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Between watching Trump’s press conference yesterday and then watching his speech at Davos just now, I’m struggling to maintain my calm, more than usual. Of course, this past year has been a nightmare for all of us, but it seems in the last two weeks it’s been much worse.
As you probably have heard, Trump announced that he’s not going to use military action to try to take over Greenland. There seemed an audible global sigh. He must really like the feeling of power over the world— which unfortunately he does, given his role as President of the United States.
He abuses it.
But I don’t think that the people of Greenland are reassured; you cannot believe what Trump says. He didn’t mention tariffs, which he has been threatening to use against our NATO allies in order to pressure them into helping him acquire Greenland. But the stock market tanked yesterday because of his obsession and threatening statements; many are guessing that that’s why he changed his mind.
His performance at the podium in Davos was a rambling mess with all the usual grandios bragging and complaining that we’ve come to expect from him. It’s incredibly embarrassing. Although I know now most of the world is aware that Trump does not represent us, that he’s an arrogant, selfish, spoiled man who unfortunately is our president. In his narcissistic worldview, he complains that nobody does anything for the United States, nobody recognizes his greatness, NATO has done nothing, the world is nothing without the United states. He said Canada wouldn’t exist if not for the US.
This is deeply offensive to me. I grew up the daughter of someone who fought in World War II, am the niece of a young man who lost his life in Germany helping save the world from evil forces. After World War II, the world order was about rule of law, the globe created rules based order. We are a rich nation, and for that reason it is our responsibility to help others. We embraced generosity (I know, we are flawed) for those in need.
Trump spouts things about NATO that are wrong. He claims we do everything for NATO, but NATO does nothing for us. A flat out lie, because Denmark in particular was the first to come to our assistance after 9/11 and had more fatalities per capita than any country in its effort to help us. Even if that were not the case—it is— it’s not really the point. It’s about democracies helping one another, and helping others.
Humanity.
Trump said, “The problem with NATO is that we’d be there for them 100%. But I’m not sure they’d be there for us. If we gave them the call, ‘Gentlemen, we’re under attack by such and such a nation’ —I know them all very well. I’m not sure that they’d be there. We’d be there for them, I’m not sure they’d be there for us.”
Perhaps it’s because of you, Trump.
I have in the past called him crazy. That’s a vague word, and using it on Trump is not strong enough, it kinda gives him an out. Trump is a pathological narcissist who has had enough successes to embolden him, he has enough people around him who prop him up and kiss his ring such that he has no guardrails either to his thinking, actions or to his speech. As I listened to the two excruciatingly long speeches he gave recently, I can hear how skilled he is at first putting people down, putting countries down, humiliating others (today it was Macron, among others) and then mixing it with sweet talk that makes it seem like he’s a thoughtful, compassionate person.
It’s like a textbook abusive relationship.
Don’t you just keep hoping, looking for signs that someone will stop him? I know Democrats in Congress can’t do anything, really, except appear on CNN and keep putting up objections to his actions and words, put forth legislation that won’t go through, but at least is something. Congressional Republicans (not all, but most) are wimps. It’s up to us to keep being loud about it, and then vote at every opportunity we have to vote.
And still, no further release of Epstein Files, only 1% heavly redacted files have been released. The DOJ is flaunting the law.
Another crisis averted, another day the Epstein Files are not discussed.
February March April May June July August September October November: ten months until the midterm elections.
We can do it!
Keep calling your Congress people and supporting your friends and family. Share the work of people who are fighting this fight, keep trying to get the word out about what is happening to our country. I fear so many people are not paying attention, still.
And, as always, thank you for being here. You were helping me cope with this!
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