On the eve of the Iowa Caucuses, Donald Trump released a campaign ad claiming America is “stronger, safer and more prosperous” because of him. Devoid of facts, he makes these unsupported claims, which his base sadly will believe.
Here are the actual facts.
Is America stronger? In an attempt to keep his campaign promise to “Build a Wall”, which, by the way, Mexico is NOT paying for, Trump diverted $7.2 billion in Pentagon funds. So, while he makes the claim that he supports the military, and on paper he can point to increased military spending, it’s all smoke-and-mirrors since the funds are not being used for the purpose they were intended. Therefore, to declare America “stronger” is not supported by the facts.
Is America safer? By tearing up the nuclear arms deal with Iran and assassinating one of their top generals, we are at greater risk of war in the Middle East. Iran has declared it will start refining uranium once again and despite the false claim that no Americans were harmed in a retaliatory attack, the number of troops who suffered traumatic brain injuries continues to grow. This is a direct result of Trumlp’s reckless actions.
When it comes to North Korea, the much ballyhooed “cooperation” has failed to materialize. Instead, Trump allowed himself to be used as a pawn enabling North Korea to achieve its desired goal of being seen as an equal to the superpowers on the world stage. Instead, North Korea continues to threaten the region by continuing to advance its nuclear ambitions.
On the home front, the proliferation of firearms and the promise of making certain counties second amendment sanctuaries has furthered the threat of violence in America. Having armed guards in schools and houses of worship has not stopped multiple mass casualty shootings from occurring. Indeed, the ready availability of firearms has resulted in even more deaths.
Is America more prosperous? If you take a very limited look at the stock market, it is at historic highs. However, much of this can be attributed to President Obama. Moreover, a majority of Americans aren’t involved in the markets. Instead, this is an indicator of how much better the wealthy are doing under Trump’s policies, especially his “tax reform”, which saw the repeal of many of the safeguards instituted under President Obama to prevent another Great Recession.
Despite his renegotiated NAFTA deal, manufacturing remains mired in a recession. His promises that his pro-business policies would result in industries flocking back to America has failed to materialize. Instead, businesses are negotiating huge tax breakson the promise of building in America and then failing to follow through.
The Trade War with China has resulted in severe economic hardship among farmers. Government payouts have lessened the impact , but farmers are still struggling and the initial phase of a trade deal holds little promise of changing this.
So, stronger, safer, more prosperous? Not so much. Instead, we have more of the same lies and distortions. And his loyal base keeps swallowing those lies.