Read: Commentary: After A Stormy Few Years Verdict On Trumps Trade War With China Is Clear
Indeed, many observers here focus on his conspicuous absence at ASEAN-led summitry, but clear-eyed Asian states know their interests are served when the US continues to be engaged in this region, albeit in other ways, having been long used to the US no-show during George W Bushs presidency.
But to be sure, his bypassing of multilateral groupings and international institutions like the World Trade Organization was a pity.
He would have achieved stronger global support on tightening trade regulations and reining in countries that do not play by the rules.
Why Are Democrats Struggling Politically Right Now
Biden is hitting the lowest approval ratings of his presidency in poll after poll, in the low 40 percent range. Democrats in Congress fear that translates to losing their majorities in next Novembers midterm elections. History suggests theyre right to worry. Meanwhile, Biden is faced with questions of whether hell run for reelection. And if he doesnt, his likely successor, Vice President Harris, is facing questions of her own from Democrats about how shes handling the job.
A Republican might say: A lot is going wrong under Bidens tenure so far, starting with this summers botched Afghanistan withdrawal. From there, the delta wave of the pandemic took off, inflation is causing prices across the board to rise, a number of Americans are unhappy with their jobs, and no one knows what will be in stock this holiday season.
A Democrat might say: Some of the issues dinging Biden like inflation are out of the administrations hands beyond chipping away at the margins. But these problems will probably get better over time. Congresss ideas for expanding the federal safety net to include things like universal prekindergarten and lowering prescription drug costs are popular they just need to show Americans theyre helping improve their lives.
Difficult Classroom Conversations About Trump And Biden
With the 2020 presidential election approaching, students in your classroom may want to talk about Donald Trump, Joe Biden or other candidates for president. These conversations can be tricky to navigate, especially since students in your class may have opposing views from one another.
If you find yourself in a situation where a student tells you their opinion about one of the political candidates, you should navigate the conversation by focusing on your students experiences with and assumptions about the political candidatethe evolution of their beliefsrather than their specific opinions about the candidate. From there, open the conversation up to the class so that other students can share their experiences.
Below, we provide examples of conversation guides for three different scenarios: students who vocalize support for Trump, students who vocalize support for Biden and students who are for neither candidate. Download a PDF of this resource here.
You May Like: Contact The President Trump
How Can Trump Reach His Followers
Immediately after the Twitter ban – a platform the president has been obsessed with since he first ran for office and where he regularly spoke to his 88 million followers – Trump vowed he would not be SILENCED! and promised a big announcement soon.
But striking out on his own will take time. For the moment, Trump, who leaves office on Jan. 20, is left with alternatives such as online conservative platform Gab, a free-speech network with almost no censorship rules, that has far less of a reach.
Aides and supporters are already turning to Gab and the platform MeWe to amplify his messages in the coming days, experts said. Other likely outlets are video platform Rumble and video streaming service DLive, along with alternate news sites such as American Media Periscope, said Monica Stephens, assistant professor at the University of Buffalo, whose research focuses on topics including social media.
I dont think Trump will join these smaller platforms himself. It is more likely he will create something on his own as opposed to joining something subjected to somebody elses controls, she said.
In the meantime, he can tap Trump-friendly networks such as Fox News, OAN and Newsmax to get his message out. The other underutilized option is the White House press office, experts said. He can continue to hold briefings or distribute statements and videos until the end of his term.
Ask Questions And Listen To The Answers
Children need our help to see the smogand once they do, theyll need our help to navigate through it.
Pretending the smog doesnt existor that we dont see raceis not a solution, from a psychological perspective. Even if we choose a strict media diet, our childrenyes, even young childrenare breathing in messages about race, citizenship, and belonging. Its up to us to check out this smog by asking questions about their understanding of whats going on, how they are making sense of the world around them.
Many parents worry that by asking questions about Trump, they will bring him and his message into their childrens awareness. Its compelling to think that our silence as parents protects our childrenbut it doesnt. Silence in the face of discriminatory statements about women, different races, and immigrants makes us complicit in Trumps message. If we dont talk to our children about these messages, we are allowing others to dictate how our children understand race. Maybe thats OK with youbut if its not, you will need to create a different narrative by having a conversation with your child.
How to start? You can explicitly ask, So what do you think of this Trump guy? You can also ask:
- Have you heard about the election?
- Who are the candidates?
- What do you think they are like?
- Who do you like and why?
You can also check out what might be happening in their environment: How are kids getting along at school?
He added: Do all white people vote for Trump?
Read Also: Does Trump Donate To Charity
We Believe In Feelings Over Facts
People believe in things that have been factually disproven because beliefs are based on goals or emotions and not necessarily facts. According to Thagard, “People hold onto disproven ideas because of motivated inference.” Motivated inference is a natural thinking mechanism that sees us base our beliefs on things we want to be true rather than what factually is.
Motivated inference pops up in our lives in so many ways for example, we might stay with a romantic partner who mistreats us because we believe they’ll change, or even when we put our faith in a political leader to improve our lives. We want them to do these things so badly, we will collect all the bits of information that prove us right. It’s like selective hearing.
“Motivated inference is not just wishful thinking. Instead, people become very selective about what they want to remember and count as facts, and selective in pursuing evidence,” Thagard said. “They also ignore evidence.”
Thagard points to how this can dramatically affect important policy-making too, specifically with issues like climate change. Leaders who don’t believe in climate change will educate themselves by listening to scientists who also don’t believe in climate change. We are all susceptible to motivated inference, but we can recognize it in ourselves and work against it.
Conversations About Specific Behaviors
With these principles in mind, find a good time to talk with them a time when you really have their attention. This may be at the dinner table, driving in the car, or just sitting around in the living room.
Heres what we all have seen repeatedly in the media, which are also behaviors that we may see in our own kids and families.
- Deliberately misrepresenting the truth
- Being easily Influenced by the negatives motives of others
- Needing to be the center of attention
- Failing to take responsibility for misbehavior
- Defying rules and authority
- Seeking revenge and retaliating when slighted
For each of these behaviors, ask your kids to:
- Consider what theyve seen and where
- Describe specific examples
- Ask what might motivate these behaviors
- Wonder what might have been done differently
- Consider alternatives that would be more effective in achieving the Presidents desired outcomes
There may be some common themes you might find.
For example: The President tends to take things very personally and is overly concerned about his image. While its important for leaders to be mindful of their appearance, some people, in the heat of the moment, act in an impulsive or self-centered ways, and lose sight of principle and fail to see how their actions can hurt others. This process may backfire and ironically blemish themselves.
And please, remember that talks like this are ongoing and not one-shot deals. Theyre more a marathon than a sprint. I only hope that you can get them started.
Recommended Reading: Fact Checker Trump Lies
How To Watch Donald Trump Speech On Tv Or Online Tonight
Dated: June 5, 2021
Several media outlets are planning to air the speech by Donald Trump tonight at the GOP Republican convention in North Carolina starting at 7pm ET.
One place to watch is on C-SPAN. Replays will be posted at C-SPAN afterwards.
Emmy-Award Winning Investigative Journalist, New York Times Best Selling Author, Host of Sinclairs Full Measure
Supporters Say: He Understands Money And Business
Trump said: said, Maybe you didnt pay taxes. And I said, Well, that would make me smart.
Your comeback: He has ran at least four businesses into the ground and used Trump University to scam the most vulnerable of society, Jake Orvis, president of College Democrats of Georgia said. It goes to show that with a small loan of one million dollars one can game American bankruptcy law and take advantage of struggling Americans, the Georgia Tech junior said. He understands business? More like he knows how to #FakeItTillYouMakeIt.
Read Also: Was Melania Trump A Prostitute
Also Check: Was Melania Trump A Prostitute
Ivana Thought That Donald Trump Was Careless When It Came To Covid
When asked about her ex-husbandâs approach to COVID-19 , Ivana Trump said that he was âcareless.â According to People, Ivana kept in contact with her three children while Donald was being treated for the illness, saying that it was a very difficult time.
âI spoke to all my kids and they, of course, are worried,â she said, but went on to say that her husband should have been more careful. âHe didnât think it would happen to him,â she concluded. Of course, it is now known that Donald downplayed the severity of COVID-19, even after he found out just how dangerous the illness is. Even so, Ivana said that she was surprised when she found out that he had gotten sick given that he is âthe cleanest, healthiest person.â Her words, not ours.
âI just hope heâs going to get out of it and be healthy,â Ivana later told People. âBut who knows what will happen, because I donât know anything about this virus and nobody else does and nobody knows how to cure it.â As we know, Donald did recover and made quite the show when he returned to the White House.
Talk Of Trump 2024 Run Builds As Legal Pressure Intensifies
WASHINGTON Donald Trump was calling into yet another friendly radio show when he was asked, as he often is, whether he’s planning a comeback bid for the White House. We need you,” conservative commentator Dan Bongino told the former president.
Well, Ill tell you what, Trump responded. We are going to make you very happy, and were going to do whats right.”
It was a noncommittal answer typical of a former president who spent decades toying with presidential runs. But multiple people who have spoken with Trump and his team in recent weeks say such remarks shouldnt be viewed as idle chatter. Instead, they sense a shift, with Trump increasingly acting and talking like he plans to mount a run as he embarks on a more public phase of his post-presidency, beginning with a speech on Saturday in North Carolina.
The interest in another run, at least for now, comes as Trump has been consumed by efforts to undo last years election, advancing baseless falsehoods that it was stolen and obsessing over recounts and audits that he is convinced could overturn the results, even though numerous recounts have validated his loss. Hes also facing the most serious legal threat of his career.
Trump has slammed the probe as purely political, and those around him insist he isn’t concerned about potential legal exposure even as they suggest his political posture is evolving.
The energys still there,” Whitehouse said. “You cant replicate it.
You May Like: Trump Hotel Rates Chicago
How To Talk About Politics This Thanksgiving
This originally published in The 5-Minute Fix newsletter.
These days, politics is infused into nearly everything we do in America from our decisions on how to protect ourselves from coronavirus to local school board meetings. So its a safe bet that something related to politics is going to come up at your Thanksgiving dinner table. Here are conversation helpers around three of the biggest issues today, no matter which side you fall on.
The Debate Over Vaccine Mandates
If youre a liberal, youre more likely to be vaccinated against coronavirus and support vaccine requirements than a conservative. Public health experts say and requirements in corporate America increasingly show that more stringent vaccination regulations get more people vaccinated. The White House announced today that more than 9 in 10 federal workers are vaccinated after Biden required it. Now the administration is fighting in court to keep intact its requirement that large businesses have employees either vaccinated or agree to weekly testing.
A liberal might say: Vaccine requirements are nothing new. Many conservative states have stringent requirements for a number of vaccines like measles. Plus, the vaccines clearly protect people from serious covid-19 illness. President Biden is fighting for his testing-or-vaccine requirement in the courts.
A conservative might say: Yes, states can mandate vaccines, but thats not the federal governments job. If Biden really thinks his vaccine-or-testing mandate is so crucial, he should have issued it months earlier, while the delta variant was surging. Plus, is this necessary? Vaccination rates are way up nearly 60 percent of all Americans have been fully vaccinated.
You May Like: How Many Jobs Has President Trump Created
Draft: Donald Trump 2024 Presidential Campaign
Just FYI, Draft:Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign has been underway for some time. We generally do not introduce such drafts to mainspace until a candidate declares their candidacy, but the potential for a Trump candidacy has already received so much coverage that I think it may well be notable if he decides not to run. It is possible that this draft will never mature into an article, but I am noting it here nonetheless. Cheers!! BD2412T 04:12, 1 March 2021
