Public Disservice

What do we usually call someone who lies, brags, belittles others, name calls, and, when they do not get their way, accuses others of cheating? Most of the time we would call them a spoiled brat. In the US, we call him Mr. President.

Donald Trump entered office by showing us what a poor winner looks like – swaggering, boasting, and claiming, although he won the electoral vote, that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote because of widespread fraud. As he leaves (and he will leave), he is the very portrait of a sore loser.

Two weeks after Joe Biden was declared the winner, Trump continues with baseless lawsuits, demands for recounts, attempts to toss out votes in strongly Democratic counties, and urging state legislators to appoint electors who would return him to office. Even some Republican lawmakers are calling for Trump to concede and allow the Biden team access to briefings and government offices that will ensure a smooth transition.

Coronavirus cases are alarmingly high across the country, and despite warnings, many people will be traveling or gathering for the upcoming holidays, ensuring further spread and, inevitably, more deaths. At this critical point in the pandemic, it is essential that the Biden administration is ready to get to work on Day One. However, Donald Trump has demonstrated throughout the pandemic that he has no regard for anyone but himself.

He whined about how the pandemic wrecked a healthy economy, which he had expected to ensure him a second term. He trivialized the disease, despite confiding to Bob Woodward that he knew early on it was “deadly stuff.” He politicized face coverings, encouraged businesses to reopen, and told people to take their lives back from the “lockdown liberals.” Should any of us be surprised that reliable “red states” are now COVID red zones?

As the virus enters its most difficult phase since its eruption last spring, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are trying to prepare a much needed national plan, but with no cooperation from the current administration. Meanwhile, Donald Trump spends his days contesting an election he clearly lost and going golfing. His inaction is tragic, as it will cost tens of thousands more people their lives.

Donald Trump has always lived large, but in the waning days of his term, he is showing what a small man he really is. Psychologists, including his niece Mary Trump, could explain better than I what factors make someone so callous, so unfeeling, that he would deny others the most basic right to life itself in order to boost his own ego.

We may wonder how someone so unfit for office ever got elected, but Donald Trump is a master at manipulating both social media and the news media. (How many newscasts still lead with his refusal to concede the election?) More importantly, he gave voice to a disaffected segment of the population that both parties had overlooked.

The fierce loyalty of Donald Trump’s followers demonstrates how threatened many Americans feel by the rapid social change we are experiencing. In the face of their fears, Trump promised to “Make America Great Again,” by turning back the clock against demographic shifts and the transition away from fossil fuels. He continues to tell his base whatever they want to hear, whether it has any basis in fact, and his policies have benefited his wealthy friends far more than the working class Americans who voted for him.

Trump’s promise to bring back coal jobs is a perfect example of this manipulation, as coal production is 16% lower and coal consumption down 40% from where they were when he took office. Trump offered false promises to reverse that decline, when the best thing for the families and communities that rely on it for their livelihood is to prepare them for the future. Nevertheless, 69% of West Virginians voted for him in 2020.

Republicans and Democrats alike must find ways to deal with the huge segment of disaffected Americans that coalesced behind Trump. Make no mistake, he will keep them riled up after he leaves office, offering false promises to restore an America of the past. He will likely mount another campaign in 2024, meaning we could face a repeat of the current chaos in the electoral process.

Throughout its history, our country has been led by some remarkable public servants. Donald Trump’s leadership can only be described as public disservice. He leaves our country so bitterly divided that any healing seems years away. A pandemic continues to rage, with a large percentage of the populace refusing to acknowledge its danger, and our shattered economy will not recover until the pandemic is controlled. Meanwhile, our sitting president is busy pouting and doing everything he can sabotage the incoming administration and undermine the democratic process. Urging Trump to put the welfare of country first is pointless, because he is clearly incapable of doing that.