The writer of a recent letter to the Ashland.news suggested we all “take a closer look” at Trump to see all the good he did as president. Anyone who has turned on the TV in the past six or seven years knows what he has said and done. And those comments and actions have given us a sense of who the man is.
In case we have forgotten, perhaps it’s time to do as that writer suggested and “take a closer look” at a man who has left in his wake a country divided and embittered, forever shaken by the memory of the ex-president encouraging his supporters to storm the capitol and overturn the outcome of an election he lost.
Where to begin?
- The Big Lie, which he never recanted and which continues to cause unrest and division among Americans.
- The singular distinction of being the only president impeached twice.
- Four indictments — four more than any other president — which include racketeering, filing false documents and coercing election officials to alter an election outcome.
- 91 felony charges.
- Demeaning those serving in our military as “suckers” and losers” as well as calling Sen. John McCain a “loser” because Trump, disgruntled by McCain’s criticism, was angry about the senator’s funeral being officially commemorated.
- Firing FBI Director James Comey who persisted in his efforts to investigate Russia’s alleged collusion with Trump’s presidential campaign.
- Appointed unprincipled advisers, eight of whom have served time after being found guilty of federal crimes.
- Reduced corporate taxes to the lowest rate since 1939.
- Revived plans for the Keystone pipeline that would pump Canada’s most hazardous oil products. 1,200 miles across U.S. lands and tribal reservations largely to be exported to other countries.
- Called Putin a “strong leader” who showed “genius” and “savvy” when he invaded Ukraine.
- Repeatedly refused to hand over his tax returns — and classified documents solicited numerous times by the Department of Justice from his Mar-a-Lago home.
- Once he became president he doubled the fees at his Mar-a-Lago Resort.
- Lied about the size of his inauguration crowd, despite photographic evidence to the contrary.
- Paid hush money to cover up an illicit affair with a porn star.
- Withdrew from the global climate accord in which 194 parties agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Denied that former President Barack Obama was born in the U.S. and promulgated the claim Obama wire-tapped his phones.
- Appointed a climate change denier as his top environmental adviser.
- Said the COVID-19 pandemic would be over by Easter 2020, two months after the first cases were reported (the virus killed more than 1.2 million Americans and went on for two and a half years).
- Separated migrant children from their parents and placed them in cages.
- Called neo-Nazis “good people.”
- Tear-gassed BLM protesters so he could walk past them for a photo op in front of a church.
- Found guilty of sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll.
- Proposed to trade Puerto Rico, which he said was “dirty and poor,” for Greenland (yes, it’s true!).
- Incited an uprising in which his supporters stormed the capitol in an effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
- Lied or made misleading statements more than 30,000 times (per Washington Post fact checkers).
And let’s not forget the incident on the back porch of the White House, after Trump’s bout with COVID, when he defiantly removed his mask. Think of those who witnessed this grandstanding exhibition and decided, like their president, not to wear masks or get vaccinated — and then later died of the virus as a result of one man’s arrogant gesture.
Perhaps Trump did some good. But, all things considered, it matters little. A “closer look” only reveals the impression of an egocentric politician whose presidency was marked by corruption, dysfunction, lies, divisive politics and chaos. And the unsettling memory of Jan. 6 that most of us can never shake off.
Michael O’Looney
Talent
