So how bad is it? Let’s take a look at what he’s done in almost two years in office.
Tariffs: Trump’s favorite products — gas and oil — are suffering. The American Petroleum Institute stated last week that Trump’s tariffs will end our oil and gas exports.
Raw-steel materials or aluminum imported from China are at a 20-percent higher cost for manufacturers in the United States. Think about those cars and washing machines that Trump likes to brag about.
Anyone own a Harley Davidson? They cost 20-percent more and sell for less, which translates to a loss of jobs at these factories.
Farmers have already been hit hard with a 20-40-percent decrease in apples, corn and soybean sales. Beef and pork sales have also dropped by 20 percent.
Alaskan fishermen are complaining since they’re losing their export business.
Even your local newspapers are taking a hit. A tariff on newsprint is increasing prices 20-30 percent and has already cost some jobs at newspapers in Florida and Pennsylvania. Some papers have decided to limit their printing to three days a week instead of printing five or more days.
Republicans love talking about the deficit, which is now $440 billion — the highest in U.S. history. The deficit can be attributed to the U.S. government spending $4.094 trillion more than its revenue of $3.654 trillion. One of the major reasons for that is the new tax law, where the rich got richer and the middle class got shafted.
On to healthcare: Prices keep rising as Trump tries to end Obamacare.
Let’s talk about the total number of rules that have been either overturned or rolled back on environmental issues. In a time of climate change, a survey by Harvard University’s environmental regulation-rollback index and Columbia University’s climate indicator found that air-pollution emissions total 18, toxic substances and safety 7 and water pollution 7. Drinking water and breathing have become a risky business.
Immigration: Parents are being separated from their children. Children are getting lost in an unprepared immigration system. Trump created child prisons.
Women’s health under Trump is all about restriction. They don’t say the obvious — that they would like to overturn Roe v. Wade, but what they are doing is putting more restrictions on abortion state by state. His new Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, will do the same, as witnessed by his writings on the subject. Not to mention the attempts to restrict funding to Planned Parenthood and other women’s clinics.
Foreign relations: He’s simply a joke that no international leader can deal with, since his word, and therefore the U.S.’ word, can turn on a dime. Even treaties already signed are being overturned. He fights with our allies and drinks champagne with tyrants. Human rights? He’s never heard of them.
In terms of gun violence: Under Trump’s leadership, we’ve had the largest number of school shootings than during the entire eight-year Obama presidency.
Here’s a list we have not compiled and it’s a list in itself: Corruption, with the largest number of appointed officials resigning due to misuse of funds. Sexism, racism and a man so insecure that he needs his name or face in the media 24/7.
LGBT issues: Let’s just say Vice President Mike Pence.
That says it all.
What is very sad is that many of you are reading this and saying, “But you forgot …” You’re right. It’s been so bad that we don’t even have the space to print it all.
It reminds me of the line, “What a sad state of affairs.”
Speaking of affairs, oh, we can just go on and on, but we have to end somewhere.
Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media. You can follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarkSegalPGN or Twitter at https://twitter.com/PhilaGayNews.