04 August 2020

Two Brits offer their views of Donald Trump

"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."

12 comments:

  1. The majority of Americans feel the same way about him. It's why he lost the people's vote four years ago. It's why he will not win reelection without cheating again. The majority of Americans do not support him, and never have.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That such a man like Trump can become President doesn't speak well of American people. I fear that decades of general 'dumbing-down' in that society has started having an impact and Trump is one of the first results.

    ReplyDelete
  3. For better or worse, Trump is a pit bull. His outlook on US interests is simple, but that's not necessarily a bad thing when sophistication results in bad policy (Obama's appeasement of Iran, powerlessness against Russian aggression in Ukraine, retreat from Chinese expansion, etc.) He would make a bad prime minister of a nondescript European country, but as president of the most power nation of the world, being a bully gives him a talent for effectively using US arms to influence belligerents. We're the most powerful country in the world, and that demands a certain willingness to act like it, or risk hostile nations not taking us seriously.

    As for his "lack of humor", that's demonstrably false. The man is a long-time entertainer, he knows how to make a good joke. Ignore this truth at your peril.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can you point to an example of his humor that's not at someone's else expense?

      Delete
    2. I don't really care if it's not at someone else's expense. If he's insulting someone, it's either a politician or reporter that's being aggressive against him. I'm fine with that.

      Delete
    3. Not only is he humorless but he never laughs. Never. Very strange. Not even a chuckle.

      Delete
  4. Trump really does represent the worst of America. He was born into wealth which has given him considerable advantages in spite of his considerable weaknesses. Having been given money caused too many people to assume he was gifted, and it's allowed him to beg, buy, and lie his way out of everything from bankruptcies to felonies.
    And he really does lack any sense of humor. Again the fact that he's supposedly accumulated great wealth leads people to believe he's some kind of great entertainer, when really he can only play one character: himself, and it's a very shallow character at that.
    Most of the world recognizes it, and, fortunately, most Americans recognize it too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Extraordinarily well said, Markus. I've taken the liberty of moving your comment in toto up to the body of the post so that more readers will see it.

      Delete
  6. He's likely to still get 40% of the vote in November, maybe more if Biden actually campaigns. I fear for the nation.

    ReplyDelete
  7. A very minor note: the first quote is from Nate White, a British writer and was published first in April in Newsbreak:

    https://www.newsbreak.com/news/1563157579734/british-writer-pens-the-best-description-of-trump-ive-read

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, pambamboo. I've amended the credit accordingly (found another "source" same day, can't tell which is primary)

      Delete