in the media for everything unpresidential. To begin with, with the benefit of hindsight, one could easily draw assumptions to what was going on in Trump’s mind when he chose to run with the slogan “Making America Great Again”. It seems to me that Making America Great Again is based on a premise that the America of yesteryears was a much better one in comparison to what is obtainable now. The validity of that position is subject to individual perception.

But following the daily news and recent events pouring out from the beloved country, one can’t help but to think the America Trump envisioned was one which existed before the Civil Rights Act was passed. The America before gender equality permitted women to hold any positions which demanded that they be taken seriously. It was an America where the fourth estate was gagged and near non-existent. It was not just the west, it was the wild west where apparently, one could “shoot someone on Fifth Avenue” and get away with it. It was an America without order, similar to the one that existed before Trumpism, except this one is quickly shedding the values which made it truly great.

It is an open secret that whoever sits behind the resolute desk is far from attaining perfection. Still, no occupant of that office in recent times has toiled so much to cast it under unfavorable light than this current one. Granted, he doesn’t have the words “White supremacist” in his bio on social media platforms but, his silence and tweets which hardly condemn actions of white supremacists nor provide real empathy to the victims, are very descriptive of his stand on the subject.

Might I add that social media and the news media have taken to tagging certain tweets with “facts check”. One of the awesomeness of the influence wielded by the leader of the free world, is the amount of information that flows to him from every corner of the world. The President is arguably the most informed person on issues affecting the US and many other countries. So, to see how much Trump prefers to spew misinformation at any chance he gets, is beyond shocking. It leaves me wondering why anyone would belittle the integrity and authority that comes with knowing and informing the masses, accurately.

Someday, after his Presidency, Trump might decide to write a book to tell his own side of the story. I would definitely buy and read it. Just to satisfy my curiosity and to better understand why someone, the least favorite in an electoral race, got lucky enough to become President of the most powerful nation on earth and rather than prove the naysayers wrong, decided instead to focus on playing golf.

I have always been in awe of America. But this one, this America with Trump as its President, not so much.