The ‘narcissistic arrogance’ of Trump
The forbidden words have finally been said: United States President Donald Trump “should be held to account by the whole world, including his own country, the USA,” because of the crisis he has brought to the entire world. These are daring words that should be echoed by leaders around the world.
The brave words were uttered by Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, who declared that “The Philippines is in crisis along with the rest of the world because President Trump’s brinkmanship did not work. In fact, it has boomeranged.” Lacson even had the audacity to call Trump the “leader of the free world,” who is infused with “narcissistic arrogance.” Lacson deserves commendation for calling out the American bully because everyone else seems afraid of Trump’s temper tantrums.
If American leaders remain fearful of impeaching Trump, and if national leaders are afraid of Trump’s propensity to retaliate with economic sanctions, leaders of other governmental bodies, sectoral groups, religious organizations, political parties, opinion makers, and other public personalities must voice a chorus of condemnation against Trump, and even against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Trump deserves the bigger blame because Netanyahu would not have had the boldness to launch the kind of attack that had been made on Iran if Trump did not give guarantees of full support.
The world must reverberate with denunciation against Trump; otherwise, he will continue to bring even more chaos and mayhem all over the world. Even while he was still dropping bombs on Iran, he was talking of invading Cuba next, after imposing a blockade on oil shipments to the latter, which is now indiscriminately causing severe hardship to that nation’s entire population. Under Trump, the US has continued to use heavy bombs dropped by US warplanes on merely suspected drug havens in South America, the most recent of which was in Ecuador. The rule of the barrel of a gun is replacing the rule of law under Trump.
The need for a worldwide rebuke against Trump is made even more imperative by the fact that Trump seems to live in an alternate reality. He is under the delusion that the US is now more respected by the world because of his actions. Trump has been quoted as saying: “We’re in a position we haven’t seen. We’re respected. You know, our country now is respected all over the world. A year and a half ago, we were a laughingstock.” In the gallery of the world’s rogue leaders, Trump has jumped over the line ahead of the likes of Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Because of Trump’s war in the oil-producing Middle East, the price of gasoline has more than doubled in our country, and it’s expected to climb higher if no peaceful resolution to the war is found soon. As a result, the cost of everything else has started rising and will continue to spiral because of Trump’s catastrophic conduct. The lives and employment of hundreds of thousands of overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East are in danger, together with workers from other Third World countries. Our government now has a massive headache because it has to summon resources and devise risky plans to repatriate our citizens who want or need to return home from the Middle East.
The economies of Middle Eastern countries are in tatters, and their reputation as stable financial and investment destinations has been ruined. Air travel to and from Asia and Europe has become severely limited and expensive because of risks in the layover destinations in the Middle East.
For the war that they started with Iran, the US and Israel have not gained any discernible advantage for themselves and for the world. Instead of gaining the world’s goodwill, the US and Israel have suffered serious reputational damage, no thanks to the many civilian deaths in Iran, especially the more than 100 children who were killed when their primary school was bombed. The world economy is on the brink of ruin. Iran appears to have garnered more sympathy compared to before it was attacked, while the US and Israel have reaped heavy scorn.
It may even be the case that the US/Israel attack has seriously set back the resolve of the Iranian people to topple their authoritarian government, which was already intensifying before Iran was attacked. The specter of a new government propped up and controlled by the US/Israel, which is competing with the Iranian regime in causing killings among the population on top of causing heavy damage to civilian infrastructure, may have somehow dampened eagerness for regime change.
Moreover, instead of making the world safer, the US and Israel have made the world far more dangerous. The fear, misery, uncertainty, and bleak future felt by the world are rightfully laid at the doorsteps of the US and Israel.
It’s not only Trump who should be made to wake up to the reality that the US is now viewed with revulsion and ridicule. Americans who continue to support Trump should be made aware that their country has become the laughingstock of the whole world because of the “narcissistic arrogance” of their leader.
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