Thanks, Trump. He really did it this time. We already know about the UK pulling away. Who is next? Will we have anyone left but ourselves? Israel is out for itself. They dragged us into this. The world has likely moved on from laughing into disgust. How many people can see that it’s Trump, and he is not supported by the country anymore? Could we be so fortunate? Maybe. It’s a big maybe, since he was put back into office a second time, after all he did previously, including the insurrection, and now what he’s done thus far in his term. With indebtedness to Raw Story:
The ongoing U.S. war against Iran, which kicked off in late February with the killing of more than 100 Iranian schoolchildren, has undermined a key State Department foreign policy tool and may have irreparably damaged the nation’s global reputation, a former Obama administration public diplomacy chief warned Sunday.
“I believe because of [President] Donald Trump and his war in Iran, American popularity will descend to depths it has not seen this century and may never recover to the median levels that we saw with Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan,” wrote Richard Stengel, former State Department under-secretary for diplomacy, in an analysis published Sunday in The Guardian.
Oh, yay. He started the descent with tariffs. Nonsense tariffs that were excessive and uncalled for. Now he has us in another forever war. Yep, we’re going downhill. Unfortunately, this is not a surprise. When I have friends all over the world, and they are asking me what the hail is going on with Trump, I can’t answer. (This includes Tasmania down near Australia.) He’s gotten more and more unpredictable. At least we didn’t vote for him. The crazy half of the country did.
“Forget Barack Obama numbers – they’re out of reach. Confidence in Trump’s ability to navigate global affairs was already around 30-40% before the invasion of Iran. That will be the new ceiling.” Stengel described his former job as being the United States’ “chief marketing officer of ‘Brand USA,’” with among his chief missions being to “help shape and promote America’s image abroad.”
With Trump having launched a war against Iran, however, one that has been condemned by America’s allies as unlawful, the United States’ ability to project “soft power” through fostering cultural influence abroad may have finally come to an end, Stengel warned, and largely due to Trump.
Wonderful. Just what we needed. By the way, how many countries have stopped importing and exporting US products? Has anyone thought about that? We are losing in many more ways than one. Our farmers are absolutely screwed, all for a megalomaniac child with delusions of grandeur. How could the people of America miss that? He *never* should have been re-elected. We tried to show them, and they ignored it. Well, folks, take another look at what you gave us.
“Since Woodrow Wilson, American presidents have been in the democracy promotion business. That era may now be over,” he wrote. “With the war on Iran, US action in Venezuela, and increasingly bellicose talk about Cuba, the Trump administration is reviving the old trope of the Ugly American, but this time without the once obligatory paeans to democracy. That old image of America as a narcissistic and culturally insensitive bully is back with a vengeance.”
Let us all (not) rejoice! Look at our fearless leader! Look at what he has (not) done for our country! This is a disaster of epic proportions. We still have more than 2 years left of his term, assuming he doesn’t kick off at some point. It’s just going to get worse, especially if he figures out a way to cancel midterms. I’m fervently hoping he does not. But I’m spending a lot more time worrying, even if I can’t do much about everything.
By the way, the headline picture is from Trump’s manic UN speech. Appropriate. See you soon!
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise that among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest-working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
