US President Donald Trump is making history for all the wrong reasons.
For one, he can now claim to have the longest government shutdown, crossing 30 days, as a result of his bullheadedness to get $5.7 billion funding for his Great Wall of America.
The Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, leaders in the House of Representatives are opposing congressional funding for a border wall, while the Senate blocked a GOP-backed bill for funding as well.
The stand-off with Congress has not only affected 800,000 employees without pay, but also the President’s State of the Nation Address that may have to be postponed on Jan. 29 if the conflict remains unresolved.
Also, the shutdown is affecting the US economy, with experts projecting that each week of the shutdown results in a reduction in growth of 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points.
Based on surveys conducted, most Americans find the closure a “crisis,” or at least a “problem,” putting the blame on Trump for the impasse. The US President seems not to get it. The odds are against him if he continues to act like a CEO of a private company rather than as President of a democratic nation. It seems like the only voice he hears is his, rather than those of the people of the United States of America.
The idea of a wall defending a nation from invasion is archaic.
The Great Wall of China was meant to protect the empire from the Mongolians and other invaders. Yet, the Mongols regularly penetrated the Wall and, in 1279, Kublai Khan successfully defeated the Chinese and ruled China for a century.
A wall may be a reflection of the mindset of President Trump, one that is close-minded and afraid of other views. For isn’t it that when you place yourself inside an enclosure, you are actually imprisoning yourself from the rest of the world?
The American dream is but an illusion, created through decades of sloganeering and romanticized by Hollywood.
Look at the USA. It is a divided nation. It is a battle field where so many innocents die from mass shootings. It is a country where migrants live in uncertainty, if not fear. There is poverty in the USA, as there is discrimination. With Donald Trump as leader, the USA no longer stands as the protector of democracy.
Some of the presidents of the US faced great challenges in their time, but Trump has become THE challenge not just of the US, but also of the world. The situation reminds us of that song from “The Sound of Music,” updated for the US President: “How do you solve a problem like Donald?”