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“We have a little more than three years left, and three years for Trump is an eternity.” —President Donald J. Trump
An eternity is right. At last, something Trump and I can agree upon.
Initially, the term “Trump derangement syndrome” was coined to belittle those who reacted negatively to Trump’s policies. While not a recognized mental health condition, a psychotherapist has written an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal that notes his patients’ discussions regarding Trump focus not on his policies but rather on their “obsession, rage and dread.” And boy, howdy, do I know how they feel.
In the last 30 days, Trump called a female reporter “Piggy” and referred to another female reporter as “ugly, both inside and out.” We learned that an estimated 600,000 people have died due to Trump’s dismantling of USAID, two-thirds of them children. We learned the Department of War blew up a Venezuelan boat and then went back to kill two survivors clinging to wreckage.
Hardworking persons living in this country without legal permission but with no criminal history were placed in camps and then deported to developing countries that I had never previously heard of, but which are eager to accept our American dollars. To “combat crime,” Trump deployed National Guard troops without law enforcement training to assist law enforcement. One soldier was killed and another seriously injured. And speaking of crime, Trump pardoned the former president of Honduras who was convicted of operating a violent, drug-trafficking operation that imported cocaine to the United States and for which he was sentenced to 45 years.
Trump commuted the seven-year sentence of a convicted private equity CEO who raised $1.7 billion to fund a Ponzi-like scheme. The CEO served only 12 days of his sentence.
Six Democratic lawmakers released a video reminding troops they have no obligation to obey illegal orders (which is true). Via Truth Social, Trump claimed this was “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH” and recommended “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!!” The six have received numerous death threats.
Also, within this same 30-day period, Trump took to Truth Social late one night where, within five hours, he posted 160 times. In one post, he declared void President Biden’s executive orders, commutations and pardons. Such declarations via a social media post are of no legal significance but do raise questions of mental health.
So far, nearly a dozen Indiana lawmakers (mostly Republican) who do not support Trump’s demand to redistrict our congressional districts found themselves victims of swatting and/or threats after Trump hounded them on Truth Social. Trump also threatened federal funding to Indiana if it does not deliver as he demands.
Trump’s mental meltdown, his impulsivity, his incoherent speeches, his TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) approach, his dealings with Russia, Israel and our (now former?) allies, his falling asleep when he is on the national stage and his willingness to tell out-and-out lies to the American people do nothing to build my confidence that this man is going to improve as a leader. The rest of the world is laughing at us but at the same time scared of where Trump’s impulsivity might lead.
I am exhausted, angry and fearful. I can either step away and ignore Trump, or I can continue to vote and decry his wrongdoing. I choose the latter. Where we will stand three years from now, no one knows. But if you and I ignore Trump, in three years America may not be our America.
Trump is right. Three years is an eternity.•
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Celestino-Horseman is an Indianapolis attorney. Send comments to [email protected].
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