Trumpism, It's Own Pandemic.

    The world forever changed on Friday, January 20th 2017. It was the day the supposed shining beacon of democracy was drastically reduced beginning what was to be a four year sideshow on a dreary rain soaked evening. The county's leadership was turned over to a failed real estate mogul, reality. t.v.castoff, sexist, xenophobic charlatan named Donald Trump. With the help of certain foreign adversaries, those last four years have been nothing short of a calamitous disaster. Donald J. Trump, only in America was chosen to rescue Washington DC from the languishing economic and bureaucratic swamp it had certainly become. 

    Donald got to work quickly, using his executive powers to pass anti immigration, anti muslim orders. Shortly after entering the white house he extended tax breaks for the ultra wealthy which to many educated onlookers was bound to happen sooner rather than later. Jobs, seemingly were plentiful. By June, 2018 the national unemployment rate dropped to a miniscule 3.8 %. The stock market, which became a daily obsession for Trump was doing well in large part due to his billionaire tax breaks. Trump soon realized a strong economy could be an easy path to reelection. Despite lowering  salaries, and extreme raises in the price of living (especially in the inner cities) America seemed to be headed where most politicians were hoping, a capitalist utopia run by billionaires.

    Trumpism's most consequential impact surely will end up being the three supreme court seats he was able to fill whilst in office. Neil Gorsuch, a corporate loving, heavily partisan yes man came first. Second, and even more shocking was his next choice, womanizer Brett Kavanaugh whom other than Trump himself reached the pinnacle of government despite their borderline criminal behavior towards women. Amy Barrett was the conservative icing on the cake. Her anti abortion, anti anything progressive fit right in with the previous gruesome twosome. Of all of Trumps escapades in office his ability to select three supreme court justices will have the most damaging and lasting effect of his time in office.

  Donald Trump's legacy, besides the obvious failure to contain covid-19 and the hundreds of thousands of deaths that came with it could actually be the rampant spread of nationalism. And it's not just the spread domestically but how Trumpism has spread through at least 5 other continents. Anti pluralism, anti immigration and xenophobia has spread through other countries like a wildfire. Starting in Europe, leaders from Hungary, Austria, and Poland to name a few has taken Trump's lead with their ultra nationalistic approaches to governing. Viktor Orban of Hungary, is perhaps the most disgusting example of this extension of ultra nationalism. Orban's shameless use of international tragedies, including the refugee crisis from Syria and Iraq, as well as the covid-19 epidemic to eliminate previous laws defined to harbor hungarians from living in a full fledged dictatorship. Sebastian Kurz of Austria, is a younger and slightly less autocratic leader of the movement. Underneath his youthful looks and charisma he's a hardcore white nationalist. Since coming to power in 2017 as Chancellor, he's help enact several laws ranging from anti muslim, anti gay marriage, and suppression of press freedoms. Even though Kurz is almost 40 years younger than Trump, their similarities in governing are quite striking. 

    The Trumpist movement has also spread to South America's largest country Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro has made it his objective to sell off millions of acres of the Amazon rain forest to various industrialists. These damaging deals have accelerated the destruction of precious lands previously set aside for wildlife and indigenous peoples. His catastrophic leadership through covid nearly got him thrown out of office, but he survived the coup attempt and still runs Brazil currently. We next look at Narendra Modi, president of India and extreme anti Muslim, radically pro hindu autocrat. He has all but eliminated any autonomy in kashmir Jammu the mountainous region between Pakistan and India helping incite several armed skirmishes between pro Indian forces and Muslim militia. Besides his dreams of somehow deporting or by any other means making 182 million muslims disappear to create a Hindu paradise. He's also allowed the industrial sector to pollute the Earth worse then any other nation on the planet. Finally, Rodrigo Duturte of the Phillipines is another example of one of Donald Trumps authoritarian bromances. He's taken Trumpism to new murderous heights. Duturtes war on drugs, unlike america's war on drugs which was more symbolic, with draconian laws meant to put users and dealers in jail for astronomical sentences Duturtes war was driven by actual violence. Since his announcement to rid the island nation of the scourge of drugs, tens of thousands of suspected drug users, and dealers were gunned down in the street by duturtes henchmen without much of questioning let alone fair trials. 

   Without mention of the autocrat trio of Putin, jinping, and Erdogan who were already set in lifetime terms of power before Trump entered office. The idea of Trumpism is alive and in this writers opinion will remain a stronge ethos on the political landscape for years to come. Both nationally and globally many liberal, progressive Democrats as well as traditional Republicans are hoping Trumpism will have a short shelf life. Because in reality the Trump years generally have been disasterous. Foreign policy mishaps i.e failed north korean diplomacy, tariffs levied on china as well as shockingly Canadian steel were both deemed epic failures. Pro Israel policies that go against all international law, including the annexation of the Golan heights, moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and promoting illegal settlements all over Palestinian territory in the west bank all happened on Trump's watch. Still, after all of Trumps poor leadership, posterity will remember most his inaction and late reaction to the covid 19 virus which has killed a quarter of a million US citizens up to this point. Trumpism is a disease and it's ideals are contagious. The only way to stop the spread is too make it's components and proponents disappear via peaceful protests, and democratic elections.