Under President Donald Trump, the United States’ reputation among nations of the world has dropped precipitously. Today’s America is no longer admired, respected, or looked up to by practically anyone.
Fear of the US has replaced positive feelings, as America’s vast military and economic power is used by an unprincipled, adventurist president as a cudgel against sovereign nations, often in violation of international law.
Under Trump, America has few friends left. Former allies are resetting relationships with the US, realigning economies for self-preservation, strengthening national defenses, and growing more united in response to a reckless, untrustworthy US. Adversaries such as Russia and China see Trump’s embracement of authoritarianism and disengagement from traditional allies as beneficial to their own strategic interests.
Countries in dire need are deprived of the financial aid America has provided for more than a century. Countries rich in natural resources or strategically located are potential targets for imperialism and exploitation. America’s underlying ethos in its interaction with any country is, “What’s in it for us?”
Trump’s America is selfish, greedy, shallow, bullying, cruel, and arrogant. Its own democracy in shambles, it ridicules the great democracies of Europe for being weak and insufficiently xenophobic, supporting European right-wing extremist factions that threaten those democracies. It turns a blind eye to human rights’ abuses in any country where it can make a buck.
Like Trump, today’s America lacks a moral compass, bereft of any principles to inform and guide its behavior. It is no longer a defender of democracy at home or abroad, a champion of women’s rights, an advocate for the poor, a safe haven for the oppressed, a vigorous foe of racial discrimination, or needless to say, a proponent of truth in government.
Instead, America follows the loathsome, morally bankrupt doctrine of “America First.” In practice, it has meant that America goes it alone, taking whatever it can get its rapacious hands on and the rest of the world be damned.
Not only is “America First” a selfish, cynical worldview, it is stupid. It fails to recognize that America’s great historical success has relied to a great extent on its use of soft power in support of other countries.
An America that functions not only for its own good but for the good of all nations accrues universal goodwill, has made America the leader of the free world, created steadfast universal partners, and prospered. The Trump “America First” doctrine is creating a widely despised, weakened America at odds with even its closest allies, its international influence reduced to saber-rattling adventurism.
Rather than a nation to emulate, Trump’s America is seen by citizens of strong democratic countries as a troubled nation. They are puzzled that the American people would make the mistake of electing Trump a second time and have no confidence in Trump doing the right thing regarding world affairs.
Unlike their own countries, they see an America so beset by gun violence that foreign tourists avoid it for their safety. They see a country with a broken, outrageously expensive health-care system, leaving over 27 million Americans uninsured. They see a country that does nothing to address catastrophic climate change like their countries are doing and exacerbates the problem by relying more heavily on fossil fuels.
Unlike their own countries, they see America’s once esteemed democracy crumbling under the weight of an anti-democratic, autocratic president, a feckless Congress that bows to his will, and a Supreme Court that has ruled the president above the law. They justifiably see their own countries as superior in many ways and are increasingly dismissive of America aside from their trepidation over the existential threat that it increasingly poses.
Under Trump’s presidency, America is on a road to self-destruction, the moral rot at the core of Trumpism infecting the country. Of course, Trump doesn’t care if he drags the country down with him. There are always others to lay the blame on and a deluge of monstrous lies to bury the truth.
In the midterm elections, US citizens have the opportunity to send a powerful message to the world that Trump’s America isn’t our America and that we abhor what he and his spineless allies are doing to the country. We can use the power of the ballot to halt Trump’s assault on democracy and then begin the task of rebuilding America’s democracy and restoring our shattered relationships with our global partners.
- Tom Tyner is a freelance editorialist, satirist, political analyst, blogger, author and retired English instructor.
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