Trump's Idiotic Statements on Climate Change and America's Diminished Standing in the World
Trump supporters hate it when the media points out that the President is a dolt who should not be allowed to make public statements that ostensibly represent the views of most Americans, or any Americans for that matter. But it's not that CNN or the Times suggests that he is a moron, they simply report what he says...verbatim. Folks around the world then read it and say, "my lord, the United States is being run by a halfwit."
Case in point, yesterday in the UK the President was questioned at length during several interviews about his stance on climate change after Prince Charles spent more than an hour trying to convince him of the threat.
The Guardian: "He [Trump] said: “I did say, ‘Well, the United States right now has among the cleanest climates there are based on all statistics.’ And it’s even getting better because I agree with that we want the best water, the cleanest water. It’s crystal clean, has to be crystal clean clear."
”Trump added: “China, India, Russia, many other nations, they have not very good air, not very good water, and the sense of pollution. If you go to certain cities … you can’t even breathe, and now that air is going up … They don’t do the responsibility.”
Even if you forgive the garbled, childish syntax, what in god's name is he talking about? And it's not like he has taken any positive steps to address air or water pollution either. But, he wasn't done.
The Guardian: "Asked by Piers Morgan if he accepted the science on climate change, Trump said: “I believe there’s a change in weather, and I think it changes both ways. Don’t forget, it used to be called global warming, that wasn’t working, then it was called climate change. Now it’s actually called extreme weather, because with extreme weather you can’t miss.”
Of course, the question with Donald Trump is whether he believes any of this foolishness. But, if it's just another of the President's lies, one would think he would get some advise about how to make it seem more plausible. And, the President has a long history of silly climate change positions. and his grasp of science is a bit shaky generally.
In any case, his statements yesterday sound like piteous stupidity to just about any middle-schooler across the globe and demonstrate America's failure to take a leadership role on one of the great global challenges of the 21st century. And this has consequences for our nation's global image. It's no coincidence that America's standing in the world has plunged under Donald Trump.
Pew Research Center: "America’s global image plummeted following the election of President Donald Trump, amid widespread opposition to his administration’s policies and a widely shared lack of confidence in his leadership. Now, as the second anniversary of Trump’s election approaches, a new 25-nation Pew Research Center survey finds that Trump’s international image remains poor, while ratings for the United States are much lower than during Barack Obama’s presidency."
Of course, this is not just because Trump sounds like a nitwit whenever he opens his mouth; recent research and polling data show that many also oppose his immigration, trade and foreign policies. and his autocratic tendencies.
US News: "The Gallup poll results are the latest in a long series of studies showing a diminished view of the U.S. and a perceived weakening of democratic institutions in the country since Donald Trump assumed the presidency in January 2017. Earlier this year the 2019 Best Countries rankings, a global survey of more than 20,000 people, found that the world's level of trust in America had declined for the third consecutive year."
So, does it matter that fewer people like, trust and respect the United States? The "America First" crowd that supports the President would argue that it's better that they fear us, but is that true in a globalized, interconnected world? The vast majority of foreign policy experts disagree.
Foreign Policy: An overwhelming majority [77.6%] of international relations scholars surveyed in our snap poll said that the United States is less respected internationally today than in the past. Of those respondents, a resounding 99 percent agree that this loss of respect is a problem for the United States.
In the 21st century "hard power" and "bullying" has its limits as we have learned in the Middle East and elsewhere, and much more is achieved through negotiations and consensus like the Paris Climate Accord and the Iran nuclear agreement [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]. America's loss of prestige, respect and trust under Trump will haunt us for years to come.
By: Don Lam & Curated Content
Protest against visit of President Donald Trump to Scotland Held at George Square, Glasgow on 13 July 2018
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