Since he entered the presidential campaign in June 2015, Donald Trump repeatedly has made outrageous statements. His fantastic assertions have become so numerous that Americans may become inured to them. But Americans should not be, particularly regarding what the president said over the weekend.
In an interview with Bill O’Reilly, President Trump talked about Vladimir Putin. When O’Reilly remarked that Putin was a “killer,” Trump replied that the United States has “a lot of killers. Well, you think our country is so innocent?”
That kind of statement is astounding. Presidents do not make such statements. They are the province of extremist conspiracy theorists who cannot distinguish between good and bad governments because they see all governments as bad.
Moreover, Trump’s statement is a fabrication. There is no moral equivalency between the U.S. and Russia. Under Putin, Russia has invaded Crimea, Georgia and the Ukraine. It has sought to upset governments on its borders. It has even attempted to disturb a U.S. election. Under Putin, civil liberties are words, not rights.
Even worse, Vladimir Putin is a vicious killer. He brutally suppressed an independence movement in Chechnya. He has financed wars in Georgia and Ukraine. He supported a bloody dictator in Syria and has helped him remain in power despite widespread condemnation across the world. In Syria, Russian bombers, at Putin’s orders, continuously bombed innocent civilians. In his own nation, he has repeatedly ordered the deaths of opponents.
Not only is Trump’s assertion untrue, it is a slap in the face of those who serve the nation. Who are the “killers” Trump is referring to? Is it the U.S. military who fights for the nation in foreign wars? Is it intelligence agents who work undercover for U.S. interests? Is it a military enlisted person who pushes a button to launch a drone strike against a terrorist camp in the Middle East? How can a president be so disdainful of those who put on the uniform of the United States and are ordered to kill, and then listen to the commander in chief put their work at the same level of that of a murderous dictator?
Yet, where are the Republicans who were so critical of President Barack Obama? When Obama visited the Middle East and talked about mistaken Middle Eastern policy, critics of Obama lambasted the president for making an “apology” tour. However, Obama never equated the United States with ruthless dictatorships. There is a huge gap between admitting the United States has made mistakes in the Arab world and suggesting the United States government is the moral equivalent of the Russian government under Putin as Trump has done. Republicans who criticized Obama should be out front with censure of President Trump for calling U.S. agents “killers” in the same vein as Vladimir Putin.
It is amazing how quickly Donald Trump jumps to the defense of a dictator. Why does he feel compelled to do that? Others in his administration, including the vice president and the U.N. ambassador to the United Nations, understand the threat that Russia poses to the United States. Yet the president does not get it.
Putin must be delighted by the turn of events. At a time when Russia is seeking to become a major player on the world scene, the new American president is turning inward to “America First,” and offering a vacuum for Russia to fill. Then, when Trump does think about Russia, he refuses to acknowledge who Putin is and the threat he is to all the United States stands for.
Along with his Muslim ban, idiotic battle with Mexico over his claim to force Mexico to pay for a wall, and lack of support for NATO and America’s longtime allies, President Trump once again has demonstrated that he is not fit to represent the United States, much less be a world leader. Alarmingly, the gravest threat to the U.S. retaining its pre-eminence in world affairs sits in the Oval Office. When will Americans realize the damage our new president is doing to our country’s standing in the world?