On the night of November 8, 2018, a huge number of Americans were in shock and in a very deep funk. I was one of them. There was anxiety. There were tears. There was fear about the future of our country, our children, and the world.
Sadly, we have not been proven wrong. Most of the things we feared have come true.
- Emboldened Racism and Discrimination – Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump was an open racist. He embraced discrimination and made it clear that this would be the direction his administration took. Racists were emboldened by his election. Hate crimes have increased. Enforcement of anti-discrimination laws has been lax.
- Plummeting World Standing – Donald Trump’s campaign consisted of non-stop proof of his lack of knowledge of the rest of the world, which countries were our friends, how treaties work, and how significant NATO and the UN are to world peace and stability. He has weakened our nation’s standing in the world as he has failed to lead on one issue after another. He has set the country back immeasurably with his lack of civil diplomacy. He has picked fights with close allies such as Australia, Germany, Canada, Mexico, and the UK. He has broken treaties and threatened aggressive action against numerous countries. Tourism to the US is down about 4% in a world economy that should be seeing booming travel.
- Nuclear War – With his insistence that we ramp up our nuclear arsenal, his baiting of North Korea, his failure to deal with Russia’s interference in our election, and his general ignorance, the world is far closer to large scale war and the use of nuclear weapons than it has been since early in the cold war.
- Destruction Of The Environment – This administration has worked hard to undo decades of progress toward a cleaner environment and a better planet. From pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord to his cabinet picks failing to enforce EPA regulations, weakening environmental laws, and looking to sell off public lands for mining, drilling and development, he has been a disaster for the environment. The President has led climate deniers in a frenzied effort to try to profit off the destruction of the environment.
- Trade Wars – He has backed out of trade treaties and implemented tariffs on foreign goods. This threatens to build into a wider trade war. The potential impact to the economy is hard to predict. But it will likely result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and the upheaval of several key industries.
- Scandal – His refusal to release his tax records and unwillingness to step away from his businesses were clear indications that there would be lots of questions about what was going on. This administration has been mired in dozens of scandals from day one. From bringing in unqualified friends, family, and business partners to publicly pitching his products and properties, to questionable deals that have taken place, there is hardly a day that goes by without some new scandal or significant questions coming up. The Russian scandal has moved back and forth between a smoldering mess to a full on raging wildfire as the President continues to refuse to take action against Russia as he tries to discredit and stop anyone that is investigating Russian inference in the election. He has consistently attacked the media for his shortfalls and he and his administration tell lies without shame or hesitation.
- Horrible Cabinet Picks – Looking at who Donald Trump was surrounded by during his campaign put great fear into us as to who his cabinet picks and administration staff would be. His cabinet has been a revolving door of unqualified nuts that have been laced with scandal. They are out for self enrichment and are not fighting for the American people, but rather, trying to build their power and wealth and help their friends and families.
- Instability – After years of a steady growing and strengthening economy and a booming stock market, Donald Trump has managed to make everything far less stable and predictable. The market reacted positively to the tax cuts, but since then, markets have been in turmoil because of fear of overheating of the economy and now the potential for a trade war with our world business partners. The automobile, construction, and packaged food and beverage industries are deeply worried about where the new steel and aluminum tariffs will take us. They’re betting it won’t be good for them!
We were upset on the night of the election with very good reason. President Donald Trump is just over a year into his Presidency and is proving that he is a complete and total disaster for our country and for the world.
