2024 Update on Trump
I wrote the linked piece almost eight years ago, as it became clear that Trump would be the GOP nominee in 2016.
At that time, I had no idea how vile and dangerous he is.
I didn’t call him evil then; I just outlined his lack of character and integrity. As president, he proved to be evil. He didn’t grow into the office; he lessened it.
He proved treasonous. He normalized lies, normalized denying the truth, and encouraged hating neighbors (and anyone who refused to worship him personally). He often gave license to followers to embrace their worst impulses when a leader would encourage the opposite. He pulled people further from religious and societal examples and norms that had long provided behavioral guardrails.
Besides his terrible character flaws and the impact that example had on our country he lessened our position in the world, he abandoned allies, he isolated America. He embraced and idolized dictators, despots, and thugs. He increased the national debt more than any other president (and was already on track to be one of the worst before the pandemic).
Finally, he failed to acknowledge defeat and participate in the peaceful transfer of power. He tried to subvert democratic principles. He incited a riot and an attack on the institutions of our country that have long made it the leader of the free world. He made us less that leader.
He shot evil into the arms of America and poisoned the body. In 2024, we have a choice again; it appears many are ready to say that all of this is OK, or even good because the other guy is a liberal.
Biden is too old to be president. It is dangerous to have people with presidential power who are subject to the ailments of age that he and Trump both are. We should have a cap on age for the presidency. Biden is way too liberal for my liking from a policy perspective. I disagree with Biden’s party on almost all of its positions, except where it has adopted formerly conservative positions of supporting our allies and promoting freedom and democracy in the world.
In 2024 I will support Biden over Trump wholeheartedly. It is a race between an evil character and an old liberal one, this is an easy choice for me.
