Your Country Needs You

By: Walter J, Mountaineer News Contributor Posted: March 1, 2020 | 12:11PM EST

Scotland - It will come as no surprise to my friends in the USA to learn that over here in the UK, their President is not loved. In fact, he is regarded with a lack of respect that comes close to outright contempt. In many conversations with friends since 2106, I can honestly say I have never heard anyone say one word in his favour.

(About myself, a little background: all my political life has been spent as a "leftie" - a "far leftie" in my earlier days, but long ago mellowed into a "democratic socialist" as a member of the UK Labour Party.)

Trump's name was known in the UK, but he was never the big media figure he was known as in the US. By the time Trump became a serious contender for the presidency, I had made several visits to the US; and that, of course, gave me the right to lecture anyone over here who would listen about everything to do with US politics. Fame at last!

Well, no, not quite - but friends regarded me as more "clued in" than they were, so they asked me what I thought about "this guy Trump".

My standard reply was something like "Don't worry! No political party in the US will ever choose a clown like that as their candidate. And if they did, he'd be destroyed in an election!"

But it actually honest-to-God happened. And I'm still sad about it - sad, astonished, and angry.

Now everything we feared and worried about has happened; the blatant lying, the casual racism & misogyny, the refusal to be advised, the mistrust, the childishness, the bullying, the sheer ignorance, and the staggering incompetence.

The damage that has been done during his administration to the reputation of the USA will take a generation to put right! Now if I'm asked for my opinion on whether Trump will win a second term, I can only answer, "After 2016 - who the hell knows?" In 2016, my younger daughter was the only person I know who called it right, and she says he'll do it again. Please tell me you can stop that happening... Your Country Needs You...!