The wreckage of Trump’s presidency*
By Alon Ben-Meir
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor
of international relations at
the Center for Global Affairs at
New York University (NYU). He
teaches courses on international
negotiation and Middle Eastern
studies.
NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 2020
(IPS) – Like many Americans,
I have been observing Trump’s
rise to power with some perplexity,
often asking myself how
and why a man of his character
became the President of the
United States, which is viewed
as the most powerful political
office in the world.
But out of a sense of fairness, I
thought that he should be given
a chance, as he may be able to
rise to the occasion and prove
me and others wrong.
Indeed, for someone who
seeks adulation, reverence, admiration
of his ‘genius,’ respect,
and appreciation of his ‘unlimited
talents and expertise’ on just
about every subject, I wondered,
why would he not use the power
of the presidency to earn all that
he desperately wants to be recognized
for?
After all, despite his character
flaws, he made it to the White
House. And yet having reached
the pinnacle of power, he still
wants more, when in fact the
presidency, regardless of constitutional
constraints, provides
him with all the power he needs
to effect revolutionary constructive
change—if he only willed
it.
Over the past four years, I
devoted over 50 of my weekly
articles and essays to the Trump
presidency, in a way chronologizing
some of his statements,
the issues he tackled, his policy
initiatives, his ideological leanings,
and certainly his appetite
for making false statements,
misrepresenting facts, and creating
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his own alternate reality.
Before long, I realized that
this man is simply irredeemable.
He has shown that he is
plainly unfit to hold the office of
the presidency, which carries an
awesome power both domestically
and internationally. He did
not “make America great again;”
he tarnished America’s greatness
for much of the world to see.
Many psychiatrists and psychologists
who have analyzed
his behavior, public utterances,
and tweets have unanimously
concluded that Trump is a psychopath,
a pathological liar,
uncompassionate, narcissist,
greedy, and shallow.
He sees things only in black
and white, and never cares to
understand the nuances of
any issue before him. Here lies
Trump’s sickness.
In his world, the presidency
is not enough to satisfy his ego
and make up for his dismal failures
and complete lack of selfconfidence.
He needs unchecked
power—dictatorial power—so
that no one can question his
actions, motives, or agenda,
however skewed or criminal
they may be.
Sooner than later, Trump will
leave office disgracefully, leaving
behind the wreckage of a century,
the extent of which none of
his predecessors have remotely
left in their wake. He stained the
office of the presidency, as he
brought nothing but shame and
disdain to the most prestigious
office in the land which is looked
upon with awe and admiration
around the world.
It will take years, and in
some cases decades, to repair
the extensive damage he inflicted
on our country. We must
now attend to healing our deep
wounds that tore us apart before
we can realize, once again, the
American dream.
Since I submitted the manuscript
of my book* nearly two
months ago, Trump’s behavior
has become ever more astonishing.
He has consistently delegitimized
the elections, sabotaged
the postal service in order to
interfere with mail-in voting,
which millions of Americans
are turning to due to the coronavirus
pandemic, and openly
refused to commit to a peaceful
transfer of power should he lose
the election (let alone commit
to accepting the result should
he lose).
This past week Trump contracted
the coronavirus, along
with many of those around him,
a development that should not
be at all surprising given his
refusal to engage in social distancing
or wear a mask, or any
other preventative measures
recommended by the CDC.
Recklessness, stubbornness,
arrogance and ineptitude
have characterized him and his
administration since the pandemic
began, and there seems
to be no bottom to his irresponsibility.
During the first presidential
debate, Trump did everything he
could to debase such an important
part of the election process
that allows the American public
to hear what the candidates for
the highest office in the land
have to say.
He interrupted former Vice
President Biden nearly 130
times, made scores of misleading
statements and said outright
lies, and “bragged” about an
economy in tatters. He spoke
about the coronavirus in the
past tense, while new infections
and deaths continue to rise daily—
over 7 million infected and
over 210,000 dead.
To be sure, Trump behaved
during the debate just the way
Biden characterized him—a
clown; unhinged, uncaring, and
dismissive with an uncanny hostile
demeanor. Millions of viewers
just like me cringed in their
seats, ashamed to have such a
loose cannon, and an ignorant
and self-conceited man once
again a candidate for the presidency
after four years of his disastrous
performance.
It is now the responsibility of
every American who is eligible
to vote, who cares and loves this
country, to say NO to Trump and
his enablers in the Republican
Party. The damage that he and
his stooges have inflicted on our
democracy and institutions is
hard to assess.
If he is given another four
years, he will shatter every pillar
on which this republic has rested,
causing incalculable wounds
from which we will not recover
for decades.
*The article is an introductory
chapter in the just-released
book, “Trump—The Wannabe
Dictator” by Alon Ben-Meir.
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