Garth Rattray | America’s failed experiment

When Donald Trump formally announced his candidacy for president of the United States (US) on June 16, 2015, I thought he would fizzle out. Despite the long list of allegations against him, he won the Republican nomination to represent that party in the 2016 presidential election. The party of Abraham Lincoln had significantly compromised its standards in its quest for political power.

The Trump Management Company had been in trouble with the FBI for allegedly discriminating against minorities, some of his businesses went into bankruptcy and he dismissed it as good business practice. He paid minimal taxes and blocked the release of his tax return information even though presidential aspirants routinely revealed theirs. Shockingly, many citizens, including an entire church denomination, readily accepted Mr Trump’s alleged adulterous ways, his admission of grabbing women by their vaginas, and forcing himself on whomever he pleased.

Trump’s boorish, boisterous, braggadocious behaviour found favour with a shocking number of US citizens. He could literally do no wrong. He publicly invited Russian hackers (America’s perennial adversary) to target Hillary Clinton’s personal email server, yet nothing came of that sacrilege. In rebelling against the political status quo, America threw away its moral compass and experimented with a Donald Trump presidency. His ascension reflected very badly on that nation.

Donald Trump lost the popular vote by 2,868,689, but he managed to acquire the 270 electoral votes needed to win the 2016 United States presidential election. It was only the fifth time in history that such a thing occurred. Suffice it to say, President Trump performed exactly as expected. He alienated former allies, pulled out of important treaties, vilified many immigrants, sought to disrupt the Obama administration’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (health insurance) that assisted the underprivileged and those with pre-existing medical conditions. He participated in divisiveness and fearmongering. He disrespected his top security personnel while exalting and embracing foreign megalomaniac despots. There were no consequences when he announced that he and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un “fell in love”.

He was impeached by the House of Representatives for pressuring Ukraine to prosecute his political opponent’s son, but was found not guilty by the Republican-controlled Senate. Trump balked at denouncing white supremacy, and he has intimated at civil unrest if he loses the 2020 presidential election.

Dangerous virus

He gutted Obama’s Pandemic-Preparedness Systems, so when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in America, they were unprepared. Initially, Trump significantly downplayed the dangerous virus, likening it to the common flu and said, “We have done an incredible job. We’re going to continue. It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear…” Trump later admitted that he did not want to cause alarm.

He was slow to fight the pandemic and sought a rapid return to ‘normality’ even though health experts strongly advised against it. Unlike Trump, President Obama’s view was that, “We’re not going to be buffeted by the political winds here. We’re going to go with what the scientists and the public health experts tell us is in our best interest…” Trump publicly suggested unproven and downright lethal treatments for the virus. His disdain for anti-COVID-19 protocols politicised the pandemic and contributed to the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. He held several unsafe political rallies and allegedly caught the virus. He survived because he received the best care on the planet; yet told the nation, “Don’t be afraid of it. You’re going to beat it … don’t let it take over your lives. Don’t let that happen.”

His unprincipled, egocentric and insular persona, consistent falsehoods and contribution to over 8.93 million COVID-19-infected Americans with over 230,000 COVID-19-related deaths is cause for extreme concern. He maintains a gaggle of cult-like followers, but if Americans allow Trump to remain president, God help them.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.