Two Brits offer their views of Donald Trump

The first from News Break and journal of a grumpy old man, via London Daily:

"Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace– all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief. 

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty... 

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down..."

More at the link.  

The second comes from Markus, a reader of TYWKIWDBI.  He offered these thoughts in the Comment section below, but I've boosted them up here to the body of the post for wider viewing.

"Here in the UK, politics is less polarised than in the US. My wife and I have voted for all three major parties over the years. We sometimes vote against each other. We even know people who think Brexit was a good idea. And, whilst it may spark discussion, it never causes a rift.

But no one in the UK or anywhere else outside America has ever said a good word to me about Donald Trump. No one. Not one word. Ever. Even the famously impartial BBC now routinely uses phrases such as "claimed, without supplying evidence, that", or quotes him and then flat-out contradicts him in the next sentence. The three subjects on which the BBC is not strictly impartial are climate-change denial, Covid-19 misinformation, and the utterances of Donald Trump -- all of them toxic.

The man is a jaw-dropping catastrophe. He's too stupid to know he's stupid. He listens to no one, understands nothing, tells transparent lies, and believes them himself. He's the Dunning-Kruger effect on legs. He's a blundering, racist, misogynistic bully. Every decision he makes is more damaging than the last. Walking away from the Paris agreement in the middle of a climate crisis? Defunding the WHO amid the worst pandemic in a century? *Really,* Mr President? And all that imbecilic name-calling! What is he, six years old?

Hear me well: Donald Trump is a worldwide laughing-stock. He is America's humiliation. He has destroyed your reputation, your moral leadership and your credibility. He squanders your allies' goodwill. His capriciousness makes him difficult and dangerous to deal with.

And, since he always craves worldwide attention, Trump sets a bad example of what leadership ought to be. The UK wouldn't have tolerated a Prime Minister so temperamentally unsuitable, as given to lying, gaffes, abuse of power and serial infidelity, as Boris Johnson, if Trump hadn't inured us to such appalling behaviour. Don't get me wrong -- I'd rather have Boris for a year than Trump for a day -- but no previous PM in my long lifetime has behaved the way Boris does, or would have got away with it.

Making America great again after Donald Trump will take decades, but it can be done. Start by booting out Trump as quickly as possible, by any legal means: in November if you must, earlier if you can. Tackle the partisanship that sees people shouting past each other, assuming the worst of each other, and treating even life-or-death decisions as political footballs. Slowly, with the right leadership, you'll regain your moral authority and your dignity, and the world will learn to trust you again."