It is without question, and quite obvious, that I extremely detest Donald Trump. Since the launch of his campaign in June 2015 to today, months into his presidency, he and his administration have done nothing but fail. They do not even care to protect and respect the rights of millions of Americans. From the thoughtless comments on Mexican immigrants being rapists to “grabbing women by the p----“, and even having the audacity to equate people fighting white supremacy to white supremacists themselves.
If I had to list off every disgraceful and moronic thing the Trump administration has said, then this article would be much longer.
But more recently, we have seen the president do something unimaginable as commander-in-chief, and that is disgrace the legacy and next of kin of a decorated soldier, Sgt. La David Johnson, who lost his life in an ambush in Niger on October 4, 2017. Trump allegedly said to the deceased’s widow that “he knew what he signed up for...but when it happens it hurts anyway”.
As anyone who has followed the very least of U.S. politics in the past two years can recall, Donald Trump has done nothing but say controversial thing after controversial thing without any indication or urgency to be held accountable for it by major leaders.
So, my question is after hearing everything the president has said, is:
What if Barack Obama said or did anything that Trump had said or done?
First and foremost, let me explain what causes me to ask to question. Over the course of his presidency, the right-wing media have rapidly gone after Barack Obama with nothing but spite and false conspiracy theories. Whether it be the lies that he was born in Kenya and a Muslim or that he was the antichrist coming to take peoples’ guns, President Obama faced an unprecedented amount of slander simply because of the color of his skin.
With that being said, stop and think what would happen if Barack Obama did even one thing that Trump has done.
What if Obama disgraced a fallen soldier or their widow? What if Obama allegedly took money from Russian nationals that effectively aided him in getting elected? What if Obama said he wanted to grope women’s’ genitals? The answer to this is that Obama would have been impeached on the day he took office.
Yet despite the things that he actually did and Obama had never done, Donald Trump has yet to receive the same amount of criticism that his predecessor had received. His supposed love for the country has never been questioned by the same people who questioned Obama’s love simply because he didn't happen to salute a Marine as he boarded Air Force One. He’s managed to get in Lord knows how many rounds of golf and Twitter tantrums while people starve in Puerto Rico and a woman is grieving over the loss of her husband. Obama was virtually burned at the stake for golfing during a time of peace. Trump has signed executive orders that have essentially banned people of a certain faith from entering the United States, yet Obama signed executive orders and was called an “authoritarian” and a "king".
Donald Trump’s ability to get away with the incompetence he’s shown for over two years is the definition of white privilege.
It shows that America will burn a black man at the stake for wearing a tan suit yet dismiss sexually assaulting women as “locker room talk”. White privilege has manifested a culture of ignorance that has created Donald Trump. It’s obvious when you look at Fox News continue to kiss up to Trump, and it’s obvious when his supporters calling criticism against him a “witch hunt”.
In short, Donald Trump gets away with whatever bile comes out of his mouth because he is white. Racism, ignorance, and manipulation have found a new home in the White House because of a man who perpetuates all three of these vices. The reason I urge everyone to ask themselves what if Barack Obama did or say anything that Donald Trump has said is because it breaks one free of Trump’s manipulation; he stirs the pot and garners attention for himself so we perceive it as normal.
Well, this is NOT normal. How do I know? No president, or any leader for that matter, has ever maintained a position so far as Trump had. The Trump administration must be held accountable for its moronic behavior, no matter how long it must take.