The Mueller probe may yet find evidence of illegalities but, as far as Trump ever entering into an explicit agreement with Russia to help him get elected, I don’t think he ever did that.
Mind you, I’m no Trump fan, but I did believe that, once elected, and in spite of all the absurdities he had stated during the campaign, he deserved a chance.
Well, he’s had his chance and has proved me wrong.
Trump may not have entered into a deal with Russia to subvert the election, but on other weighty matters he is clearly guilty.
Who would have thought that we would be witnessing an American president choosing to ignore the task of bringing the nation together?
Who would’ve thought that we would be seeing a president willing to grossly manipulate anti-immigrant sentiment?
A man carelessly tampering with trade policies, which carries the grave risk of putting a damper on the world’s economic growth.
A president who routinely violates rules of the most elemental decorum.
A man who devalues women and has yet to apologize for it.
A president who chooses to pull out of the Paris Climate agreement, in flagrant denial of solid scientific evidence.
A man who ignores the considered reports of his own intelligence agencies and shows himself reluctant to stand up to Putin and the Saudi family.
A president whose careless remarks on foreign policy have undermined the alliances America has worked so hard to shape since World War II.
Trump is guilty of all of the above.
Previous presidents have made serious mistakes during their term but then have shown a measure of contrition.
Trump is oblivious to such notion.
For two years we have seen him in action. Two years during which he has carried on about building a wall on the border with Mexico, an expenditure that is a shameless waste of resources needed for far more pressing matters, such as investing in the education of our citizens.
Two years in office, a parade of tweets and insults and never an apology from the man.
Two years in office and no attempt to bridge our differences. Instead, a sustained effort to accentuate them.
What does that tell me about Mr Trump?
That he is a shallow and self serving man with no true convictions other than what is good for him and his brand. And though intelligent, he chooses to use his capacity to indulge his greed for power and in so doing to mislead us.
What drives the man?
The relentless pursuit for self-aggrandizement.
But the nation can be deceived only for so long.
The results of the mid term elections, a referendum on Trump, stand as a sign that we are collectively coming to our senses, and so the tide is starting to turn.
Americans will make mistakes at the ballot box. Even grievous ones. We have done it before. That we are a democracy does not prevent us from having poor judgment. But what Trump’s 2016 election shows is how costly such mistakes can be.
The Mueller probe may well turn up information to impeach Trump but unless there is incontrovertible evidence for his guilt, the pursuit of that path is littered with uncertainties that may backfire and squander precious energies.
Where I see real hope is in the new Democratic majority in the House. It will be up to them to check Trump’s reckless behavior and do so in a manner that speaks not with partisan zeal but with a goal to unite the nation and recapture our strength.
Let us keep up the pressure.
Oscar Valdes 