As a weatherman, epidemiologist, school master, foreign policy expert, environmentalist, economist and almost any other thing calling for insight and expertise, Trump has been a consistent failure. Beyond the White House, such inadequacies may not mean much, but when these issues are in the hands of the nation’s so-called leader the results can be disastrous, if not downright lethal.
The writer James Baldwin, who during the current crisis and unrest is being quoted quite often, said there was nothing more dangerous than the combination of power and ignorance, and Trump sadly possesses immeasurable quantities of both. It’s hard to dismiss the warning from his niece who said that her uncle was “the most dangerous man in the world.”
Trump’s ignorance and power have been on display, most demonstrably, since he set foot in the Oval Office, and the American people, no matter their political persuasion, have been victims of a constant, sustained dose of the mixture. The other day he tweeted that he may exercise the same authority he used in deploying federal agents to Portland to open the schools and delay the election.
Forcing students back to classrooms without a clear plan of safety is absolutely reckless and a total disregard for the welfare of all involved. Already we have one very disturbing report of the virus outbreak at a school where more than 200 students and employees have tested positive for the virus. And if the Trump administration wasn’t so determined to throw caution to the wind, all they need do is check out what’s happening in Israel where there is a heedless recognition of the virus.
To the toxic brew of ignorance and power, let’s add arrogance and authoritarianism to Trump’s troubling profile. Other than prayer there’s little chance the nation is going to survive intact the confluence of the virus, economic distress and Trump’s militaristic outlook.
Oh, there is one thing we can do and that’s the vote, and as the late Rep. John Lewis reminded us in his last message, be ever vigilant in the fight to defeat those who would suppress the vote.
There are fewer than 100 days until the election and we have to keep our eyes on that date and not lose sight of what must be done and that to Make America Great Again—Trump Must Go!