The United States, Adrift

After reading the excellent “Brief History of Colombia,” in which Jorge Orlando Melo provides a very good summary of the country’s development, I read “Brief History of the United States,” by College of Mexico professor Erika Pani, in which she writes about: “the past, the present, and the future of a country … that came to be the hegemonic power of the world.”

The New York Times recently published the results of a poll in the United States that showed the three most popular presidents in history are Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Lincoln was the leader of the country during the Civil War, Jefferson was part of the consolidation of the country’s independence, and Roosevelt was the nation’s leader during World War II. I compared these presidents with Donald Trump and I thought about how that leadership and the country’s institutions, which have developed over many years, could be weakened by the surprising performance of the current president.

The first consideration is linked to the lack of preparation by the president for assuming the demanding office. Trump is a businessman who says he has been very successful, but whose current wealth amounts to less than what he received from his father. He is a person who, since his presidential campaign, has used highly inappropriate and, on many occasions, offensive language to refer to his opponents, including his constant reference to his election opponent as “crooked Hilary.” And his many tweets are, at times, destructive and incoherent.

When the media constantly follow up on the falsehoods that are transmitted in his messages, President Trump argues that they are “fake news.” As if that weren’t enough, his personal life reveals romantic relationships with women, to whom his lawyer pays large sums of money in exchange for their silence.

The appointment of his staff reveals a lack of rigor in the selection process which has led to the firing or resignation of five members of Trump’s cabinet and 15 White House staff members within his first 17 months in office.

One of them worked for just 10 days. This lack of rigor has also led to Trump to improvise greatly in international relations, and as a result, he has distanced himself from his allies and has not improved relations with his adversaries.

These factors are enhanced by the initiation of a mistaken and inhumane campaign against immigrants in a country that has traditionally welcomed them and has been built with their valuable contributions. Additionally, Trump has started a trade war that could cause serious disruption not only to the American economy, but to the world economy as well. The recent resignation of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has allowed him to nominate Brett Kavanaugh, who could adversely affect future rulings.

Given all of this, it is very surprising that a large percentage of the American public, mainly members of the Republican Party, continue to support him. It is noteworthy that the United States’ valuable idea of “checks and balances” ha, been ineffective in controlling these excesses despite having been successful in the past.

This highlights the importance of resolute action from the American people during the November midterm elections to regain a balance of power, and to regain its governance.