From time to time, I have been asked if I am concerned about what is going on in the United States with Donald Trump and if we as Canadians should be worrying about it. The short answer for me on both counts, is yes. And the reason for that is that Trump is just the lightning rod for a phenomenon that goes much deeper than that.
A headline on a recent story in the Globe and Mail written by Andrew Coyne said “The problem isn’t Trump – It’s the willingness of so many Americans to support him.”
I can agree with that. Donald Trump has become the rallying point for all those that have, for one reason or another, come to distrust many of the institutions of democracy, the government, the courts, the mainstream media, and so on. He has become an absolute expert at stirring the flames of discontent.
In his article, Andrew Coyne alludes to that when he says, “But I think the bigger part has less to do with what Mr. Trump is, than (with) what he is not. It isn’t so much that he ‘fights’ that matters as (much as) what they see him fighting against, which is to say virtually every principle, precept, rule or value of American life, together with every institution or authority responsible for upholding those rules and values.”
For those of us who still respect the lessons of history, rather than trying to rewrite them, there is, perhaps with different circumstances, a shocking resemblance between what happened in Germany just before Adolf Hitler came to power and what is happening now in the United States. In my view, it is nothing less than unspoken revolutionism.
Donald Trump is working hard to be seen as a martyr in the United States and it is working for him. In spite of enormous evidence to the contrary, at least 70 per cent of registered Republicans believe, or are prepared to say they believe, that he actually won the last presidential election. A higher number than that are committed to voting for him in the next election, and in that one, the one in 2024, current polls are showing Trump and President Joe Biden virtually tied.
So far, former President Donald Trump is facing three criminal trials with a fourth one likely coming down the tube this week. Every time one of these indictments came down, Trump’s polling numbers went up. They will likely go up again if the State of Georgia charges him with election interference.
Donald Trump is dining out on this. He is playing the martyr card, (shockingly, with the support of some evangelical churches) to the fullest extent possible, telling the American people that he is going through this for them, raising millions upon millions of dollars, taunting the justice system, and daring those that oppose him to come after him.
“You come after me and I will come after you”, Trump recently threatened in a post. The man is not stupid. He knows that will bring more sanctions on him and he is looking forward to them. He also stated recently that one more indictment (the one coming from Georgia) would guarantee that he would be elected President again in 2024. I shudder to think he may be right.
Of all the charges against Donald Trump, the ones I think are the most important are those related to election interference and the attempts to change the results of the 2020 presidential election. The others simply add fuel to the accusations by some, that all of this is a witch hunt against the former president. I believe that was a poor strategy.
Election interference and its consequences, if proven in court, is nothing less than an insurrection and a coup, and a distinct move away from a democratic process to a more despotic one. The shocking thing for me is that so many Americans either support what Trump is doing or dislike any alternative so much, that they don’t care.
They don’t care that Trump is a pathological liar, a bully, and soft on countries like Russia and China. They see nothing wrong with Donald Trump telling Mike Pence, his Vice President, that he was “too honest” because he refused to interfere with the voting process by the Electoral College. The antithesis of that, I guess, is sometimes it is okay to be dishonest – and that coming from a President of the United States.
Surely, on the face of it, this man has no place anywhere near a seat of power. Republican Liz Cheney said that first and I agree with her. But many millions of people in the United States feel otherwise and that is what provides Donald Trump with power; people who want change at any cost.
There is a real chance that Donald Trump can once again become President of the United States, pardon himself and his friends, and basically, ignore the rule of law. If that happens, democracy as we know it and cherish in Canada, will be dead in the United States, our closest neighbour. Trump, with all his psychopathic tendencies, will be able to do pretty much whatever he wants.
To me, that is frightening and should be of concern to all Canadians. Why? Well, this is what immediately comes to mind:
Canada to the United States is much like David was to Goliath. The only difference, Canada does not possess a slingshot. Trump is a bigger fan of Russia than he is of Canada. He has not condemned Russia for invading Ukraine and some of Trump’s stalwart fans in the United States have cast envious eyes on Canada’s plentiful natural resources.
In a Trump administration, the comparison of the United States and Canada with Russia and Ukraine will not be overlooked. We will have to beware of American influence, energized by a Trump-led MAGA movement, creeping across our borders. To counter this, Canada will have to forge a much stronger relationship with its Western allies. Otherwise, we will stand alone.
At the conclusion of another recent article in the Globe and Mail, this one by John Ibbotson, this was said: “The greatest challenge of a second Trump term would be surviving in a world in which the United States is no longer a full democracy and, in a state approaching civil war.”
In our world, that is right next door. All Canadians should be concerned about that.
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.
Don’t miss out on Doppler!
Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox so you don’t miss anything!
Click here to support local news
Mr. Mackenzie, my post was worth the effort to have you state/clarify your position in your subsequent posting. Thank you.
Apropos of nothing, I will add that one of the reasons my Danish grandfather was knighted (an act of merit, not an entitlement legacy) was that post WW1, he helped his community access second mortgages so that they could have an affordable home/house to live in. Interesting comparison could be made between his actions and those of developer Doug-even though scale and times are dissimilar.
Anna-Lise: For the record, given the last sentence in your comment above, I am pro public education, pro public health care and believe a woman has every right to control her own body. As for public broadcasting, I am pro CBC and their various facets except when it comes to hard news, I believe they should compete with every other news source without subsidy. That creates a level playing field and prevents one news source from favouring the government from which they are subsidized. I would appreciate it if you would stop misrepresenting what I stand for.
Mr. Clark, your comment is unexpected. Thank you. As you may realize, commenting on Doppler can come at a personal cost.
ALK, I don’t often agree with your comments but its nice to have you back and feisty.
Hi, it is the “anonymous” bot and DeSantis supporter here!
I am the wife of over 50 years to the HHS former history teacher, Peter Kear.
I am the daughter of a Danish immigrant, and granddaughter to a knighted Dane, Sir Simon Jensen from Horsens, Denmark (mayor, architect and builder). 2 of his buildings still stand in the town.
.
So, you can presume that some of my roots are social democratic. Coming from Stephen Lewis’ riding in Scarborough and working in the public health care system during my long past nursing career can help you flesh out my biases. I am pro- public education, pro-public health care, and pro-public broadcaster – so now you might see why the disagreement with Mr. Mckenzie.
A recent comment from a neighbour is encouraging for me to keep writing in. There you are.
To say that I am livid with the Green Belt invasion would be an understatement.
Doug Beiers, I couldn’t agree more. People are so blinded by ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ , and misled by the mainstream news media , that they cannot see the real threats to both Canada and the U.S. Hugh Mackenzie, Trump was anything but soft on Russia and China. The U.S. raked in billions on tariffs from China under Trump. And do you really think Putin would have even contemplated invading Ukraine if Trump had been in the White House? I highly doubt it.
Dear Britt; Donald Trump has had nothing but attention paid to his messaging and rhetoric so I think that your assertion that he is not being given a fair shake is mistaken. You seem a little removed from what’s actually happening and, after reading both of your comments, I’m at a loss to understand your position. As for Chas Clarke’s comment: nice try. Further..to Doug B. seriously? FYI Trump is deranged (good definition thank you). Sorry, but y’all are delusional.
Mr Bingham, I can’t resist. ALK is not a Bot but a DeSantis supporter.
Should we worry about Trump? Yes definitely.
Trump has desensitized us to scandals and illegal activity by politicians.
It used to be politicians would immediately resign when trust was lost.
Ford in Ontario has refused to far with the Greenbelt scandal.
Culture of corruption is right.
Blatant this time.
Will he weasel out of it like Trump?
I admire your grit and determination Britt, but no-one is listening. I was going to make a comment earlier, but when 2 of the major editors/publishers here are so entrenched in ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome!” I decided against it. Sad really, but it is what it is.
Ryan Bingam and Anna-Lise Kear, first, Mr. Bingam, I assure you that Anna-Lise Kear is not a Chinese bot. I seldom agree with her but she is alive and well and living in Huntsville. And Anna-Lise, we all know that you dislike Doug Ford, but come on, you know full well that my article was published last Sunday and the Auditor General’s Report did not come out until Wednesday. Hardly a distraction.
There is also nobody with the name Anna-Lise Kear that lives in Huntsville, its a Chinese bot designed to divide and cause fights
Hugh MacKenzie & Hugh Holland respectfully, I have failed to make my point. Let me be more blunt. This article could have been written anytime between now and 2016. Its like ground hog day with Bill Murray. The same hatred and one sided “I hope people come to their senses” comments about Trump/Republicans. The conversation goes no where. Insulting 50% of the population is not a great strategy to unify a country.
My point is not to support or defend but to ask ourselves what don’t I understand especially when it is a 50/50 split. To think the other 50% are just wrong is naïve, and further divides us.
My wife and I predicted that Donald Trump would win the 2016 election as we have been wintering in Florida since 2008 and have seen a huge change in the voting intentions of Floridians . If Florida had stayed a Blue State ( Democrat ) Trump would not have won the 2016 election .Under the US electoral state voting system Trump only has to win back the 100,000 votes he lost to president Biden in 2020 in the states of Wisconsin , Michigan , Pennsylvania , Georgia , Arizona , and Nevada to become the next president in 2024 .
I can only hope that enough Americans , especially Floridians, will come to their senses to not vote for Trump , but I am not holding my breath. Therefore Canada , and all the free democracies around the globe should be concerned if Trump is reelected POTUS in 2024 .
This article distracts from the Ontario Auditor General’s report on the Greenbelt, farmland sell out.
This article is generating some interesting observations. No doubt Trump has some good qualities, but we aren’t seeing those. A leader needs to demonstrate/ practice compassion, common sense, logic, and be truthful… With “an ego the size of the moon” and that’s being generous, Trump falls short. An understatement!
I recognize that everyone is a product of causes and conditions but this is of little solace to me and many others.
Britt Stevens is right about one thing. We can learn something by talking to Americans. In a recent conversation with a good friend who has worked in the US for 20 years, I asked why so many people vote for Trump. There are 2 group that support Trump. Group A is the far-right billionaires and millionaires that since 1980 have progressively seized control by changing election campaign contribution laws and investment tax laws in their favor. Group B is the people whose good manufacturing jobs were outsourced because of those changes. Many in both groups still say, “I know Trump is a bastard, but he is my bastard”. Trump did support Group A, but Group B has yet to realize that he lied to them and doesn’t have the ability to bring their jobs back. (The Asians are just as smart as the Americans, if not smarter.) Some of Group B even went to jail for Trump who is walking free, but they still don’t get it.
The tragedy for the world is that Group A was founded by people who made their fortunes in the fossil fuel business which cannot be outsourced but can be replaced with clean energy or bought out by foreign interests. Trump and Republican politicians depend on those same billionaires for the $26 million they each need to get elected, so they are not about to touch the root cause of climate change. The Farmer’s Almanac says most of the US and likely parts of Canada are in for a particularly miserable winter. Maybe that will change a few more minds? The good news is my friends says he expects that Biden will win the next election.
WOW, I can only say God must have loved stupid people. He sure made a lot of them.
CNN watchers beware of deception.
Yes Hugh, Trump is a monster. He is an extreme narcissist with an ego the size of the moon. He has never cared about anyone but himself and money. Ask anyone with a conscience that has ever worked for or with him. He left a trail of bodies behind him throughout his life including his 4 years in the Whitehouse. It boggles the mind that so many Americans have been duped into supporting a man with no morals, no scruples, no conscience, no philosophy, and so little knowledge of history and the world.
Putin would be glad to see Trump win because he said he would end the war by withdrawing support for Ukraine on day one. That would cause a split in NATO. China would not be happy because Trump spent 6 years insulting China which stirred up the Chinese nationalists and that made Xi respond aggressively. If he gets elected, he will be far worse and more vindictive than he was the first time. And he will do nothing about climate change in spite of the pounding the US and the world is already getting. It is indeed a very disturbing scenario to think about.
The most important attribute to look for in a leader is that he /she is a decent human being, especially when they will command the most powerful military in the world. Biden can clearly pass that test, but Trump clearly cannot. Our best hope is that enough American voters will finally come to their senses.
I agree with you totally. Trump is a very dangerous man, and should never be near power again.
Brett: Thank you for your comment. With respect, I wrote this article about Donald Trump, not about Joe Biden. If you can point out to me anything I said about Donald Trump that is inaccurate, I would appreciate it if you would point that out. I continue to believe , as does Liz Cheney, another Conservative, that on the strength of his character he should never again be anywhere near a seat of power. Your comment seems to suggest that if one does not support Donald Trump they must support Joe Biden. In my case that is not true. If I lived in the United States, I would not vote for him. But that does not mean I would not call out someone on the other team who is absolutely and clearly unfit to be in a position of power. I really wish more people would have the courage to do that. There are other good Republicans who could beat Joe Biden, with Trump out of the way.
Hugh, I agree with you. In response to your question, “should we worry about Trump?” Yes, we should worry/be concerned about Trump. It’s a very real and frightening possibility that he will be elected. I cannot even imagine how that will play out for the world re China and Russia – countries he is “soft on.” Democracy just isn’t in Trump’s vocabulary.
All Canadians should be concerned about Trump.
Hugh, you have mentioned in previous articles how important it is that we listen to each other. Today you point out that the US is split evenly Trump/Biden. However, your words clearly favor Biden alienating 50% of the population who favor Trump. NO attempt to see both sides?! I could also list all of Biden’s flaws, legal issues and miss steps but I think it would be pointless. I am not sure what the best way is to bring a divided country together. Seek out other news sources. Have a coffee with someone who has opposing political views? I listen to Bernie Saunders speak for 3 hours on a very calm respectful podcast. The news sources I listened to always talked about what a crazy socialist he is and that included both FOX & CNN. Bernie is left for sure but he is not crazy and he is not stupid. I really enjoyed listening to him and look at him completely different now. Everybody including the Democrats say how crazy their own fellow Democrat RFK is. Why does his own party hate him so much? Again, I listen to him for hours and found him fascinating and definitely not crazy.
My point Hugh is more than ever with a 50/50 split as you point out we all need to step back and respectfully see the other persons logic and viewpoint because our own lens might be out of focus.