Rather than someone who removes trash, we have President Donald J. Trump (along with lots of help) who is trashing our country and it’s relationship to the world.
Although the courts are trying to pick up domestic trash, such as what Trump (with help from Musk) has done in trashing Federal departments, agencies, programs, staff, plus higher education, research, media, and the legal profession, there is also a level of international trashing that can have long term consequences.
What we have been witnessing in our country’s international relations sphere is a President who insults and belittles as one of his primary trashing methods - one he has honed well toward his perceived enemies in the US.
For those that are used to engaging in sports, consider the role of trash talking an opponent. What most coaches and seasoned athletes know is that if you want to motivate an opponent- even to the point of spite - engage in trash talk. There are multiple examples of coaches posting trashing comments made by opponents in the locker rooms to motivate their player(s). Those that think that trash talk is the way to intimidate or weaken are sorely mistaken.
Consider how well trash talk toward Canada worked. It resulted in Canadian voters electing a Liberal party which demonstrated that it would not take the trashing lying down. Unilaterally imposing tariffs plus Trump’s talk about making Canada a US state (thereby threatening Canada’s sovereignty) pushed enraged Canadians to put Mark Carney’s Liberal party into leadership. Prior to Trump’s bullying remarks and actions, the Liberal party was on the road to big losses to the conservative opposition.
We now see that tourism from Canada to the US is suffering as angry Canadians look elsewhere for their out of the country travels. Border crossings are down almost 20% as of March of this year and Air Canada reports a reduction in bookings to the US. The effect of just a 10% reduction in Canadians visiting the US can result in losing $2.1 billion in spending and the loss of 14,000 jobs.
The trashing approach, demonstrated through Trump’s tariffs on everyone in the world, similarly turned a slim margin for the center left party of Anthony Albanese in Australia into a landslide win over his conservative opponent. The voters were incensed about the prospects of damage to their cost of living by Trump’s bullying tariff actions. We can now expect their already close trading ties with China to increase and create a relationship that will greatly soften any Australian cooperation with the US against China.
Trash talking our NATO alliance plus imposing seemingly whimsical tariff policies on Europe has gotten Trump’s wish of less dependence on the US military as Europe prepares to go it alone - but at what price? Despite any polite diplomatic talk we may hear from the Europeans, inside reports indicate that Europeans are not just mystified but truly pissed about the path the US under Trump is on. They will not stand by idly.
For example, the European Union has created a new fund and long term funding to entice researchers and scientists to relocate there. Trump’s trashing of US higher education, specifically targeting foreign students, has opened the door for scientific competition that will result in transferring US leadership in scientific research and development out of the country. This is beyond opportunism taking advantage of US stupidity but into the realm of giving up on mutually beneficial advancement among allies.
At this point, even if the US revokes its unilateral tariff imposition on allies and behaves like a trusted military partner (or even as an adult in the room), it will be a long time before that trust needed to restore those relationships can be regained.
The world similarly watched in dismay as Trump (with help from Vance) belittled President Zelensky of war ravaged Ukraine in the oval office. Ukraine’s dependence on the US military aid notwithstanding, don’t think this will ever be forgotten - and not just by Ukraine.
Trump (mis)behaved similarly with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa bringing out false claims of white genocide in South Africa. In his typical lying showman fashion, Trump showed pictures of body bags alleged to be of white South Africans which were actually from the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Showing false photos and old videos unreflective of the current time, makes this not just sloppiness but plain old deception and intimidation.
Who in the world will want to stand by the US when it engages in this display of trashy Malevolence?
WLaurenceDoxsey,Retired,Former DirectorofOfficeofSustainability for City of San Antonio, former Environmental OfficerforUSDepartment of Housing and Urban Development, former Sustainability Officer for City of Austin, resides outside Medina.
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