Look upon Trump with ‘critical spirit’
HORACE CAMP’S article (21 February) seems to see Donald Trump as a genius of politics and negotiation. But behind this facade of ‘the bestest president’, the reality is far more worrying. As soon as he took office, Trump and his administration removed the words ‘women’ and ‘LGBTQIA+’ from government websites in an attempt to make these communities invisible. His administration has systematically rolled back women’s rights, including severely restricting access to abortion. But history has shown that banning abortion never prevents it, it just makes it more dangerous. Should we not all care about human rights? Or is it just a ‘woke’ concern?
As far as Ukraine is concerned, the so-called ‘deal’ he is supposed to have negotiated is nothing more than an attempt at a large-scale racket to sell off Ukrainian farmland to American investors. A disguised way of exploiting a country at war under the disguise of a negotiating ‘genius’. Far from being a representative democracy, the Trump administration functions as a meritocratic oligarchy in which only millionaires and members of the educated elite share power, completely out of touch with the reality of the majority of Americans.
Then there is the rise of the far right, which Trump has done much to encourage. Elon Musk himself, once seen as a visionary entrepreneur, now finds himself openly making gestures associated with Nazi ideology. Europe’s history has shown us where the normalisation of these ideologies leads and it’s hard not to be concerned about this drift.
To praise Trump without mentioning these facts is to forget the reality of his presidency – a policy based on disinformation, division and manipulation. A true genius, maybe, but above all in the art of rewriting history to his advantage. Perhaps we should look at Trump and his legacy with a more critical spirit, rather than celebrating him as the master of the ‘deal’. History will be the judge, but there is already plenty of evidence against him.
But after all, I’m just an educated, liberal woman. Please don’t come at me with pitchforks and flaming torches.
DELPHINE BONVIN