A short time ago, I mentioned in one of my articles that the voter is always right. I still believe that, as for me, it is a basic tenet of democracy. However, a friend of mine challenged me on that statement referring to the election, once again, of United States President Donald Trump. She believed the electorate was dead wrong.
I thought about that last week as I watched news clips of a Cabinet meeting in the White House where Trump Cabinet members were gushing over him shamelessly, each trying to outdo the other in feeding his ego and telling him how great he is. Trump, of course, soaked it up like a wet sponge.
But it was sickening. It reminded me of what a Cabinet meeting might look like in North Korea, where you either heap praise on the “Dear Leader” or suffer the consequences.
It also made me think about how different the American process is from that of Canada, where Cabinet meetings are all about getting down to real business and generally keeping egos outside of the room.
As I have said previously, I understand why Americans voted for Donald Trump. Many of them were fed up with the Biden Administration and the domination of left-wing politics. They wanted someone who would deal harshly with illegal immigrants. They were fed up with the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath and they wanted someone who would address many of the perceived problems they believed existed in America. They believed, in spite of his notoriety, that Donald Trump was their man.
But I wonder what many of those voters think now after watching their man over the last four months. He is addressing some of the issues like illegal immigration but in a manner and at a warp speed that few expected. But at what cost?
How many of his voters expected Donald Trump to launch an international Trade War that would threaten the United States’ own economy or attack the sovereignty of Panama, Greenland, and America’s closest neighbour, Canada?
How many people seriously expected Trump to increase the power of the presidency to the point that referring to him as a dictator is not too far off the mark? If Donald Trump can boot people out of the country without due process, how long will it be before he thinks he can do that, or worse, to anyone he doesn’t like?
Then you have the issue of his disdain for the judicial system when it doesn’t rule in Trump’s favour. He says he believes in the rule of law and then he says he doesn’t have to listen to judicial rulings.
United States Chief Justice John Roberts, a Republican appointee (although not by Trump) had something to say about that. He said that the judiciary and the Supreme Court should be checking Trump as it relates to executive powers. Thank God he believes that, but the real question is whether he can convince the alt-right justices appointed to the Supreme Court by Donald Trump to put the law and the Constitution ahead of their subservience to the president.
The real danger of Donald Trump, in my view (in part from seeing him up close), is that at his core, he believes there is nothing or no one who is greater than himself. He believes he cannot fail, and that is why he continues to insist that he did not lose the 2020 election when the entire world knows that he did.
In Trump’s eyes, the military parade he is planning to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States Army is as much a tribute to him and the power he believes he holds as it is to anything else. I question whether it is a coincidence that the parade will be held on the Dear Leader’s birthday.
Donald Trump cares little about reality if it differs from what he wants to do. He has no problem saying one thing on the first day, and something completely different on the second. He makes things up to suit whatever narrative he is expounding on at the moment. He actually believes that the tariffs he is forcing on countries around the world, including Canada, will benefit America when almost every economist, including those in the United States who are not tied to Trump’s apron strings, are saying the opposite.
At one point, Donald Trump made comments about how he would make a good Pope. He seldom says something, even in jest, that he doesn’t also believe, and that was underlined by the White House releasing a picture of Trump dressed as the Pope. Trump’s ego has no limit.
Malcolm Gladwell is a well-known Canadian Journalist and author of eight best-selling books. He has also been a staff writer for the New Yorker since 1996. In a recent article about Donald Trump, he said this: “When your own allies start treating you like an unpredictable liability, it is time to ask who the real problem is.”
It is against this unbalanced Goliath that Canada now faces at very close quarters. Threats to our sovereignty are made by Trump almost daily. I wonder whether he forgets that Canada is the largest foreign supplier of oil to the United States or if he just wants to take it? Does he realize, as Malcolm Gladwell reports, that Canada is the 6th largest foreign holder of American debt, or does he just want to wipe that out?
Prime Minister Mark Carney made a good start this past week when he met with President Trump. He held his own and in a non-combative and sometimes humerous manner, made it crystal clear that Canada’s sovereignty would never be on the table.
Nevertheless, the Prime Minister has a huge job ahead of him in effectively dealing with the Trump Administration in the United States.
Canadian prime ministers and American presidents have not always agreed and, at times, have had to butt heads. But this time, it is different. No prime minister has had to deal with an American president like Donald Trump, who must always win, whose word cannot be counted on, who is an expert at using the bully pulpit to get what he wants, and who has visions of annexing Canada.
Mark Carney has his work cut out for him and in many respects, he is David to Trump’s Goliath.
Malcolm Gladwell points out that Goliath lost the fight (to David) not because he was weak but because he underestimated his opponent’s strength.
Donald Trump underestimates the strength and determination of Canadians and job number one for Mark Carney is to do whatever is necessary to make that abundantly clear to the President of the United States.
Malcolm Gladwell ends his article by saying, “When the dust settles, guess who is going to come out stronger? It is not the guy who is swinging wildly and blaming everyone else. It’s the one who played forward, made smart moves and kept their eye on the real prize. David wins every time. “
We can only hope that Gladwell is right.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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Hugh,
Can you please provide me a link to the source where Malcolm Gladwell’s commentary was first published.
Thanks,
Ray
Great article Hugh….thank you for your thoughtful and regular reality checks !!!
Great article Hugh. I just got back from a short trip to the USA (relatives expected it) and it was just like I always say in that individually Americans seem to be great neighbors but when you get their collective government into action everything changes for the worse.
It was a bit eye opening that I found the majority of Americans I talked to either simply want to ignore the entire Trump fiasco and talk about something entirely different, like maybe their dog? or even more alarming, they think Trump is actually doing a good job and the crazy news stories are just a “joke or fake”. A joke by whom it is hard to determine. One does not press hard for answers on many topics in the USA today.
The border crossing reinforced my observation that any claims that Trump might make about how Canada is “not doing enough” to prevent things like drugs entering the USA are completely and totally false. When you leave Canada by car, you don’t even stop. Nobody asks you anything. Same when you leave the USA.
No, the people asking questions and thus the ones responsible for what “enters” another country are the border security folks at the country of “entry” not the one of “exit”. Thus Canada never has looked after drug imports to the USA and simply cannot do anything regardless due to the system. You could drive out of Canada with a trunk full of hundreds of pounds of fentanyl and Canada would be no wiser.
On the USA side the agent asked the usual questions about nationality, living location, reason for trip and duration of trip. this was all sort of “normal” but then he asked if I “had any bad stuff”. this was new to me and I was taken by surprise and asked like what did he mean. His response, was to the effect of “you know, knives, guns, drugs, bombs” I simply said no and he wished me a nice trip. I did not ask him if many people said yes to this question although I’m still curious on this one.
For the record I think maybe a half of one percent of USA border guards know where Huntsville is but it you say you live in the woods near Algonquin Park, about three hours drive north of Toronto, they always nod their head sagely and say, that is a great place to live.
Anyway, I managed to make it home again and the only thing damaged was, as usual, my wallet. In Buffalo a pound of Sirloin steak at the food store was going for $48.75 US$ per pound. I think I’ll investigate eating the grass directly and skipping the cow stage.
thank you Hugh.
Hi Katheryn Henderson;
As Canadians, it would be very foolish to turn our backs on what is happening to the people and governance in the United States. The influence of generations of these 2 countries is intertwined – economically, historically, culturally, militarily to mention a few ways.
Yes indeed, it is up to the US people to solve their problems with Trump and his administration. However, as Mr. Mackenzie has correctly pointed out in a previous commentary – we ignore the US and international geopolitical issues at our own peril. Amen.
Mr. Mackenzie; a well-reasoned article and holding on to the reality for Canadians.
Meanwhile, Conrad Black (un-credbile in my opinion) is writing in the National Post, disparaging the lack of “fight” or strong words/actions from Carney. Black capitalizes on the view of some that a more pugilist approach was called for and that tangible results be immediately forth-coming.
That viewpoint, I suggest, is from a readership that is already so anti-Liberal that any form of nuanced explanation is dismissed as inadequate. Very glad you did not jump on the bandwagon of that opinion.
It will be important for us to stay informed, purchase Canadian and local as much as possible, and to be mindful of our workers who are impacted by the Trump scourge.
Why arent you focusing on Canada??????? Why so concerned with Trump?????? What has happened to Canada is the last 10 years of Trudeau not Trump. Try looking up info on whst has happening to Canadians in Canada and let Trump worry about the states. Really!
Well done Hugh !
Hugh, you asked how Trump voters still support him after four months in the White House.
He appealed to the ignorant and uneducated, and the ignorant and uneducated voted him in. He still has a strong support base that believe in him and will continue to do so until they are hurt by his policies. Until America feels the pain, they will continue to bless him. No one is attacking America, it is they who are attacking everyone else. The ground swell of resistance must come from within. Hurting Americans is the only way this will happen. It’s the only thing they understand.