INAUGURATION…Again
Four years ago I started blogging; I started on the day of President Trump’s inauguration (would he be former or ex President Trump now?). At the time, my intention was to write a blog post every day to express my feelings about the presidency. Clearly, that writing vision hasn’t happened. In fact, I think I only wrote a handful of blog posts that were specifically about the president. That said, we are sitting here on the 4th anniversary of that date and our world seems much different than it was 4 years ago. Please realize, I wrote this blog a few days before today’s inauguration. Lately, the world has been changing quickly, so some of what I write here may be different than the reality you sit in today.
When Trump came into office, half of the voters were sad and disappointed. They were disappointed that their candidate lost and concerned that a reality TV host with no political experience was running the country.
Over the last 4 years, we have seen the results of Trump’s leadership (or lack of leadership). We’ve seen our removal from the Paris Agreement, transgender rights being taken away, race inequality turning more ugly, police brutality, riots, a wall being built at the Mexico border, children locked in cages at the border, friends deported, a mishandling and then abandoning of the COVID epidemic, loss of jobs, health insurance concerns, 2 impeachments, social media going crazy, and a mob attacking the US Capitol. There’s so much more I could add to this list; I think I’ve identified enough for now.
As the administration changes today and we move to what I hope will be a more accountable, responsible, and hopeful space, I have to wonder, did all of this turmoil get created in the last 4 years? Is it all really Trump’s fault?
In my original blog post, I talked about how some thought that inauguration that day was the end of the world. My thought was, “Was it? Or was the end of the world the day Trump was born? Or the day his parents met?” Now after 4 years, I’ve come back to review those thoughts. I’m very grateful to say the world hasn’t ended. Though it seems we are on collision course with the end of the world. So did Trump get us here?
Well, sort of yes and sort of no. I think many of the people who voted for Trump back in 2016 (and again in 2020), were looking for a different way to manage the country. They were tired of the ways our country was being run. They felt cheated and concerned that those who didn’t deserve to be taken care of were getting free handouts. They were concerned that immigrants would take their jobs, terrorize our nation, and bring gangs and violence to our country. Whether or not Trump had taken the presidency in 2016, these feelings still existed. These people would still have their concerns. Trump is a man who stood behind those beliefs and allowed for people to speak them more openly. In a twisted sort of way, I believe there was a bit of goodness in that. Rather than have people underground discussing their fears and interests in violence, people were able to voice their opinions out loud, letting the rest of the country know how powerful and dangerous this dissonance is. I don’t condone Trump in any way for fanning the flames. I do think it is good that we are able to see the flames and work to fight them back.
Social media and even news outlets have run rampant over the last 4 years with “fake news.” But is fake news new? Nah. Fake News, and sensational stories have been around for years. I mean really? Do you think that Moses really saw a talking burning bush? All kidding aside (and apologies if that came across too heretic-like), but fake news has been around for a long time. John Adams actually accused a Philadelphia newspaper of being “fake news.” These days, with the prevalence of social media, the online news sources, and an effort to get stories out quickly, fake news has become overwhelming. Whether Trump was president or not, we have witnessed a lot of fake news over the last 4 years. At the same time, Trump has been a big fan and a big distributor of fake news. When your president is proposing that people not wear masks to guard against COVID, people are going to stop wearing masks. When your president says the elections were rigged (and they weren’t), people are going to believe him. Did Trump create fake news? Nope. But once again, he sure fanned those flames. With that, institutions like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (yes, I know it’s part of Facebook) started becoming more vigilant about their members and their members’ feeds. We are a long way from a healthy social media space, but this insanity was helpful in getting the issues noticed. I know that for me, warnings start coming through to me as feathers and then end up being sledgehammers. I often pay more attention to the sledgehammer end of things. Trump has brought a lot of the trials in our country to the sledgehammer level, and people are finally starting to take notice.
When the country was hit with COVID, Trump claimed the virus was “totally under control,” and the virus was, “disappearing.” When people got sick and couldn’t go to work, they started losing their jobs. They couldn’t pay their bills. People became homeless and hungry. Mothers had to chose between staying home with their kids and not getting paid or going to work and leaving their young children at home. Neither situation worked. Millions are still out of work in this country. In many states the flow of unemployment checks was slow, and this money didn’t necessarily cover the expenses of a family. The man running the most powerful country in the world couldn’t take time to acknowledge the challenges that this virus could bring to to many Americans. So is the downfall of these families Trump’s fault? Financial inequality in the US has been an issue for years. Many people live paycheck to paycheck, knowing that a health issue could bring their sustenance to its knees. The COVID pandemic put a bright light on these issues and has helped Americans see the income inequality of the nation more clearly. That doesn’t mean COVID or the handling of it by our president has been a good thing.
There are many spaces where Trump made choices that hurt rather than helped. Let me name just a few. He has ignored the issues around healthcare rather than stay committed to the promise he made to enhance healthcare. He has ignored the Russian hack recently discovered in our government computer systems. He ignored warnings about COVID. Now that the virus is destroying the lives of so many in our country, he is all but ignoring this issue. As a result of COVID, lives have been lost, people have gone bankrupt from medical bills, jobs have been lost, and people are suffering from debilitating long-term health issues. Trump even threatened to fire Dr. Fauci, our country’s director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. The Doctor has been in that role for over 35 years! When the president makes that threat, how do the people of the country feel about Dr. Fauci?
When the inauguration happens today, I will be raising my glass to toast the change in administration. I realize there is so much to be undone. So many lives were lost and destroyed during the last 4 years. At the same time, I know that these dramatic changes weren’t all the cause of one man. I have felt a lot of pain during the last 4 years, and I am excited to see the change in command. My eyes and ears are open wider now. My hope is that I don’t return to the status quo. I want to stay alert and aware and continue to use my voice and my vote for change.
