My view of the United States up to 2025 was that we are a reliable, peaceful, democratic country. Let's take each of those separately to see what has changed.
RELIABILITY
The United States was seen as a reliable trading partner by most countries. Canada, our largest trading partner, is now starting a boycott of our products. Trump's 25% on-again, off-again tariff threat has forced Canada to look elsewhere for trading partners, and retaliate against US tariffs. This is not how reliable trading partners act.
The United States was seen as an ally against foreign threats by many countries. Now, WE are the threat against Canada, Panama, Greenland, and Gaza. Trump has threatened to literally take over each of those countries, and has not ruled out military force to do it. Ukraine felt secure in it's relationship with the United States after it was invaded by Russia. Now the United States is switching sides in that war.
PEACEFUL
President Trump has threatened to take over Canada, Panama, Greenland, and Gaza. He has not ruled out military methods to achieve this. Each rationalization for these takeovers is ridiculous. How are we a peace-loving country when we threaten to go to war with our close allies?
There is a thing called “soft power” that Trump does not even seem to know about. This is where a country's actions and reputation show it to be a helpful, peaceful partner. Countries react to soft power by becoming faithful partners. Trump's only method of communication with other countries seems to be threatening either monetary or military actions.
DEMOCRATIC
Our Constitution splits federal power into Judicial, Legislative, and Executive branches, where each has its own sphere of authority. Each can also serve as a check on the power of the other branches. Trump has completely obliterated this Constitutional system by ramrodding through his own plans and ignoring any idea of shared power. His apparent goal is to dismantle or at least severely damage the agencies that Congress has set up to deal with national problems and issues. Congress, meanwhile, has acquiesced to Trump's destructive actions and ignored it's role in deciding what our tax dollars are spent on.
So now, after just a few short weeks, the United States government is no longer reliable, peaceful, nor democratic, to other countries AND to its own citizens. The citizens are taking to the streets to protest this. But Congress, the branch of government with actual checking powers over the Executive branch, sits submissively as its own creations are dismantled. Why? What strange magic keeps Congress asleep at the wheel? What will this mean for the future of Legislative power? Will we have a king again? I worry.
