A First Report Card #320
By Hank Silverberg
I started teaching a new semester the day after Donald J Trump became president again. I don't have any graded assignments for my students for the first two weeks so they can get accustomed to my class. So I needed someone to evaluate.
The new President seemed ripe for that. Donald J Trump gets an F for his first week in the big oval office.
A list of his subjects:
International Relations: F
He has alienated our allies in Europe by withdrawing from the Paris Climate Change treaty (again). and basically saying climate change is not important to the planet.
He tried to intimidate the Prime Minister of Denmark into selling Greenland to the United States in what has been described as a fiery 45 minute phone call. The Premier, Mette Frederiksen, perhaps conjuring up his Viking ancestors, said "NO" to Trump, showing more guts than any Republican in the U.S. Senate.
Trump also threatened Panama over the canal, saying he would negate the 1999 treaty which gave the canal and surrounding zone back to Panama. The agreement has no provision for that.
Political Science 101 F
Trump has decided to withdraw 20,000 U.S. Troops from Europe, which will weaken a NATO alliance that has been keeping the world balanced since 1949. That's about a third of our forces in Europe.(Currently 65,000). Stars and Stripes reports among the target for the cuts are two tank brigades on NATO'S Eastern flank which have been a "linchpin of allied deterrence" since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014.
The decision likely has Vladimir Putin and the folks in the Kremlin jumping for joy.
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2025-01-24/trump-europe-troop-cuts-16590074.html
Economics 101 F
Mr. Trump continues to threaten two of our biggest trading partners and our closest neighbors, Canada and Mexico with tariffs as high as 25%. This would likely raise the price for American consumers on everything from avocados to automobiles, not to mention spark retaliatory tariffs on American goods sold abroad. And just to show how stupid this approach is. He only wants a 10% tariffs on China, our biggest economic and political rival.
Constitutional Law 102 F
Trump signed an executive order eliminating "birthright citizenship". It's the promise that anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically an American Citizen. It's in the Section one of 14th Amendment which dates back to 1868.
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/14th-amendment
Of course there was an immediate legal challenge and a federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked the order as "blatantly unconstitutional". I suspect on appeal, the U.S. Supreme Court will soon do the same thing
Interpersonal Relations 102 F
Mr. Trump reacted sharply and un-presidential, asking for an apology from Episcopal Bishop Rev Mariann Budde. The Bishop, referring to immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, had simply said during a National Prayer gathering in Washington with Trump in attendance:
"You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our god, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now".
The Bishop had most of the country asking "What would Jesus do?"
Trump called that "nasty in tone and not compelling or smart" criticizing the Bishop as a "radical left, hard line Trump hater."
So far Trump's GPA is an F all around. Let's see what he does the rest of the semester.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5103756-trump-denounces-bishop-budde-mercy-plea/
News You May Have Missed!
All those Palestinian and Arab Americans who voted for Trump because they didn't like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's careful approach on the Gaza/Israeli war may have regrets now.
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| (Courtesy Univ. of Texas) |
He told reporters on Air Force One while traveling on Saturday that "you're talking about a million and a half people, we can just clean out the whole thing. You know over the centuries it's had many many conflicts. And I don't know, something has to happen."
His general lack of understanding of middle east politics is obvious not to mention his reference to ethnic cleansing. King Abdullah said no, of course. His father fought a war with the PLO in 1970 to keep them out of Jordon. Egypt gave up sovereignty over the Gaza strip after the 1967 war with Israel, to avoid absorbing Palestinian refugees into the rest of their country. Most Arab countries don't care about the Palestinians. They never have. The economies of Egypt and Jordan are both fragile and it's unlikely they will do anything to help the people of Gaza.
Trump has also released hold on 2,000 pound bombs that the Biden administration had withheld from Israel over concerns about the civilian death toll in Gaza.
Dumbest Quote of the Week!
This week's dumbest quote goes to Fox News Pundit Jesse Watters. For some reason his network decided to show a clip of former Vice- President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff shopping for groceries. I guess it was a jab at Harris now back to being a normal person after her years as Vice President and Presidential candidate. After pointing that out Watters went on to say:
"What kind of husband goes grocery shopping with his wife?"
I guess he thought that was a dig at Harris and her husband.
Trouble is Mr. Watters...a GOOD husband, who has a STABLE marriage goes to the supermarket with his wife whenever he can. I have done it for 42 years of marriage. For normal people it's a good way to keep track of the family budget, and spend some time together. Watters IS married for the second time. Not casting judgement, but his first marriage lasted just 9 years. Maybe he should have gone shopping with his first wife a few times. But he did once write a book called How I Saved the World, so you can see where he is coming from.
(You suggestions and comments are welcome)
My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at: HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796
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