I began writing this blog during the first Trump administration as a way to vent and to exercise my own little ‘war of resistance’ to what I viewed as an egregious attack on our democracy, our freedoms and as the biggest security threat the country had faced in decades. I naively never thought I’d be faced with ‘Trump 2.0.’ I had more faith in the American electorate. I was supremely naïve.
I could not conceive how any rational person who claimed to be a patriot could vote for a twice-impeached, convicted felon, who routinely spews racist and misogynistic rhetoric, derides our allies and cozies up to dictators. Having worked in the defense industry for years and holding high level security clearances, I could not understand how Trump’s cavalier (and criminal) handling of highly classified U.S. Intelligence information would not immediately disqualify him from office. And that is not even to mention his hand in trying to mount an insurrection to overturn the 2020 election and the Big Lie that has been a constant presence ever since. I was very wrong.
Regardless of what many people say or what justification they offer for voting for and supporting Trump, I personally believe that it distills down to two main factors. Many of Trump supporters are abysmally ignorant of how government actually works domestically and certainly on the global level. However, one of the biggest factors is the simple fact that many people, particularly men, in this country cannot wrap their heads around the concept of a woman president – and certainly not a woman of color. That is just a fact. The ‘X’ factor if you will. The wrong set of chromosomes.
The last time Trump was in office, his trade wars cost the American consumers $80 billion by some estimates which equates to one of the largest tax increases in modern times. If he once again starts levying tariffs on goods imported from countries like China and Mexico, the importers will once again pass those costs along to consumers AND will likely retaliate with tariffs of their own making American products more expensive for consumers abroad. It is likely to have a substantial adverse effect on the economy.
Certainly, if American goods are more expensive for international customers, there is no doubt that others such as China are ready to fill the void. If Trump implements the tariff policies like he has said he will, it will weaken the US leverage abroad and strengthen China’s. That is exactly what happened during his first term when he pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. China stepped in.
In addition to implementing trade policies that will adversely affect the American consumer, Trump looks like he will be surrounding himself with a cast of characters right out of ‘Conspiracy Central.’ Putting vaccine denier, Robert Kennedy Jr., in charge of the health system is like putting a known arsonist in charge of the fire department. Putting soon-to-be trillionaire and seeming Q-Anon advocate, Elon Musk, in charge of government efficiency, will be devastating to thousands of families given that he has promised to slash costs by $2 billion, much of that by massive layoffs and cutting programs that low-income families rely upon. He has even stated that there will be a couple of years of ‘pain.’ It’s easy for him to endure pain given his fortune. It’s a little more difficult when you are living paycheck to paycheck.
This is the part of things I just do not understand. Many of the people who are the most ardent Trump supporters, are the same people who are going to get hurt the most if he carries through on half the campaign promises he has made. It’s like handing Trump a loaded gun, then walking down and standing in front of the target at a shooting range and wondering afterward why you are lying on the ground bleeding.
I firmly believe that many of the people who voted for Trump are going to come to regret that decision when the ‘law of unintended consequences’ slaps them alongside the head at some point down the road. Perhaps then, they might realize the woman of color they cast aside in favor of someone with a ‘Y’ chromosome was a poor choice. Although I’m skeptical. Hillary Clinton was eminently more qualified than Trump – she lost. Kamala Harris was significantly more qualified than Trump – she lost. And here we go again.
Buckle up. I predict it’s going to get pretty ugly.
