In some ways, aging is like baseball. That is, as each inning has the same three outs and each trip around the sun always takes 365 days, over time, the compounding importance of end-of-game outs and end-of-life days becomes increasingly obvious. Realizing that, with President Trump just turning 79 and completing his second term at 82, he deserves credit for living his diminishing time as a human piñata absorbing constant and often spurious attacks to improve the lives of all Americans.
Surviving two assassination attempts, a 34 felony count lawfare conviction, two impeachments, and daily media inventions linking him to fascism in general and Hitler in particular, he’s emerged triumphant. Surely, any fair-minded person must realize that with a net worth of some $5 billion, a business empire second to none, and a family of five children and 11 grandchildren, he could easily rest on his laurels far from the madding crowd.
However, rather than riding into the sunset with golf clubs in hand, Trump entered the political arena a second time and follows a schedule that would exhaust anyone half his age. So, unlike Biden, who during his presidency was bubble-wrap protected by the mainstream media, Trump has voluntarily tolerated constant abuse for many of his remaining years to better our nation.
Whatever one thinks of his policies, such cost-benefit selflessness exhibits altruism of the highest order, prioritizing the country over one’s self-interests. In contrast, by opening our borders to likely future Democratic voters, Biden’s actions inverted such gallantry.
Some, however, may argue that, as president, Trump is being emotionally compensated for his public service by feeding his “enormous ego.” Yet all but the most ardent Trump haters would likely agree that even if so, that is a small reward for enduring unfounded animus from wherever the source for whatever the reason.
While criticisms and outright fabrications of Trump’s second term from progressive news outlets are too numerous to mention, a small sampling would include the Rolling Stone headline “Trump’s Shockingly Lawless Second Term,” followed by the claim that “this administration is shaping up to be the most corrupt of them all.”
Not outdone by such hysterical gaslighting, CNN claimed that Trump’s second presidency is “already descending into disarray amid a legal morass,” and The New York Times added that “[t]he first 100 days of President Trump’s second term have done more damage to American democracy than anything else since the demise of Reconstruction.”
Moreover, Democratic Party leaders have continued their “Destroy Trump” attacks, which had begun during the President’s first term. For example, Kamala Harris has stated that Trump’s tariffs are “clearly inviting a recession [and] will be causing the greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history.” Barack Obama reportedly urged resistance, labeling Trump’s actions a threat to democracy. And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders have similarly challenged reality on their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour.
Even at Pope Francis’ funeral, Trump was laughably criticized for breaking the dress code by wearing a blue suit when several other officials and world leaders were similarly attired.
And worst of all, Trump’s bold decision to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons infrastructure and initiate a ceasefire in Tehran’s conflict with Israel was initially devalued by progressive media outlets such as CNN and the New York Times.
Basing damage assessments on a preliminary and leaked analysis, those sources almost gleefully ran with reports that operation “Midnight Hammer” did not destroy Iran’s nuclear sites and that they could be operational again within months. Clearly, the ulterior motive of running with such a premature and false narrative was to transform Trump’s and our nation’s triumphant moment into an abject failure.
Yet for Trump or any other leader, voluntarily placing oneself in the bullseye of such baseless attacks to benefit unrelated millions runs counter to the psychology of self-sacrifice. Namely, since we are genetically hardwired to seek survival, except in war, people are unlikely to place themselves at risk for strangers.
So, why would Trump so willingly accept daily abuse to benefit multitudes he doesn’t know and will likely never meet? Does he consider those nameless Americans part of his extended family, thereby qualifying them for help at his expense? Or, more likely, because the greater the devotion to a cause, the less one’s self-interest, he is willing to sacrifice his cushy civilian life to ensure a more prosperous and secure America?
While it may never be known with certainty why Trump sacrifices a conflict-free retirement for the slings and arrows of second-term incumbency, he should at least be given the benefit of the doubt that his self-sacrificing greater good altruism deserves, not blind faith policy acceptance, but at least a “wait and see” respect.
And who knows, in likely seeking a positive legacy as a modern-day Dickinsonian character, his “Tale of Two Administrations” motive may be as simple as honestly believing, “It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done.”
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