Not So Smart After All

While it is no surprise that I found Trump’s State of the Union speech unpresidential and ridiculous, my biggest surprise is the sprinkling of comments I heard on an NPR talk show a day after.

I know that Trump's favorability is at a low, but that does not excuse the sophomoric understanding of the current governmental crisis. While a voter may not like what the current regime is not accomplishing, the present state of affairs is frightening, unprecedented, and abnormal.

Such statements as, “well he’s certainly not a diplomat, but he’s accomplished so much” astound me. Yes, we have had leaders who sometimes utter inappropriate remarks. Trump is in a league of his own. He confabulates, deceives, and switches his viewpoints with uncommon regularity. He is not a man who “puts his foot in his mouth.” Lying is a strategy to conceal his true motives which center around making himself and his friends richer and more powerful.

Other comments I heard were, “what are the Democrats doing?” Obviously, their hands are tied at this point. Many eloquent Democrats have made their opinions clear. Another choice statement I heard was, “I am tired of the partisan bickering." Aren’t we all? But a so called President who says, before millions of viewers, that the opposition is crazy or that immigrants are hard core criminals is hardly helping to mend fences.

In general, what is missing from these responses is that we are not living in normal times. Our country has descended into a chaotic situation which threatens our 250 year old democracy. The current President cannot be described in normal terms. His governance cannot be analyzed or compared to other presidencies. Later today, I read in the New York Times that a young woman's response to the speech was, "well, he touched all the important points." I suppose Trump touched them, but that is about all.

Do Americans want a president who just mentions subjects but does not try to solve problems? A leader who creates more risks for citizens of our country and other lands? Maybe so. Perhaps, we live in a country where most people are only concerned about themselves, their families, and their lifestyles. People seem to be satisfied if their tiny circle of contacts are doing alright, nevermind the less fortunate. Americans are not seeking out religious affiliation and contributions to charities have decreased. The United States is separated from Asia and Europe by immense bodies of water; war has not been fought on this land since the Civil War. History is distant and to be disregarded. So why worry about those other people over there, especially if they are not white? And for heaven's sake, don't let them come here.

I am saddened by these apparent facts, but I grew up in a different world. When I was a child, people were convinced that the United States had something positive to offer the world, not that I always agreed with our government. The previously colonized became independent countries. Punishment was doled out to wealthy offenders, Nixon and Agnew being prime examples. As a country, we were focused on civil rights for African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic farm workers, the gay community--including the AIDs crisis, and women's liberation. Now, some groups of Americans are more concerned that their children do not get too many immunizations, and that they are not upset in school by the realities of American history. Funding for important medical research has stopped, setting back progress for years. Eventhough, millions of Americans have benefited from medical advancements, no matter their political party affiliation.

Every child is gifted nowadays, but no one seems particularly smart to me. I am depressed that there cannot be a meaningful link between generations. I do not expect teenagers to be mature, but certainly adults should realize that the past has something for each of us to learn. Listening, or rather not listening, to a demagogue who cares not an iota about anyone, is not an intelligent strategy for one's family or one's country. This will be their future, not mine. Our country has changed. The basic tenets of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the foundation of the nation, are disregarded and ignored. Free speech has been turned around on its head and used for political purposes.

Today the villians or perpetrators of the demise of our country look like normal people. They speak well, are supposedly educated, and blend into the general population. This situation is no different than what has happened in the past in other countries! Beware of the wolf in sheeps clothing; you know who they are if you are paying attention. They mean to do harm to us not good. They wish to set the country back more than 100 years when imperialism was supreme, children died of preventable diseases, and white men had all the power.

©Karen Levi 2026