I Don’t Want to Say it, But...

In 2016, when you told me you voted for Donald Trump like there was no other choice, I was dumbfounded. I asked you, “How could you vote for that man?” I brought up the Access Hollywood tape, and you said, “I don’t believe you.” I brought up other issues, and you said, “It’s not true.” It seemed to me that the things that I found egregious were okay with you. I also said that if you’d really been listening to Trump, that you would not have voted for him. But no, you got mad at me for “yelling” at you. I got mad at you for voting for a man that I saw as utterly corrupt in every way imaginable. I said, “You watch and see; he’s going to ruin America.” We agreed we would wait and see.

It’s three years plus into his presidency, and I’m going to say, “I told you so.” Trump’s actions are so much worse than even I expected. Let’s recap some things:

The Border Wall

He said he would build a wall, and Mexico would pay for it. Well, not only did Mexico not pay a single peso, but Trump tried to rob military funds to pay for the wall. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said that appropriating $2.5 billion in military funds is an illegal overreach of executive authority.

The Impeachment

Contrary to Republican belief, Trump violated the Constitution by holding up allocated military funds to Ukraine to force President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Bidens. Trump wanted the Ukrainian government to dig up dirt on Joe and Hunter Biden to give Trump an edge in the election. This attempt is one of the worst things he’s done, along with trying to get China to do the same thing. Yet, the Republicans in Congress refused to see the threat this posed. The good news is that Trump is an impeached President. That means when Trump is convicted of his other crimes after leaving office, another President cannot pardon him. He goes to prison, yay for that.

The Narcissism

Everything is always about Trump, right? The current pandemic is a hoax dreamed up to ruin his electoral chances come November. Then, he and Pence deliberately prevented much-needed supplies from reaching hospitals and other health care workers. If there was ever proof that Trump and the Republicans don't care about American welfare, this is it. As of this writing, 125,000 people in the U.S. died of COVID-19. How many of these deaths were preventable if Trump, Pence, and Jared Kushner had done the right thing? Then, you have all the idiots who think it’s an infringement of their rights to do something as simple as wearing a mask to prevent transmission of the virus. Welcome to the pro-choice movement.

Ignoring Russian Threats

Recent reports show that Russia paid Taliban fighters in Afghanistan to kill U.S. soldiers. Along with Trump’s response to the pandemic, this ranks right up there in incompetence and yes, treason (IMO, of course). The President of the United States is our Commander in Chief and has a duty to protect our overseas military members. Trump steadfastly refuses to take action against Vladimir Putin, who Trump considers his buddy. Of course, that leads to a discussion of Trump worshipping dictators. Trump has no respect for our allies and seeks the approval of the worst of the worst. A recent German poll, which Fox News reported on, said that Trump is the greatest threat to world peace with 41% of the vote. Kim Jong Un is next with 17%. Ali Khamenei and Putin each of 8% and Xi Jinping of China with 7%.

Does this scare you at all that Trump is considered the most dangerous leader of our time? Like I said after the 2016 election, Trump truly is the worst thing to happen to America.

I’m not going to tell you how to vote this year, just as I haven’t in past years. What I hope for is that you’ll take your blinders off and see Trump for the charlatan that he is. That you will see a man who isn’t making America great again. Trump made America a laughingstock on the world stage. Our country will not survive another four years.

I also encourage you to listen to two conservative groups who are working to elect Joe Biden: The Lincoln Project and 43 Alumni for Biden. If you are a Republican in the mold of Abraham Lincoln, I hope that you’ll get informed and stay informed. Then, vote in November for the person who you think is best to run this country.

I’ll be voting for Biden. Will you?