I wanted Trump to win the last election. There, I said it. And you know what? I’m thrilled he did.
That feels better.
Yes, I know: Trump is, to put it mildly, an appalling human. He’s a convicted criminal who can’t legally serve alcohol in his own home. I know that bleach cocktails don’t cure Covid. I know his existence flies in the face of everything I was taught growing up and everything I now teach my kids: tell the truth, be kind, respect your partner, don’t cheat and pay your taxes.
By any measure of character, Trump is a disaster. But here’s the thing: when judging someone’s ability to lead, track record matters. It’s why we have CVs, pass exams, and avoid doing business with people with a history of bankruptcy. What did Trump’s record show during his presidency? No new wars. An American President who didn’t start wars. That’s as rare as rocking horse manure.
Trump leaves office, and suddenly, we’re drowning in conflict. Russia and Ukraine are at war. The first-ever ICBM has been fired in combat, hitting a target in Ukraine, and yet, almost nobody I know is talking about it. Have you seen the video? An ICBM vaporizing its target? I have. It’s terrifying. And that’s not to mention October 7th and the carnage in the Middle East.
Trump, for all his countless flaws, pledged to stop what is the most dangerous moment in modern history. Russia has the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, including a new hypersonic missile we can’t intercept. Why gamble on diplomacy when you’re playing Russian roulette with an actual Russian holding the nukes?
I come from a Quaker tradition, a peace movement at heart, even though I’m no pacifist. Many Quakers reading this blog will likely be appalled by my view. They cannot reconcile the contradiction of a man as despicable as Trump being the one to advocate for peace. I get it. But when faced with a world teetering on the brink of catastrophe, I care less about the man’s moral standing and more about his record.
Kamala Harris and Biden had to plan to halt the slaughter: that’s the very definition of immorality. The Military Industrial Complex seemed to own them.
I’ve marched on countless Stop the War protests, surrounded by lefties who would no doubt despise everything about Trump. But unlike most of them, I’m still antiwar. And that’s why I celebrated Trump’s win. Not with champagne — because he doesn’t drink – so I raised a Coca-Cola in his honour.
Yes, Trump is a liar, a narcissist, and a man who shouldn’t be anyone’s role model. But if his promise to bring peace to the world is genuine, then I’ll take his crimes over the alternative any day. If that costs me all my blog subscribers, so be it.
