President Trump in quicksand
I watched with curiosity how the President justified pulling financial support for the World Health Organization (WHO). Mr. Trump claims the WHO has acted irresponsibly and has responded accordingly. This is political brinkmanship on the President’s part. Once again he has found another group, party, individual, nation or organization to blame. He claims no responsiblity whatsoever. He has simply graded himself 10 out of 10 and done a great job as a “Wartime President”.
From the beginning of this crisis he has not followed the advice of his medical and intelligence experts and his mistruths and misrepresentations from the briefing podium are well documented. His mixed messages about China are perplexing. He calls it the “Chinese Virus”, thereby implying culpability and is entirely correct, however, he then says that the President of China, Xi Jinping, is a “good guy” and a friend as though there is no misdeed whatsoever on the part of the Chinese government.
Tens of thousands people will pay with their lives for this contemptible behaviour and act of deception by the Chinese Communist Party. Mr. Trump appears to have arrived at the tragic realization that “there will be a lot of death”, but appears to show little to no sympathy or commiseration or even sadness for the multitude of Americans who endure the loss of loved ones.
The situation with medical testing remains chaotic with less than 1% of the population and this is simply unforgivable. This lays at the President’s feet due his lack of willingness to step up and make this viable for ordinary citizens from the very beginning of this plague.
I am reminded of the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, who famously had a plaque on his desk in the Oval Office, which stated, “The Buck Stops Here”. He didn’t back away from conflict and is remembered for being a resolute leader. Mr. Trump has not embraced this.
I wonder if Mr. Trumps behaviour would be different if this was not an election year. I would be fascinated to know if the brain trust in the Republican Party have or are deliberating on a strategy to remove Mr. Trump from the presidency. I do not know if the U.S. Constitution contemplates this for presidential conduct that is not criminal in nature, such as the legacy of Richard M. Nixon, who surely would have been impeached and removed from office had he not resigned.
On December 3, 2007, Mr Kevin Rudd, became the Prime Minister of Australia (“Kevin in ‘07”, was the campaign chant). Ms Julia Gillard, became the Deputy PM, and held that position until June 24, 2010, when she disposed Mr. Rudd as PM. The narrative told of poor public opinion and ratings for Mr. Rudd, and so the chess moves made behind the scenes became real and the deed was done, much to the disgust of the Australian public. But wait, on June 27, 2013, Mr Rudd returned the trick and whisked Ms Gillard out of office in another leadership spill and became PM once again. His party was swept out of office at the next federal election.
Australia is a constitutional monarchy and representative democracy. The United States is a constitutional democracy. Technically, where does the difference lie and is there provision or mechanism within an amendment that would allow the Republican Party to remove Mr. Trump before the election? In my opinion, Mr. Trump and the Republican Party are travelling on a slippery slope getting steeper by the day and will be swept from power in November.
