The world has provided the proper reaction to President Trump’s buffoonery. On September 25, while addressing the United Nations about his administration’s accomplishments and the US’s plans for the future, the gathered world leaders laughed at his opening statement. After saying, “In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country. America’s – so true”, Trump received loud laughter from the assembled crowd, an unusual occurrence given the audience’s tendency for silence.
On Twitter the next day, Trump posted that the crowd was laughing with him, not at him, but the expression on his face in the video of the event and a basic knowledge of how narcissistic he is says it all. The UN was clearly laughing at him, incredulous at his audacity to say he has done many things, that America is the best, and that he is capable of governing a country.
In the almost two years since election, the Trump administration has produced very few new policies. While the president has managed to repeal several important Obama-era laws and treaties, such as the Net Neutrality Act, the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces law, and the Paris Climate Accords, he has proposed very few new laws, despite having a Republican Congress on hand. Yet, Trump continues to insist that he is incredibly accomplished and that he has made America great again, which he did at the UN conference.
According to the laughter of the UN, that is a stretch. In addition to accomplishing little, Trump has created a monster political party on the right.
The GOP has historically been a conservative party that favored a laissez faire capitalist market, a hostile relationship to Russia, a strong national defense, traditional ideas and morals, usually with a Christian base, and a weaker federal government. However, since Trump has come into power, the GOP has been transformed into a new power that defies many of their previous positions. In desperation to prove loyalty to Trump, his Republican allies have totally abandoned any sense of reason and many of their morals. The evangelists who supported Trump have ignored Trump’s previous affairs and assaults on women, which they would typically have regarded with revulsion. Many of Trump’s Republican advisors have engaged with Russia much more eagerly than before, and many moderate Republicans in the party have either become completely incoherent in logic or have decided to not run for reelection after their term ends. As the GOP becomes more like the Tea Party, it is unclear that they wish for anything other than destruction of the US as it stands.
The reaction to Trump at the UN only reflects how he and his leadership of the US are regarded in the world – as silly and meaningless, with Trump neither worthy nor capable of sitting at the table with adults. Many world leaders, especially in Europe, have been working together to enact plans without the support of or consultation of America, despite the amount of power our country holds. While these plans may fail without the belligerent economic and military power of the US, a point has been made – until Trump is out of power, and perhaps beyond that, we have been shut out of the West. This is likely to hurt the American economy – China is rising quickly, although the tariff war may hurt them, and many other countries we trade with closely are also imposing tariffs on US exports, which will decrease the US’s GDP. It is also likely that we will be left to deal with the Middle East and terrorism on our own, as the other uninterested countries could possibly pull out. In that case, an increased defense budget is likely to occur, putting the US deeper into debt. While the UN laughing at Trump was a single event, what it means for America’s position in the world is a lot darker.President Donald Trump speaks at the UN General Assembly on September 25, 2018. He defended America’s sovereignty throughout.
by Ellie Bourett
Photo by Vox.
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