By Serge Brosseau
I recently watched the movie “Reagan” with some friends at a local theater. It is based on the book, The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism.
We follow former KGB agent Viktor Petrovich, played by Jon Voight, recounting and commenting on the life of the 40th president to a young Russian agent. Dennis Quaid plays Reagan in a convincing way. I find that actors do well when they have affection for the characters they play, and clearly, this is the case here. The love story between Ronald and Nancy brings also a romantic touch to the narrative.
This independent production illuminates Reagan’s life of faith. It is part of a new trend in Hollywood of Christian-based productions, like the 2022 movie “Sound of Freedom” about sex trafficking, that were successful at the box office. The critics gave it mostly negative reviews, but it draws public interest as the election season is heating up.
One of the happy memories I have of my early years in the movement was the night that Reagan was elected. I joined in Berkeley, CA, in June 1977, and by November 1980, I was fundraising with a team in Little Rock, AR. We stayed at the church center where Rev. Richard Buessing was the state leader. We celebrated the election result with a few members, which we felt was very hopeful for the country. Watching the movie brought some of this back. It inspired me to draw several parallels between the presidency and the personalities of Reagan and Trump in connection with this current election season, namely Ronald and Donald.
First of all, the movie opens up with the scene of Reagan delivering a speech at the Washington Hilton on March 30, 1981. He is shot and wounded as he departs. Three people are injured, including his press secretary, James Brady. When Reagan arrived at the hospital, he was considered ‘’right at the margin of death,’’ but he recovered quickly. It is said that Reagan came to believe that God had spared his life ‘’for a chosen mission.’’ We know that True Father, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, went deep into prayer, considering how important Reagan’s life was to be spared as the nation’s political leader.
Some 43 years later, Trump is holding an open-air rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He is shot and wounded in his upper right ear. He is one inch away from being assassinated. One man in the audience is killed, and two others are critically wounded. On the day of the rally, on July 13, True Mother, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, is in Las Vegas. Upon hearing of the shooting, she sends a message delivered to Trump expressing the fact that it is ‘’providential’’ that his life was spared. He has frequently stated that it was God who saved his life.
Second, neither of these men was a career politician. Reagan was well-known as an actor. When his status as a leading man declined after World War II, he eventually turned to television doing commercials and hosting a program.
Trump, on the other hand, was known as a real estate magnate who enjoyed celebrity status in New York City and beyond, but he reached greater recognition as the host of the popular program “The Apprentice” for 14 years. The difference between them is that Reagan became governor of California for eight years before becoming president, while Trump had to quit his TV show while announcing his candidacy and had no prior experience in any public office.
Third, before Reagan came to power, the Carter administration was soft on Communism. President Carter was willing to denounce human rights abuses in certain countries, like in South America, while staying mute towards communist countries where human rights were denied to a far greater extent. Communism made many inroads around the world during that time. Reagan took a different approach than Carter to confront communism and eventually labeled the Soviet Union as an evil empire. While he was the president of the Screen Actors Guild, he learned about communism and its effort to infiltrate Hollywood. As we see in the movie, he eventually delivered a speech near the Brandenburg Gate in 1987, where he asked then-president Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall; it was ultimately torn down shortly after he left office, and the Soviet Union dissolved two years later.
Communism is, unfortunately, still alive, but this time, the threat comes from China under General Secretary Xi Jinping. In its dealings with the Biden administration after Trump, China requested that the US not challenge its governance, to which the administration agreed. This current policy is one of appeasement towards Communist China that started with President Obama for the sake of trade. Trump changed the posture towards China from free trade to protectionist tariffs and confrontation. To his credit, Biden largely left Trump’s policies intact and continued to turn the screws on the export of sensitive technology. Also, he has maintained a resolute posture towards Russia in the Ukraine war, which China has to consider before making a move to take over Taiwan. But now that Kamala Harris replaced Biden in the election, she chose Tim Walz as her running mate. He made more than 30 trips to China in the ’90s. That puts him squarely as a friend of China. What influence will he have on the policy if Harris is elected?
Fourth, the movie shows that Reagan’s father, Jack, was an alcoholic and that his mother, Nelle, instilled in him Christian values. We see him baptized in the water as he becomes a born-again Christian. Later on, while governor, he holds prayers with Pat Boone and pastor George K. Otis, who prophesies that he will become president if he ‘’walks uprightly’’ before God. Trump’s older brother, Fred Jr., was an alcoholic and died at 42. His parents joined the Marble Collegiate Church, part of the Reformed Church in America. He attended that church but was not an active member. At some point, though, while flipping channels one night in Florida, Trump was struck by the ministry of televangelist Paula White and called her basically on the spot. She became his personal pastor, and he appointed her to the White House Office of Public Liaison. Paula White eventually connected with the ministry of True Mother Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon when she spoke at Mother Moon’s rally at Madison Square Garden in 2017. The two women developed a personal relationship, and Pastor White became one of the seven religious leaders to whom True Mother gave recognition.
Five, both men were divorced. The movie shows that Reagan’s marriage to actress Jane Wyman ended in divorce due to his political involvement and the premature death of their daughter, Christine. They had two other children, Michael and Maureen, the latter of whom has participated in several Women’s Federation for World Peace events. Reagan later married actress Nancy Davis, and they had two children: Michael and Patti. Trump married three times, first with Ivana Zelnickova. They had three children: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. Then, he married Marla Maples, with whom he had Tiffany. He finally married Melania Knauss, with whom he had a son, Barron, who is now entering NYU. The children are known to display a strong loyalty and admiration toward their father.
Six, when Reagan became president, he was the oldest man to occupy the position. He was 69 at the time, an age when most people are enjoying retirement, and remained in office until he was 77. Donald Trump became president at 70, breaking Reagan’s record until Joe Biden entered office at 78. If Trump is reelected and completes his term, he will be 82, the oldest sitting president ever. People live longer today, as Jimmy Carter turned 100 on October 1.
Finally, when Reagan ran for his second term, he faced Walter Mondale, Jimmy Carter’s vice president. The movie shows the debate scene between the two when Reagan responds to Mondale, who remarks on his advanced age of 73, saying that he doesn’t want to take advantage of his opponent’s ‘’youthful inexperience.’ Reagan was from the state of Illinois in the Midwest, and as a trained actor, he was comfortable speaking publicly in a polished way, which connected well with the American public. Trump is from Queens, NY. His way of speaking is more direct and not always gracious. However, he is charismatic, and his populist style enables him to connect with a large part of the population that has felt neglected by the elites. His opponent on the Democratic side, Kamala Harris, like Mondale, has been vice president. Interestingly, she spent her high school days in my hometown of Montreal while her mother was doing research at McGill University. She went on afterward to study law at Howard University in Washington before returning to the Bay area.
In conclusion, the movie “Reagan” is a refreshing look at the life of the 40th president of the United States, bringing to memory some of his remarkable achievements. When Reagan was in office, his policy of confronting communism as an evil force was considered by some as warmongering. In fact, it resulted in greater peace and freedom for large populations around the globe as the Soviet Union fell and its seemingly unstoppable influence declined. Rev. Moon predicted the collapse of the Soviet Empire at the PWPA conference of Geneva in 1985 while he was in prison. It actually occurred because there was also the political will to make it happen.The world has changed now but the forces of authoritarianism and communism are again threatening the foundations of the free world. At the center of it all is the question of the unification of North and South Korea. Trump attempted to do so by contacting Kim Jong Un, but he did not succeed. That window has closed for now.
The movie highlights the friendship between Reagan and Tip O’Neill, the Speaker of the House. They stood on both sides of the political divide, but ‘’after 6 o’clock, they could have a beer together,’’ as Reagan would say. That spirit is sorely missing with Trump, as seen in his relationship with people like Nancy Pelosi. Reagan won by a landslide against Mondale in 1984. As the country is now divided more than ever, that scenario is not likely to be repeated. It is much more likely that the outcome will be decided by the final results of six or seven swing states. Forty years ago, mainstream media appeared to maintain a semblance of objectivity in reporting the election. That objectivity is gone as the media today openly embraces the candidacy of Kamala Harris. They tend to paint Trump as a threat to democracy.
In spite of that, will the election on November 5th be a repeat of history? That answer belongs to the American people as they consider the choice that it is given.♦
Serge Brosseau is a graduate of UTS (now HJI) from the class of ’98. He has been serving as pastor with the Montreal community for the past 25 years. His wife, Melissa, is from Los Angeles, and their daughter. Rebecca, now lives in New York City.
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Applied Unificationism 
Very good report about Reagan and Trump. Thank you. I am hoping and praying that Donald Trump can again be our president. America needs him!
Marcia Schlichting
Schwalbach, Hessen, Germany
Thank you Marcia. Nice to hear from Germany.
Nobody is perfect and politics is an extreme sport but I think there is a case to be made for Trump. It goes beyond personality whether we like his style or not. Things were more clear in 1980 with Reagan. Of course, we might like Trump to be more like Reagan. But whoever is in that position will be opposed. I just tried to bring out similarities between them and the time periods.
Regrettably, we are currently witnessing some very tragic circumstances and conflicts on the world stage. Diplomacy and good-faith negotiations require parties on both sides of any conflict to engage as willing partners in order to end such conflicts. If there is recalcitrance to engage in a good-faith modality, we are left with a paucity of good options.
Reagan’s “peace through strength” concept may be a viable option until such time when various historical enemies come to the negotiating table.
From a providential perspective, we understand that the ultimate solution is for all parties to deal with fallen nature by understanding the course and motivation of the human fall and an acceptance of True Parents and the Principle. This is a sad and tragic time in light of the hopes for peace, and not just in the Middle East.
Prayers for peaceful solutions are required, but there needs to be some form of “reformation” within our socio-cultural and socio-political spheres. Our founders emphasized the need for a religious perspective to be in the equation, and that was their rationale for establishing an “Abel-type UN.” Candidates running for public office ought to be advocates for Godism and have an understanding of the spiritual causes that lead to resentment, envy, hate and conflict. Without that we shouldn’t expect good outcomes.
Recall George Washington’s comments in 1796 when he left office:
“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.”
David,
You remind us that in their attempt to heal our world “Our founders emphasized the need for a religious perspective to be in the equation, and that was their rationale for establishing an ‘Abel-type UN.’”
No doubt all those who deeply long for lasting peace will enthusiastically support the initiative…once religious perspectives will admittedly have been sanitized from any domineering ambition.
These days, religious perspective is sadly more often the problem than the solution…
So many crimes have been – and are being – perpetrated in God’s name!
But I know someday, humans will cease putting their self-serving words in God’s mouth and stop pretending their narcissistic presumptuous ambitions are fulfilling the will of God.
For in His light and His unfathomed love, we have yet to explore the infinite wondrous scope of our original nature…
Yes, religious “triumphalism” has been part of the problem. As Unificationists, we see Divine Principle as the new truth that can finally bring humankind out of the darkness and into “the noonday sun.” There is a bit of “triumphalism” in that perspective as well. In Cheon Seong Gyeong, Book 10, we read:
“The cosmic-level ideology allows us to unite our body and mind and establish a family that becomes the essence of God’s love, connecting this thought to both the spirit world and the physical world. The Chinese character for ju in cheonju (cosmos), means “home.” That is why we use the term cosmic-level ideology. The cosmos comprises the incorporeal and corporeal worlds. How can you relate to this? You need a family. If you cannot achieve unity in your family, you will have no relationship with the cosmic level ideology. The family is the ultimate standard that accomplishes this way of thinking centered on the cosmos. If you cannot sing praises of peace and happiness when that happens, you will be unhappy both on earth and in the spirit world.” (CSG, p. 1069).
The importance of understanding the incorporeal world and the root causes of unprincipled behavior can’t be underestimated. We have copious laws on the books that are meant to mitigate bad behavior — murder, rape, driving while intoxicated, insurance fraud, etc. — yet people still do these things. Not fully understanding how these “sins” affect our spiritual well-being is a significant problem. Attaining betterment, individually and collectively, requires a deeper understanding of the incorporeal realm and a personal commitment to substantiate one’s faith via our actions via true love centered on God. In a Rally of Hope speech in Korea in 2022, our co-founder, Mother Moon, asked: “Which politicians understand heaven’s providence?” We might also ask: Which educators, business people, journalists, scientists, and artists understand the heart of God and the providence? No small matter.
Thank you, David, for sharing in depth, without triumphalism but with great accuracy, Reverend Moon’s theological point of view as recorded in the Cheon Seong Gyeong books.
This specific understanding, which greatly diverges from other existing religious perspectives, undeniably comprises at the same time, essential aspects that are commonly shared.
“Which politicians understand Heaven’s Providence?” If understanding Heaven’s Providence means understanding Reverend Moon’s point of view about it, the pristine answer to Dr. Hak Ja Han’s question would simply be: “As many as there are Unificationist politicians.”
The biggest challenge remains however how to apply such a messianic perspective. And that seems to be the very reason for this outstanding AU Blog to exist.
For example, to come back to Serge’s essay concerning Donald Trump’s candidacy, aren’t we here facing a quite puzzling situation where God-loving citizens who share the same “ultimate vision of the Providence” as did Reverend Moon, are reaching totally opposite conclusions concerning this Providential election?
Reagan was not a convicted felon when he ran. And Trump did not win his first reelection bid as Reagan did. Reagan, Bush, and every President after, failed to pardon (now posthumously) Rev. Moon’s unjust conviction.
You want to draw a connection where it would be more appropriate to draw distinctions. Reagan was the “Great Communicator.” Trump’s rhetoric tends to communicate hate. The country needed dividing into two camps, but now the purpose is to overcome divisions and unite. That is what is providential.
Who sows love and unity? Who sows threats, hate and division? Our assumption that because True Mother showed motherly care for a public figure must mean he is “chosen” is wrong. “Know them by their works”! We should not be blinded by mistaken motives. We assume that the GOP is “Abel”. What happens when Abel fails? A faithful Cain inherits the mission, becoming the new Abel.
The GOP is disintegrating before our eyes. It is not our mission to save something God is tearing down. Headwing Thought is the way to approach politics. I wish no ill will to the former President. But he is unfit to hold office again due to his mental and cognitive decline. We need to see him objectively. As Biden put the country first over party, so should Mr. Trump.
Thank you, Hannah, for your response to my article. We are not monolithic about political views in our movement. There are strong opinions on both sides. Good to debate and have a conversation.
We agree that Trump is not perfect but neither was Reagan during whose presidency True Father went to jail. He could have done more for Father.
You say that Trump is sowing hate and division but since the beginning of the campaign, there were already two attempts to assassinate him. He has been accused of all kinds of stuff, the Justice Department is after him and the mainstream media in general has not a good word to say about him. He may use strong words but I think that his way is to respond to fire by fire.
Why did True Father establish the Washington Times at great cost to our movement? You may not agree with all the views there but you will find in it a different portrait about his policies than in most media.
Has Paula White completely mistaken him? True Mother seems to appreciate her ministry though.
Trump has the support of most of the Christian base. His policies reflect such values. On the other hand, we know that Kamala Harris is a strong advocate of the LGBTQ agenda and abortion rights. She has the most liberal voting record in the Senate, together with Bernie Sanders, and will push to reshape the Supreme Court if elected.
But she is running a campaign on centrist views to win over the swing states. I don’t blame her for wanting to win the election but I don’t think we get the right picture right now. What she is offering is the image of a fresh face without much substance. Good for her to be a woman candidate. We need more of them. Just not sure that she is the right one.
Maybe this is what the American people want. I believe that democracy works in the end. But in the end, I think that she is tempting fate right now by deciding not to attend the historic Al Smith Dinner in New York this month in order to campaign instead. All previous presidential candidates have attended the dinner which is a fun affair, except one: Walter Mondale in 1984. We know what happened to him. Maybe she will change her mind.
I’d like to offer a few considerations regarding the article’s assumptions about Trump.
It asserts that the Justice Department is “after him.” There have been four criminal cases against him on various charges (see here). There were two other civil cases in the State of New York in which Trump was found personally liable.
Only two of these six were initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice. The author seems to be saying that Trump is persecuted. My take is that no one is above the law, and Trump is receiving a fair hearing and has had representation throughout. No one is “after him.”
I agree, Hannah. Thank you. Why should we not believe the many Republican senior officials, appointed by Trump during his administration and who were confirmed by the Senate, who now strongly say Trump is unfit for office? I do.
There were 158,000 Republicans, or 17% of those who voted, who chose Nikki Haley in Pennsylvania’s closed primary even though she had quit the race two months earlier. I know many Republicans who will be voting for Harris as well.
In 2020, Trump lost by 80,000 votes in Pennsylvania, the state where I live. He lost 62 lawsuits he filed to contest the 2020 election, as well. The election was not stolen as he still claims. President George H.W. Bush did not act this way when he lost to Bill Clinton in 1992, nor did Al Gore when he lost to George W. Bush in 2000. This disqualifies him for me.
On Trump’s efforts with North Korea, I wrote this assessment on the AU Blog in June 2018 right after the Singapore Summit:
https://appliedunificationism.com/2018/06/18/the-hope-and-promise-of-the-singapore-summit/
Joel Wit, a leading specialist on U.S. policy toward North Korea, gave this sobering evaluation of the failed February 2019 Hanoi Summit between Trump and Kim Jong Un:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2024/07/10/world/donald-trump-kim-jong-un-north-korea/
Trump and Kim did briefly meet at Panmunjeom on June 30, 2019, but all communication between Kim and Trump ceased by August.
Two prominent experts on North Korea and nuclear proliferation, Carlin and Hecker, argue that by late 2019, Kim Jong Un had given up the Kim dynasty’s 30-year goal of normalizing relations with the U.S.:
https://www.38north.org/2024/01/is-kim-jong-un-preparing-for-war/
They warn about North Korea that “history suggests those who have convinced themselves that they have no good options left will take the view that even the most dangerous game is worth the candle.”
Here’s my most recent TV interview, reflecting on where things stand with North Korea on the eve of the 2024 election.
The American forefathers rightly thought there couldn’t be long-term political or societal prosperity without morality and spiritual wisdom.
Religious and political leaders should therefore be living examples who inspire society not only toward betterment and but indeed toward excellence.
How can some leaders who cheat, lie, avoid paying taxes and/or hide money in tax havens generate a genuinely generous and honest family-oriented society where strict financial transparency should be the rule?
Even words of truth in a liar’s mouth cannot be trusted. One can only trust a liar to be a liar, with or without the prayers and blessings of pastors, who may themselves greatly lack discernment.
The power of idealization as well as unaware and misled citizens’ misplaced trust in wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing can only lead sooner or later to catastrophes. Deceit cannot ever be decisive.
Unificationists should not bury their head-wing in the sand!
Thank you, Jean-Jacques, for your point of view. Obviously, Trump is not a trustworthy person to you and you may have some points there.
But to me, the fact that he came so close to death while on the campaign trail was “a providential moment” that shows that he is a person of significance, even willing to die for his convictions.
I was moved by the movie “Reagan” that I saw recently. Reagan was a great president. He got involved in politics because he saw that communism was trying to infiltrate his work environment and the society at large. His faith in God was a key factor in his motivation to act first to become governor and later president. His principles were the compass that guided him.
Trump is a different personality for sure but I see similarities between them that I sought to describe in my article. Also the time period is important, forty some years later. Some of the same problems are still around that require a strong hand to deal with them. I believe that Trump has the character necessary to confront these problems. To me Biden and now Harris are similar to Carter in the sense that they are trying to please everyone and it leads to chaos. As David Eaton mentioned, there are many serious conflicts going on right now.
That’s my take on it. I may be wrong but I had a strong inspiration after seeing the movie and felt I had to put it down on paper to share. We are living in confusing times and need to take positions about issues that concern us. I am Canadian and will not vote in this election but my wife and daughter will. What happens in America influences the whole world. God bless America. 🇺🇸
Thank you, Serge, for your reply.
I wholeheartedly share your deep love for “America the Beautiful.” whom Lafayette and de Tocqueville have been telling me about. May she keep “lifting her lamp beside the golden door” as a beacon of hope for all “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” …
Even though I am French and cannot vote in this election, I do know it will definitely matter and have tremendous consequences for countless people around the world. So, I feel it’s truly worth carefully considering every facet of the equation.
A few years ago, a perspicacious analyst of American elections coined with great pertinence the term “Messianic transfer” to explain Unificationists’ fervor in support of Donald Trump.
Strangely enough, Donald Trump’s Gospel couldn’t be more different from Rev. Moon’s Gospel, who stated America was great when she did serve and care for the world.
Ronald Reagan was a great American, and I unreservedly share your deep appreciation for such a charismatic God-loving patriot who was indeed led by high moral principles and values.
Mostly he did a good job, not for America alone, but for the world. Europeans won’t ever forget he came to strongly challenge Gorbachev at the Berlin Wall, with his famous “Mr. Gorbachev, tear that wall down!”.
However, can today’s Europeans trust Donald Trump to bluntly say “Mr. Putin, pull your troops out of Ukraine”, in order to hopefully bring back security and peace on the European continent?
Furthermore, concerning America’s safety from Russian cyberattacks, will Donald Trump continue trusting Putin’s words instead of his own American intelligence agencies’ reports?
I have strong doubts on these two essential issues that will unavoidably impact our common future.
I am also plainly aware there is never a simple perfect answer to a complex situation.
Aren’t we then consigned to choose what appears to be the least damaging answer over the longer-term?
May God bless America and wisely guide American citizens in these crucial times!
We have all made mistakes in our earlier lives and Trump has also made his fair share, much to his regret. Remember the activities of St. Paul before he turned around his life?
I think Trump has had a spiritual awakening and should be recognised for what he is today – a patriot and a protector of our basic freedoms. He is also a smart negotiator with world leaders. Can you imagine how Harris would negotiate with the likes of Putin, Xi, and Kim?
I know of two Unificationist prayer groups who are praying that Donald Trump be elected president in the coming election. I also know many Unificationists who have great disdain for Trump and see him as a “threat to our democracy,” and thus view Kamala Harris as the better option. Moreover, the New York Times ran an essay (August 31), saying, among other things, that, “Trump owes his political ascent to the Constitution, making him a beneficiary of a document that is essentially antidemocratic and, in this day and age, increasingly dysfunctional.”
Democracy is about disagreement and arguments. It’s about achieving temporary victories and recovering from temporary defeats. Democracy doesn’t deliver permanent solutions or eternal social justice. It’s a hedge against tyranny and a way to settle differences without resorting to political violence. The word “democracy” does not appear in the Constitution, nor the Bill of Rights. It’s important to remember that democracy is not necessarily a perfect governing modality.
Rev. Lonnie McCloud often referenced the phrase in the Constitution about creating “a more perfect union.” He pointed out that this phrase is grammatically incorrect because something that is already “perfect” cannot become “more perfect.” What is implicit in this phrase is that the United States is a “work in progress” and our striving for betterment via a democratic process provides opportunities to ascertain what options actually get us closer to being “perfect.”
Regrettably, there is a great deal of media malfeasance (narrative journalism) that tends to obfuscate “truth” and this results in greater confusion and duplicity. True Parents initiated international media conferences in the quest for honesty and objective “truth telling” in journalism.
Both candidates in the current presidential campaign are flawed. Both have been dishonest and many voters sense that. Because politics is intrinsically adversarial, there needs to be an understanding predicated on Godism as to who offers the better options for attaining principled betterment. Our prayers ought to be guided by that perspective because so much depends on the USA, the elder son nation, fulfilling its providential responsibility.
Thank you, Mr. Brosseau, for this attempt to compare Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. As a Unificationist, I have no doubt that Ronald Reagan was, throughout the 1980s, the right person, at the right place, at the right time to serve the Providence, together with a few others. The Cold War started by 1948, and there was a window of opportunity for this cold war to conclude at the end of the 1980s, 40 years later.
It did.
The Cold War did start to end under Reagan’s mandate because Father was there and had announced the March to Moscow (in 1973, and again at the Washington Monument, 1976) and the demise of the Soviet Union (Geneva, 1985). There was a momentum and a declaration of the Messiah.
Trump was “anointed” by Heaven with a mission.
Together with Reagan were figures like Pope John Paul II (and both escaped assassination attempts in 1981) and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Can we see the same providential mission for Donald Trump?
He did meet Kim Jong-un, and he was probably inspired to do so, but did he have enough foundation? Even if he may have been given a window of opportunity, did he use it well? Not easy to say. But, when you fail in a mandate and mission like this, I guess you lose your fortune. And Trump’s insistence that the 2020 election was stolen from him sounded strange to me, as well as his role in the assault on the Capitol. At that time, I failed to see in his profile a winner and champion for God. I saw a stubborn, rather than a determined, person.
I did not see him as a loser either, but as a man who likes clarity and deep insight. For me, Reagan was much more confident, and had no doubts. That made him more embracing and less confrontational. He was really self-confident and optimistic. He was driven by hope.
I see Donald Trump as a person who has not done enough personal work on himself. Even if he wins this election, will it have providential impact? Then we will need to pray harder, and create a better atmosphere for his family.
Same for Vice President Kamala Harris, by the way.
Thanks for being part of the discussion, Laurent. You and Jacques Marion are doing a great job to educate the French-speaking world about the Providence. You are our mentors here in Canada and we love to watch your videos from the center in Paris when they are available.
I share your concerns about Trump but the fact is that America has a choice to make with this election which has consequences for the rest of the world. There is a difference between the leadership that Trump and Harris can offer.
I was inspired by watching the recent movie on Reagan to draw parallels between him and Trump. Another one that can be made is Reagan was able by being president to untangle the hostage crisis with Iran that Carter was unable to deal with.
Today we are facing two wars among others that are a challenge to deal with: Ukraine and Gaza. I appreciate the fact that Biden continues to give strong support to Zelensky, but the conflict is not finding a resolution. I believe that the debacle of the pullout from Afghanistan emboldened Putin to invade Ukraine. America needs a stronger leadership on the world stage to confront the dictators. I think that Trump is better suited to do that. Like the guys in Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
Kamala Harris went to high school at Westmount High in Montreal while her mother was doing research at McGill University. That adds to her popularity here in Canada. Donald Trump did his high school at the New York Military Academy which gave him good training for life. Can Kamala Harris be a good commander-in-chief? Maybe, but I think that Trump is better suited for the role.
I am grateful that True Father, Sun Myung Moon, founded the Washington Times 42 years ago. There is good stuff also in other media but the Times is still playing a critical role by standing on the conservative side while practicing responsible journalism. It does a great job to inform people and let them make up their own minds.
Some Democrats were rejoicing at seeing Trump in court facing various charges. Now he is barnstorming the country and running a campaign that is neck and neck with Harris. We’ll see how it ends, but just the fact that he is still standing is remarkable. Trump just never gives up and that is one of his strengths.
Thank you, Serge. For many years, I have had a hypothesis about Donald Trump, which goes against current perceptions of what and who he really is.
Despite the impression he tries to give, I think that he is not self-confident. He has a hidden inferiority complex. And he is infatuated with very strong leaders like his “good friend” Kim Jong-un or with Vladimir Putin. He sincerely admires these people and sees his role as “making deals” with them. Reagan and his allies (Pope John Paul II, Margaret Thatcher) brought Gorbachev to a natural surrender through an ethical confrontation with the empire of evil.
Trump lives in a world where the strongest and most clever win the game. Some Americans may identify with this, while the nation of America is founded on absolute respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, etc. It could be that a silent majority of Americans would like to try some sort of “illiberal democracy” or démocrature as some French analysts have termed it. They see Trump as a person who will liberate them from democracies’ current malaise and absence of vision.
While saying this, I am in no way supporting Harris. I just doubt that Trump would be any new Reagan. But I do respect your having another interpretation.
Comparisons have their relevance. Comparing Reagan and Trump is an interesting exercise. Personally, I would rather contrast Trump not with a former U.S. president, but with the current head of state of Russia.
Trump and Putin have a similar ideology, called the dialectical view. There, relationships of forces are essential and cooperation is merely tactical and temporary. The world is made for hostility, not for hospitality, and masculine values are vital. A man should be aggressive in word and deed and constantly ready to fight.
In “Putinism-Trumpism,” life is a zero-sum game with winners and losers. Win-win solutions don’t exist.
Trump sees America as great. Likewise, Putin sees Russia as great, a Russia which is not only respected but feared. Both practice the “politics of dread”, and always threaten their opponent. They are gifted in that.
There is a contrast, however. Trump believes first of all in money, and then in power; lastly, he believes in weapons. For Putin, power is central. Power goes with a strong army, and business is only to support the political and military ambition.
Both are very much focused on North Korea for two diametrically opposed reasons. Trump saw Kim Jong-un as an exciting partner in a game. He was of course fascinated by the absolute power of this man and his strong army, but their bromance came from a similar psyche. Trump was flattered to count Kim as a friend. He became infatuated with Kim.
Putin is a man for whom the North Korean regime can be the best ally for his worldwide ambition. The power of Kim, his weapons, are of foremost importance for him. But I don’t believe that the two characters match each other.
There is another stark contrast. Trump is an amateur. As a dilettante, he likes to play golf, but is not a hard worker. He last met Kim at Panmunjeom at the DMZ in June 2019, and felt close to Nirvana with this great coup. But there was no prior preparation, everything was based on improvisation and almost no strategy.
Putin is a cool professional with little affect or personal emotion. When he visited North Korea last June, he entered the country, stayed for just two days and built a complete and strategic partnership with Kim, which will benefit both regimes. It is a really serious job, not an amateur’s visit.
Putin could offer a huge “sacrifice” to Kim: a man who can send millions of soldiers to attack his neighbor (Ukraine) and is ready to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of lives is an interesting person for the North Korean regime. Trump may have been a real celebrity partner for Kim but could not offer anything substantial to North Korea. Trump obtained zero, Putin obtained 100%. That is the difference in the Korean question.
If Trump comes back to power, his fascination for both Putin and Kim will be back in the Oval Office.
Would America then be under the influence of the Manchurian candidate? Those who believe in Trump will see him as the good man who will tame Putin and Kim.
But then, again, we need to pray a lot.
Rob,
I agree with you that Trump lost the 2020 election. The mail-in ballots made the difference there. It was in the middle of COVID and the Democrats were very effective in promoting mail-in voting while the Republicans were against it, saying that there would be cheating. At the time, I did not agree with Trump that he won the election and what happened on January 6th on Capitol Hill was a mess, not a pretty sight. Many people went to jail because of it. We had a similar situation here in Canada where a group of truckers took over downtown Ottawa on Parliament Hill for three weeks. I did not like it either.
Trump was impeached twice and has been in court on four separate cases. I don’t believe that he is above the law and I would say that he has something to do with these situations. But he has been facing the music each time and he is still standing. I think that it is remarkable in itself. Were some of these attacks against him politically motivated? I am not a legal expert but I believe so. Politics is an extreme sport and Democrats are not exactly innocent. Take the case of Hunter Biden’s laptop. The New York Post and the Washington Times ran that story but the Democrats with the support of the mainstream media were able to kill it right before the election. The laptop was not irrelevant as they said it was.
I went to see the movie “Reagan” and I felt strongly that there were parallels between Reagan and Trump. It made me write my article. Did you see that movie with Dennis Quaid in the title role? I think it is worth watching. Also the assassination attempt on his life at the rally in Butler in your home state of Pennsylvania was a providential moment for me. It happened 43 years after the attempt on Reagan. Reagan fought against communism. Trump is not a saint but he is fighting against a woke ideology that has taken over much of our culture. Who else is doing that out there? Many people do not like his style but I like his fighting spirit. Wokeism has its roots in Marxism. Trump’s opponent is a good representative of that culture.
Anyway, it is good to have a discussion even if we do not agree and it will certainly be interesting to see what happens on November 5.
Thank you, Serge, for your fair assessment. If Trump supporters had been able to express more clearly their disapproval of some of his misdeeds, it would be another story today. The person who made mistakes and who shows a sincere readiness to change is, of course, allowed to make another attempt. What you tell us is to give Donald Trump another chance, while not being blind to his mistakes. I more or less agree with this. I appreciate your fairness.
According to The Economist Democracy Index, Canada ranks among the full democracy nations, together with Germany and Scandinavian nations.
The USA, long a model, shows signs of a flawed democracy. Its index is going down. This may not change much, whether Harris or Trump is elected. True Mother has emphasized that we should work with parliaments and lawmakers, in order to propagate legislation. A strong president is often a smokescreen and does not tell enough about the real situation of a country. It seems to me that the American nation should not be avid of being great again, but should also ask God how to be good again.
The movie “Reagan” was indeed well-done. I wish President-elect Trump and the incoming Republican-led Congress much success in solving the many challenges for them. They won. Among the challenges: A swift resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, filling in the details of that “concept of a plan” on improving the health care problems, cutting two trillion dollars from the federal deficit while not touching Social Security, Medicare (maybe that will be part of the two trillion dollar plan) or defense, rounding up 11 million illegal immigrants while not harming the rural economies in predominately Republican states, and enacting 25% tariffs on all goods from our biggest trading partners, Mexico and Canada. And then there is China.
As you are in Montreal, what are your thoughts on the President-elect’s proposed 25% tariff on all Canadian exports to the U.S.?
Thank you, Rob, for your response.
There has been a strong reaction in Canada from political leaders towards the idea of a 25% tariff being imposed upon Canadian exports. The Canadian economy depends largely on exports to the U.S., primarily in energy such as oil and gas. The Prime Minister made a trip to Florida to meet President-elect Trump and discussed this issue. The issue is one of strengthening the border towards illegal immigration and drug trafficking. The problem is mostly to the south with Mexico, but Canada needs to improve its situation and is going to do so by investing a billion dollars towards that end. Trump will be negotiating from a strong position and we will have to adjust in order to maintain our status as a good partner. Overall, I believe it is a win-win situation.
Recently, President-elect Donald Trump expressed his desire to annex Greenland and seize the Panama Canal. He also wished for Canada to become the 51st state of the United States.
What are his motives?
On one hand, his rhetoric may please Beijing a lot, who could easily claim that Taiwan, and maybe the entire Korean peninsula, ought to be part of China proper.
On the other hand, we need not reject all of the President-elect’s rhetoric. In the eyes of God, humankind is one family. It may be analyzed with a True Love perspective. True Parents worked for the dream of one united America. They wanted North America, Mexico and Central America, and South America to work in harmony. The Anglo-Saxon, Protestant cultural sphere could share its blessings with the Latin and Catholic sphere.
If Donald Trump were able to make all of hemispheric America great again, it would be a positive thing. But the center should be God, not Washington, DC, with a good balance of power and checks and balances.
I hope we offer a few proposals to make his statements less provocative and condescending.
Laurent,
President Trump’s expansionist vision is certainly surprising but there may be some sense to it.
Trump is upset at the fact that Carter gave away the Panama Canal so easily since it was built by the Americans at great financial and human cost. Now the Chinese are there and the tolls are too high for his liking.
Greenland is located in a strategic position to deal with the Russians. An American military base is already there. Apparently, much negotiations were done during the first term.
Canada, where I live, is a different story but our countries are so similar and complementary. The US needs our resources and we need their market. It is not going to become the 51st state anytime soon but there needs, in my view, to be a closer tie together that would reinforce the relationship. The threat of tariffs right now is causing a great deal of turmoil on this side of the border. That may be a major hurdle to overcome.
We will see how things develop but already because of the pressure that Trump’s envoy to Israel put on Netanyahu, the ceasefire took place with the release of hostages. Biden had little power over the situation. It reminds us of Reagan assuming office and the American hostages that were released from Iran.
God spared the life of Trump for a purpose. Let’s hope that it can be realized!
On Panama, Canada and Greenland, some will try to rationalize Trump’s rhetoric, which is simply a revival of President William McKinley’s ideas. Some will buy all this stuff.
But I have another hypothesis. Trump is intoxicated by his politics of rage, and behaves as a resentful and crestfallen Abel, who constantly shouts to Americans that “they are treated very, very badly.”
We read in Genesis 4.6:
The Lord said to Cain: “Why are you so resentful and crestfallen?”
Cain had several reasons to be resentful and crestallen. He felt he had been treated very, very badly. He saw himself as a victim, who was deprived of the Blessing, and he felt alienated, because God had received the offering of Abel, but not his.
Cain is the first figure of the angry man, or what Albert Camus saw as The Rebel (l’homme révolté, 1951).
But can Abel also become resentful and crestfallen? We immediately think of Jonah, the reluctant prophet who became upset with God when the destruction of Nineveh did not take place. Jonah felt he had been treated very, very badly.
The Principle stresses that the United Kingdom and the United States of America adopted an Abel-type worldview. And I believe that is true. Both nations see themselves as blessed and anointed, in a covenant with God. They are on God’s side, the side of victory, hope, blessing, responsibility. They are proud to serve, and to lead in a good way. They are not nations to play the role of victims and to complain.
I do hope that Donald Trump will behave as a genuine Abel figure, as the head of a coalition of righteous people. Yet, when I hear his speeches and watch his body language, and see the rage in him, I often wonder, “What makes you so resentful and crestfallen, Mr. President?”
The answer from him is usually: “They treat us very, very badly”. Recently, “they” meant the nations of Europe, or the nations of NATO. But it may mean almost everyone. In the worldview of Trump, Americans are humiliated and the victims of much unfairness. They deserve to be much more blessed and respected and recognized than they are right now. It is not a very healthy obsession.
The main compensation, as seen by the President, should be financial. Products imported from abroad shall be subject to heavy tariffs. Americans will then pay less income tax. To speak like a victim who needs compensation is unusual, coming from an average Abel. But Trump probably sees himself as the man who was targeted by many, and could escape courts and assassination attempts due to some protection. It is surely good for him and his supporters. Skeptics may not see the same facts with the same eyes.
Here, we should remember that the word “crestfallen” appeared in English around the 15th century and literally means “whose crest has fallen”. It is not clear if it applies to fighting roosters or horses. But the term is very fitting for Trump, and on his bad days, he was often portrayed as crestfallen by the media. For a man so concerned about his hair, the imagery of the crest is really fitting.
To conclude, I would like to quote French philosopher Pascal Bruckner, a specialist on victimology (the discourse of those who see themselves as victims). In Le Figaro, January 23, Bruckner observes,
“Trump was elected based on a brilliant intuition: convincing Americans that they are the new “Wretched of the Earth,” the outcasts of this planet, emerging from the Democratic Middle Ages into the light of a Republican golden age. The ploy is enormous, requiring incredible propaganda to portray the United States, the richest country in the world, as the scapegoat of humanity. Thus, Trumpism, like Wokeism, swims in victimhood ideology, only broadening the target: …the entire American people, the suffering Christ among nations.”
It is kind of cruel and perhaps unfair, but this observation can be eye-opening. Let us make the President confident that his beautiful crest is not falling apart in rage. God loves Him and may guide him to reveal the best part of his character.
Well, ten days in, and we can see the results of this new administration: Freezing all U.S. humanitarian and foreign aid, deportation of thousands of families, withdrawal from multilateral organizations, fiscal gifts to tech oligarchs…
The good thing is we realize the USA has actually actively been doing its work as the elder son nation over the last several decades, funding life-saving programs around the world. As this page turns, and the U.S. becomes focused only on its own economic interests and the profits of a few oligarchs, other nations are going to have to step up to fill in that gap because tech billionaires are not the ones who will fund humanitarian aid. Taxpayers will, whether in the U.S. or in other countries.
Where are God-centered policies when children with HIV/AIDS are dying worldwide, when American-supplied bombs obliterate entire families in Gaza, when people in the richest country of the world die of diabetes?
True Parents actually showed the way. After Father founded ICUS, he said in 1991: “Society no longer can be allowed to despoil nature for its own selfish purposes. It needs to husband and develop nature in accordance with the larger purposes of the world community and future generations.” Mother revived ICUS with that same purpose in mind, to restore the Earth to its pristine state.
True Parents have been striving to reform the UN from within, not withdraw from it. They have emphasized day in and day out that the USA should live for the sake of the world, not off of the world. They have always tried to eliminate borders, not reinforce them.
What we have seen this past week and a half points in the exact opposite direction.
The American Bar Association supports the rule of law
(statement posted on Feb. 10, 2025):
https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/02/aba-supports-the-rule-of-law/
“Three weeks ago, the American Bar Association spoke to you about values that guide us. We called upon every lawyer to insist that the government adhere to four major principles of law that have guided our country for over 200 years: Defending Judges and Courts, Acknowledging the Role of the Courts, Adhering to the Rule of Law, and Respecting the Separation of Powers and the three co-equal branches of government with distinct duties and responsibilities. These principles have been bedrocks of American democracy. The ABA does not shrink from standing in support of each of them.”
“Since that time, government actions evidence a clear and disconcerting pattern. If a court issues a decision this administration does not agree with, the judge is targeted. If a lawyer represents parties in a dispute with the administration, or if a lawyer represents parties the administration does not like, lawyers are targeted. We issued statements standing up for these four key principles, and a government official targeted us by instructing some of its lawyers not to attend ABA meetings or participate as speakers. These actions highlight escalating governmental efforts to interfere with fair and impartial courts, the right to counsel and due process, and the freedoms of speech and association in our country…”
The ABA rejects efforts to undermine the courts and the legal profession
https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/03/aba-rejects-efforts-to-undermine-courts-and-legal-profession/ (March 3, 2025)
Olivier, this is very early to put any judgment on how things are going for the new administration but maybe we can say that it has been fast and furious in its determination to change the order of things.
Many things or initiatives are out of the box: Panama, Greenland, Canada, and just now Gaza. Here in Canada, Trump has revived nationalist feeling with the threat of tariffs. The president of Mexico showed a good posture by keeping a cool head over that. Hopefully, North America will come closer in the long run.
In any case, the greatest threat to world peace today is the one that of China. If Trump can succeed in making America stronger, it will deter China in its aggressive stance. Peace through strength is what we need, I believe. It worked with Reagan and it can work again but there is a lot of work to do to get there.
As far as our movement is concerned, we need the US to show tough love to the government of Japan in its move to bring the dissolution of our movement. The establishment of the White House Faith Office led by Paula White may greatly help in that regard.
Not easy to keep up and make sense of everything but let’s keep an open mind even though some things may be problematic from our point of view.
Parallel lines, by definition, will never meet for eternity…
It seems President Trump will, for long, keep a far distant parallel trajectory to the past prestigious torchbearers of the original American dream.
At Valley Forge, didn’t George Washington fight for freedom, democracy and justice for all?
Wasn’t the American dream based on idealism and the willingness to contribute to make this world a better place? I still remember the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor warmly welcoming foreigners with, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free…”
America the Beautiful. The land of hope and opportunity for all. The model and protector of Freedom and Democracy for the rest of the world.
Isn’t America today sadly switching to “I deal-ism”?
Will Lazarus’ poem on the Statue of Liberty be replaced by the line: “First, I’ll squeeze everything out of you, then let you breathe freely if you show me enough gratitude for my generous deal.”
Is the new American motto now, “Don’t ask what you can give to the world, but what you can take from the world”?
Is the new MAGA slogan, “Let’s make America greedy again and again?”
Jean-Jacques, I think you have a point there. Making America great again means that America needs to serve the world and share its blessings, not retreat from it. The latest developments have not been encouraging in this sense.
Of course, we want a strong America as the leader of the free world, but that doesn’t mean being disrespectful. Here in Canada, the idea of tariffs and of the country as the 51st state doesn’t fly well, for sure. The opposite would be more like it. Strong leaders need also to be humble. Things can turn quickly for the worst however high one may be.
But I think we need to be patient to see how things develop. The situations in Korea, China, Gaza, and Ukraine, to name a few, are problematic and the US has a key role to play. True Parents have invested so much there. We need to pray that it can fulfill its role as elder son nation because nobody else can.
May I share here a quite pertinent reflection about the parallel between President Reagan and President Trump. It’s a letter that former President of Poland Lech Walesa recently sent to President Trump (translated from Polish by ChatGPT):
Dear Mr. President,
We watched your conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine with horror and dismay. Your expectations regarding the demonstration of respect and gratitude for the material assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine, which is fighting against Russia, we find offensive. Gratitude is due to the heroic Ukrainian soldiers who are shedding their blood in defense of the values of the free world. They have been dying on the front lines for over 11 years in the name of these values and the independence of their homeland, which has been attacked by Putin’s Russia.
We do not understand how the leader of a country that symbolizes the free world could fail to see this.
We were also deeply disturbed that the atmosphere in the Oval Office during this conversation reminded us of what we remember all too well from interrogations by the Security Service and courtrooms in communist-era trials. Prosecutors and judges, acting on behalf of the all-powerful communist political police, also told us that they held all the cards while we had none. They demanded that we cease our activities, arguing that thousands of innocent people were suffering because of us. They deprived us of our freedom and civil rights because we refused to collaborate with the authorities and did not show them gratitude. We are shocked that you treated President Volodymyr Zelensky in a similar manner.
The history of the 20th century shows that every time the United States sought to distance itself from democratic values and its European allies, it ultimately led to threats against itself. President Woodrow Wilson understood this when he decided to bring the United States into World War I in 1917. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt understood this when, following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he decided that the war to defend America would be fought not only in the Pacific but also in Europe, in alliance with the nations attacked by the Third Reich.
We remember that without President Ronald Reagan and American financial engagement, the collapse of the Soviet empire would not have been possible. President Reagan understood that in Soviet Russia and the countries it had subjugated, millions of enslaved people were suffering, including thousands of political prisoners who paid with their freedom for their dedication to defending democratic values. His greatness was partly in the fact that he unhesitatingly called the USSR the “Evil Empire” and waged a decisive struggle against it. We won, and today a statue of President Ronald Reagan stands in Warsaw, directly across from the U.S. Embassy.
Mr. President, military and financial aid cannot be considered an equivalent exchange for the blood shed in the name of Ukraine’s independence and freedom, as well as that of Europe and the entire free world. Human life is priceless; its value cannot be measured in money. Gratitude is owed to those who sacrifice their blood and freedom. For us, the people of “Solidarity,” former political prisoners of the communist regime that served Soviet Russia, this is self-evident.
We urge the United States to fulfill the guarantees it made, along with the United Kingdom, in the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, in which it explicitly committed to upholding the inviolability of Ukraine’s borders in exchange for Ukraine relinquishing its nuclear arsenal. These guarantees are unconditional; there is no mention of treating such aid as a commercial transaction.
Signed:
Lech Wałęsa, former political prisoner, leader of Solidarity, President of the Third Republic of Poland; [and 28 other former Polish political prisoners]
Will President Donald Trump choose to forcibly take over a land which is part of Denmark: Greenland? Would the United States seize and annex this semiautonomous Danish territory, compelling its population to live under a regime imposed by a foreign military? [On March 29, Trump told NBC News there’s a “good possibility that we could do it without military force” but that “I don’t take anything off the table.”]
If this were ever to happen, it would destroy one axiom of Immanuel Kant, for the first time in history.
In his 1795 essay “Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch,” written in response to the Treaty of Basel, Kant postulated that republican regimes would never engage in war against one another. This prediction has always been validated … so far, without exception.
This means that two regimes based on representative democracy and the rule of law could never make war with each other. It was deemed impossible.
If A attacks B, it is because A is a tyranny, a dictatorship, a totalitarian regime.
If B, a republican regime, preemptively attacks A, it is because B sees A as a hazardous regime, a great danger for stability, and seeks regime change.
Why would the United States of America attack a NATO ally?
Trump would say it is a preemptive move against a possible rival (neither Greenland nor Denmark). A republican regime would attack another republican regime in order to prevent a bad one from doing so first.
What should we think about that?
According to Kant’s logic, and I agree, an attack upon Greenland would mean that the regime in Washington, DC, ceases to be purely republican. It would accept a certain number of tyrannical and dictatorial elements within itself. The United States would cease to function as the leader of the Free World, probably henceforth. It would have crossed a red line.
Any upstanding American citizen would never have accepted that, until recently. It goes against the fundamentals of democracy, shared by the Free World.
If the average American accepts the possibility of such an attack, then we would have to say that “there is something rotten”
… “in the Kingdom of Denmark”? (Hamlet, Act I: Scene IV)
…. Surely not but in the United States of America, once a republic.
As Trump guts foreign aid, China and others lead Myanmar earthquake response
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/myanmar-earthquake-rescue-trump-usaid-china-rcna198818
How long will some American Christian ministers and misled believers keep praising President Trump as God’s chosen one?
Have they censored the parable of the Good Samaritan under the pretense that somehow Samaritans might be illegal immigrants?
Even atheist Communist China is demonstrating more solidarity with the suffering of fellow human beings, such as the earthquake victims in Myanmar.
Has the Golden Rule been sold on the American precious metals’ market?
“The demolition of USAID is an act of self-vandalization that Americans will regret. It does not save billions of dollars. Rather, it is a form of unilateral diplomatic disarmament that makes us look chaotic, lawless, mean-spirited, selfish, and incompetent. It betrays the moral and spiritual values that made us for so many decades the preferred partner in promoting global peace, prosperity, and collaboration.”
Why USAID Made American Foreign Policy Better
https://inkstickmedia.com/why-usaid-made-american-foreign-policy-better/
The President’s post on Truth Social on May 3, re-posted by the White House on Twitter/X, and the response via X of the New York State Catholic Conference (representing the Bishops of New York State, including Cardinal Dolan). On May 4, in Rome on the final day of mourning for Pope Francis, Cardinal Dolan told NBC News that the President’s post “wasn’t good” and, in Italian, added it made a “bad impression”:
Source: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114441543826801216
This President’s social media post is definitely not good and does make a bad impression…
In Latin, the phrase “Cucullus non facit monachum” is a proverb that translates to “the hood does not make the monk.”
American citizens and people all over the world would dearly appreciate the President of the United States to embody the qualities of probity, fairness, decency, and trustworthiness.
However, with his worrisome character, his unreliable and unpredictable statements that change from morning to night, his amply demonstrated lack of respect for others, and his constant stream of threatening actions, how could Donald Trump be fit for the job and be a moral compass we can trust?
Indeed, the hood doesn’t make the monk… Is he in fact a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
On a political level, it is becoming more and more difficult to draw parallels between Reagan and Trump.
Have truly all of Ronald Reagan’s qualified successors disappeared?