America, Losing Respect

I WAS SURPRISED when I saw a post from one of my high school classmates on Facebook, because he is a far right wing extremist, and I rerely if ever see any conservative messages on my time line, or feed, or whatever you call it as you scroll,and scroll...My Facebook feed is beautifully spoon fed to please me, and includes some beautiful scenic photography, interesting news items, and a great deal of posts expressing hatred of our current president. One just never knows, however, what those algorythmic AI gods will decide to send one next. They often seem as arbiitrary and capricious as the god in the bible. The post said: "I can't believe that the United States has gone being the least respected to the most respected country in the world in only sixty five days!". That's exactly what it said, incredibly. I typed in: "nor should you..." In fact, this man, my lifelong friend, is highly intelligent, successful, and all that. But seemingly he is so deeply embedded withtin the Trump cult phenomenon that he actually believes what he tped and posted on Facebook, and that, arguably, is extremely alarming. Arguably, Donald Trump has done exactly the opposite; he has led the United States from its previous position of world respect to a postion of world contempt and disrespect. What, precisely, on god's green earth gives my friend, or anybody, the idea that in late April, 2025, the United States is a respected country anywhere outside its own borders? Have you spoken to a Canadian lately, or condescended to listen to one? Even more alarming about the post is that there is reason to believe that this is indicative of the attitude embraced by Trump supporters, Trump cult members generally. Thomas Jefferson famously said that he trembled for his country when he reflected that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever. We have reason to tremble today, when we behold handsome looking upper middle class white American families all wearing "Trump is God" T shirts, and when we realize that as many as seventy five million Americans probably firmly believe that because Trump became president, the United States became the most respected country on Earth (in only 65 days!), having previously been the least respected. Heaven only knows what else they believe. On Easter Sunday, Trump posted an Easter greeting to the nation on his social media site. In it he emphasized that his Easter well wishes were intended to include everyone, all Americans, including the radical left wing extremist lunatics who are trying to destroy the country by opposing his policies, and so on, and so on. Typical, mean, hateful, stupid Trump garbage. So needlessly negative and harmful. So much easier and better for the president to have merely wished all Americans a happy Eater, and to assure us all that he will always try to serve every American, not merely those who agree with his agenda. But Trump, of course, simply does not have good enough moral character or basic human decency for that. He just had to be angry and hateful, even on Easter, towards many of the people he was elected to serve. All over the world most people either laugh at Trump, or despise him, just like a majority of Americans do. That is the simple fact. And anywhere in the world where Trump is liked and admired, including the United States, those who do will through necessity carefully avoid morally and intellectually examining theselves, for fear of what they would see.