It was staged to be a campaign event, but became a comedy of ineptitude, and ended as another great embarrassment for the orange man. Friday evening, July 3rd, Trump stood below Mt. Rushmore with the faces of real presidents looking down at him in disgust.
On the day when we celebrate our independence from England, former presidents spoke about the attributes which make our nation respected and revered around the world. Trump did not do that, because while he has been in the White House our nation’s stature in the world is in decline. So he spoke as himself, a clown without a sense of humor. He attacked everyone in America with the exception of his cult and his puppets in congress. He made an obvious effort to increase the division within our country. The evening was nothing more than another of his hate rallies. Pitiful.
His speech attacked the protests which continue around our nation, calling them “leftist thugs.” His obvious hatred for the first amendment continues to prove that he is not an American president.
Trump again reinforced his support for white supremacy by denouncing the removal of statues honoring Confederate leaders. He expressed his loyalty to men who fought a war to retain their “right” to own other human beings.
“Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities.”
America’s greatest strength is its diversity. When I was in elementary school in the 1950’s we learned to respect and cherish the fact that our country is a nation of immigrants. We learned to be proud citizens of the United States, but to also be aware that we are all ‘citizens of the world.’ Ours was a nation of understanding, compassion, and acceptance. As we stood each morning to recite the “Pledge of Allegiance” I felt a ‘rush’ inside.
The man who illegitimately claims to be our president today does not live in my America. His hatred for everyone who is not white, and all men and women who disagree with his twisted and vile vision of Trump’s America is at the center of everything he says and tweets.
“The violent mayhem we have seen in the streets and cities that are run by liberal Democrats in every case is the predictable result of years of extreme indoctrination and bias in education, journalism, and other cultural institutions.”
His lies and outrageous disrespect for America continued.
“Our children are taught in school to hate their own country and to believe that the men and women who built it were not heroes, but that were villains.”
Trump had the audacity to call liberals “fascists.” His entire philosophy is based on fascism. “America First;” attacking the free press; rejecting the first amendment; refusing to serve any American who does not worship him; these and many more words and actions from the would-be autocrat explain why he is following the 1930’s playbook of Adolf Hitler, and why he is loyal to Vladimir Putin, Mohammad bin Salman, and Kim Jong-un.
Friday was a sad day for America. Your illegitimate president attacked the principles of our founding fathers, and every real American who opposes his destructive and anti-American presidency. You must vote on November 3rd.
Op-ed by James Turnage
My eight novels, including “The Holiday Killer,” are available on Amazon’s free Kindle app
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