Recently, in Helsinki, Finland, President Donald Trump, while sharing a stage with the infamous Russian president Vladimir Putin, and before a global audience, denounced reports of ongoing Russian meddling in America’s presidential elections from 2016 to current. These reports stem from extensive investigations by America’s CIA, FBI and the American Justice Department. All of which not only serve the American public, but these agencies also serve at the pleasure and appointment of the United States president. Additionally, as President Trump shared the platform in Finland with Putin he did so having received a briefing from the Justice Department three days prior to the Helsinki Trump/Putin press conference. In the briefing, Justice Department head Rod Rosenstein informed President Trump of the coming indictments of 12 additional Russian co-conspirators who apparently began hacking the Democratic National Convention emails on July 28, 2016. Interestingly enough, according to published reports by CNN and The New York Times at a presidential rally, Donald Trump stated the following, “ Russia, if you’re listening, please find the 30,000 emails from Hillary Clinton. If you do so, the American media will reward you mightily.” So the alleged hacking followed Trump’s call for the Russians to do so.
All of this adds credence to American and global notions that Trump has abandoned even the semblance of traditional US presidential commitment to democracy. Donald Trump’s outrageous comments and conduct in Helsinki, Finland, could easily be seen as treason against the American society he is sworn to protect. At the very least, President Trump should be charged with what I call indecent global fraternization with foreign enemies, for his continuous denial of the mounting reports of Russian intrusion in the American political process. And in doing so, Trump has levied an assault on the American brand and system of democracy, which is unprecedented in the modern era of the U.S.
President Trump has almost single handedly changed the picture of American democracy around the world from Ronald Reagan’s “shining city on a hill” to a banner of intolerance and racial graffiti consisting of a Putin-protecting, Muslim-banning, Charlottesville-white-supremacist-supporting, immigrant-family-separating portrait where lying from the top has not only become tolerable, but expected by 45 percent of the country. One could argue that President Trump is intentionally seeking to uproot American democracy, its values and reputation around the world. Based on Donald Trump’s conduct, it is not a stretch to assert that building a stronger American democracy is not his major goal or priority. Beyond that, it can be argued that there must be some unknown truths fueling President Trump’s willingness to walk in an about face from all traditions and attempts to uplift American democracy before now. What might those motivations be? What would make a U.S. president so willing to attack the decency of the very democracy whose practices allowed for the migration of his parents to America, as well as the current first lady? In order to address these questions, I believe a couple of realities should be understood about Donald Trump’s pre-presidency and Donald Trump now.
Some believe Trump’s assault against American democracy is in part, fueled by efforts of retaliation for being shunned by exclusive clubs of privilege in the U.S. For example, according Sports Illustrated, “ in the late 80s the NFL denied Trump entry into its prestigious ownership fraternity, leaving his hopes for pro football team ownership options only at the fledgling upstart USFL (United States Football League).” After just two seasons of taking on the American sports giant NFL, the USFL folded, causing many in America to see Trump as an embarrassing financial joke. A perception that many believe Trump was never able to shake psychologically. Did this lead to his present day assault on NFL player protests, an act of democracy by U.S. citizens, which he misconstrues as protest of the American flag, and not about injustice, police brutality and U.S. racism? At any rate, to call any person exercising their democratic right to protest the national anthem or police brutality a group of “sons of bitches” is certainly an assault on American democracy.
A second exclusive club of privilege which possibly soured Trump on the notion of American democracy as great could have been spawned from the American banking system’s response to Trump’s $1.2 billion Atlantic City Taj Mahal failure. In short, once the gigantic effort fell short as a business venture American banks refused to loan the four-time bankruptcy real estate tycoon bailout money. Coming to Trump’s rescue were Chinese and Russian investors along with Germany’s Deutsche Bank. These helping hands from across the globe may also give us clearer understanding as to why Trump consistently displays unfailing loyalty to China and Russian leadership regardless to their conduct in their countries relative to human rights or against American people and American interests.
Whatever the case, it is clear, American democracy has become a strange bedfellow to America’s president. What a paradox, the leader of the free world bound by his distortion of democracy!
