Buyer’s Remorse and Trump, Part 3: Ethics

In my recent posts, I have explored “Consumer’s Remorse” applied to our recent presidential election in light of Trump’s first days in office. Some who voted for him are having “second thought” about that choice.

About 35% of U.S. voters consider themselves to be part of the MAGA base. They enthusiastically voted for Trump. They generally do not acknowledge any significant defect in his policies or personal character. They would go to the ends of the earth for Trump. There is a second group, consisting of “swing“ voters who voted from Trump (about 15% of the total population), but who are willing to admit some faults in his policies and character. They are willing to listen to reason and evidence, and to follow the truth wherever it leads. I am writing this blog post primarily for them. This post is about Trump and ethics.

I am appealing to the conscience of my readers. I recognize that individuals vary somewhat in how they reach their understanding of what is right and wrong. I unashamedly acknowledge that my code of ethics is largely due to my understanding of Jesus Christ. I also believe that there is broad agreement on general ethical principles among all people in our country. Most of us believe that murder is wrong. Lying is generally recognized as wrong, as well. I suggest the following areas where people who follow basic morality might find common ground regarding contemporary political events.

Respect for the Law

Most of those who voted for Trump that I personally know are generally law-abiding citizens. Although they drive a few miles per hour above the stipulated Interstate Highway speed limits, they generally obey the important laws of the land and want their president to obey those laws. They are proud Americans who cherish our Constitution. They should be outraged when our president issues an executive order that clearly violates that Constitution. With the alleged goal of reducing the incentives of undocumented immigration, Trump issued an executive order to end birthright citizenship. The problem is that this order is a clear violation of the 14^th Amendment to our Constitution. Trump supporters might approve of his goals, but they should publicly reject his actions if they violate the Constitution. (There exists a legal way to amend our Constitution, but the president has not chosen that route.)

A President has the right to disagree with the appropriation decisions made by Congress but does not have the right to freeze the disbursement of those funds that have already been appropriated. In our country we have a balance of power: three co-equal branches, the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. Congress has the power of the purse. The President has the responsibility to carry out those decisions. The courts have the responsibility to interpret the laws where there is disagreement. On Sunday, Trump ordered a funding freeze on federal program grants that negatively impacts millions of citizens. Although Social Security and Medicare were exempt, thousands of programs were frozen. This freeze includes food programs like SNAP, aid to Ukraine, housing, etc., although there was much confusion regarding which agencies were affected. In fact, Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, was not able to answer the question whether Medicaid (which serves 72 million Americans) was included or excluded. A federal judge temporarily blocked the freeze. The good news is that Trump has changed his mind (acknowledged his mistake?) and has rescinded the freeze. The bad news is that the president will probably issue another freeze which would be more limited, but would still be illegal.

Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. He has also affirmed that his priority is to deport those people who are felons or who have committed violent crimes. (Technical language is important here. Entering the U.S. without legal documents or overstaying one’s visa is considered a “civil offense”, not a “crime.” The White House Press Secretary deliberately mixed these categories.) On the first day of the deportation raids, 1179 immigrants were arrested. 52% of these were considered “criminal arrests”; 48% were “non-criminal arrests”. I hope those who voted for Trump hold him accountable.

Bullying

Bullying can be defined as “the behavior of a person or group that hurts or frightens others who are smaller or less powerful, often forcing them to do something they do not want to do”. Most decent people denounce personal bullying as hurtful and destructive. It is not acceptable on an individual level. Neither is it appropriate behavior for relationships between nations. A week ago, the U.S. sent undocumented immigrants to their home country of Colombia in military airplanes. The use of U.S. military aircraft, instead of commercial planes, shows a complete ignorance of U.S./Latin American relations. The U.S. has immorally invaded Latin America dozens of times (Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, etc.). This invading mentality is even enshrined in our Marine Hymn where we declare that we will invade and make war “from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli”.

Colombian president Gustavo Preto refused to receive these planes. Trump immediately threatened Colombia with severe tariffs and penalties. Preto countered with tariffs to be applied to U.S. products sold in Colombia. Colombia and the USA are not of the same size nor economic GDP. Colombia is economically dependent upon its coffee exports to the U.S. Those exports make Colombia extremely vulnerable. Preto backed down and received the aircraft. Trump claimed victory and boasted “the United States is respected again”. This is not respect; it is fear. According to the definition above, it is bullying because a more powerful country is forcing a smaller nation to do something it does not want to do.

My friends and readers of this blog post. I know that most of you don’t agree with bullying at an interpersonal level. Denounce it when it takes place at an international level.

Respect for the Family

Those who voted for Trump usually have a high respect for the family. They believe in the family and vote in favor of our country’s families. I don’t think they are aware of how Trump’s immigration policy is tearing families apart. As I wrote above, 48% of those arrested on the first day of raids were “non-criminal” arrests. Most of these people live in families where their spouse and children are legal U.S. residents or citizens. These raids are ripping parents from their kids and children from their parents. Readers, if you are truly pro-family, urge the president to make his immigration policy more humane.

The Truth

Regrettably, the president has a troubled relationship with the truth. He lies even when there is no justification to do so. For example, he has made repeated claims that he won the November 2024 election in a “landslide”. The truth is that he won a plurality of the votes, but he did not obtain a majority (49.8% compared to Harris’ 48.3%). His margin of victory was the smallest since the election of 2000.

His reputation for lying and hyperbole is so bad that we need to take his statements with a bucket of salt. Carefully examine statements from all politicians (and from me, as well), holding on to what is good and rejecting what is not.

My Plea

Friends, regardless of whether we agree on Trump’s goals or not, we can agree and find common ground on the following:

Presidential actions and executive orders must be legal and not violate our Constitution nor our laws.
Presidential actions and criticisms from his opponents must have a high regard for the truth.
We commit ourselves to examine the positions of the “other side” with honesty and integrity.

Buyer’s Remorse Regarding Trump, Part 2: It is Harder to Govern than to Make Campaign Promises

Donald Trump 2.0 has finished one week into his second presidency. He signed a flurry of executive orders and made several presidential decisions. Many of these were popular with his base, but some were not. In my post last week, I suggested that his blanket pardon of the January 6 rioters (including those convicted of assault against police officers) was not popular with the U.S. public. Only 21% of North Americans approved of that decision. In fact, some of his supporters are showing signs of buyer’s remorse. What about his other decisions? Will they increase his support or lead to greater dissatisfaction. Let’s explore some of them.

The War in Gaza

I begin with giving credit where credit is due. Even before his second inauguration had occurred, Trump’s team worked together with Biden’s people to pressure Netanyahu to agree to the tenuous ceasefire and prisoner/hostage release with Hamas. The ceasefire has held so far. Why did Trump support the Biden plan? Trump had bragged that he was Negotiator-in-Chief and could end any war. Kudos to Trump, but the road ahead will not be easy. Will he be able to help negotiate a long-lasting peace that is fair for both the Israelis and the Palestinian people? Or will his administration get bogged down by a never-ending conflict in the Middle East? His suggestion that two million Palestinians leave Gaza does not sound fair nor just.

Russia’s War Against Ukraine

Candidate Trump had promised that he would end the war in Ukraine by his first day in office. Of course, this did not happen. Those that voted for him should either feel some buyer’s remorse or that they were utterly naïve to believe his false promises.

FEMA, North Carolina and California

To his credit, Trump visited the hard-hit areas of North Carolina (hurricanes last fall) and Los Angeles (wildfires during January). Nevertheless, he made comments that raised significant concerns. He suggested that in the future, emergency aid would become a responsibility of the states and not of the national government through its Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).. The possible elimination of FEMA did not sit well with most Americans who have come to believe that emergency relief is primarily a duty of the federal government. For each state to maintain a large, stand-by emergency workforce would be inefficient and extremely costly.

Immigration/Birthright Citizenship

Trump made many decisions regarding immigration. He ordered that babies born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants would not have an automatic right to citizenship. This is a clear violation of the 14^th Amendment to our Constitution which does grant that right to everyone born in our country. The president’s order was immediately blocked by Federal Judge John Coughenour (who had been appointed by former president Reagan) who declared Trump’s action to be “blatantly unconstitutional”. Trump also affirmed that “we are the only country in the world that grants birthright citizenship”. This is a LIE! Dozens of countries permit birthright citizenship. I know because our three children were born in Mexico and have Mexican citizenship (even though neither my wife nor I are Mexicans).

Immigration/Scapegoating

We have a long sad history of scapegoating foreign immigrants, falsely blaming them for many evils they did not commit and not acknowledging how they toiled under difficult conditions to build our country. We did this to the Irish, the Italians, the Jews, the Chinese, the Mexicans, and many more. We continue to do this today with undocumented immigrants. They work night and day on our farms, in our hotels and factories, or in construction. They pay sales tax, income tax, Social Security tax, real estate tax, and other taxes, yet we accuse them for the failures of our economy. They are blamed for the crime in our streets, even though police records consistently show their crime rate is much lower than those born in the United States. President Trump has said he will deport nine million undocumented immigrants. This would lead to skyrocketing inflation, especially for groceries. As more and more citizens realize that scapegoating is ethically cruel and economically inaccurate, buyer’s remorse will rise.

Tariffs

Nations place tariffs upon certain products from other countries, usually to punish another country or to protect a national industry. The use of tariffs almost never works and almost always raises prices for consumers. It is the opposite of free market capitalism. Trump has promised to levy 25% tariffs on products from Mexico and Canada and 50% on some from China. The overwhelming majority of economists disagree with the president. They affirm this would greatly increase inflation. On Sunday, Trump and Colombia’s President Gustavo Preto had a conflict on Sunday as Petro refused to receive Colombian immigrants who were being deported. Both presidents slapped a 25% tariff on the other country. It appears that last night the disagreement had been resolved. If the tariffs were to take effect, coffee prices in the U.S. would skyrocket.

Trump campaigned on lowering prices on groceries, rent, and gasoline. He has more recently tried to walk this back and has acknowledged, “It is really hard to lower prices”. He is now making a more modest promise of “lowering the rate of inflation”. The following political affirmation is quite true regarding the criteria used to evaluate a president: “It’s the economy, stupid”. If Trump lowers inflation, most citizens will give him a good grade, but if inflation rises, so will buyer’s remorse.

In my next post, I will analyze the morality/immorality of Trump’s executive orders.

Buyer’s Remorse regarding Trump: Even the Fraternal Order of Police Criticizes his Pardon of Insurrectionists

Buyer’s Remorse! This occurs when a person buys something (a car, a home, etc.) and then finds out that what was bought was defective and that the seller misrepresented the product. The person then regrets the purchase and feels anger with the seller for having lied. Last November, U.S. citizens bought a product when a plurality (not a majority) of voters (49.5%) elected Trump as president. In this first week of his presidency, he has issued a flurry of controversial executive orders and has made other decisions regarding immigrants, refugees, tariffs, the Paris Accords on Climate Change, the World Health Organization, and on and on. The action that has produced the most criticism, even by those who had supported Trump, was his pardon of the January 6, 2021 insurrectionists. The reaction has been swift and is the beginning of buyer’s remorse regarding Trump.

On Tuesday, President Trump pardoned or commuted the sentence of all 1500 people who had been convicted of crimes in the insurrection that took place at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Some pardons had been expected. Presidents have the right to selectively pardon people on an individual basis, but pardoning all the criminals went too far. This blanket pardon was an attack on the rule of law. For example, earlier this month in an interview with Fox News, Vice President Vance had stated, “If you committed violence on that day, obviously, you shouldn’t be pardoned”. Vance was right. Nevertheless, six hundred of those who were pardoned had been found guilty of assaulting police officers. Over 140 police had suffered injuries during the riot. These were not “minor incidents” as the president now claims.

Police organizations across the country have rallied to support their colleagues. The Fraternal Order of Police is the largest police union in the United States. They endorsed Trump in the presidential elections of 2016, 2020, and 2024. In a joint declaration together with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, they strongly criticized this blanket pardon. “Crimes against law enforcement are not just attacks on individuals or public safety. They are attacks on society and undermine the rule of law. Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families. When perpetrators of crimes, especially serious crimes, are not held fully accountable, it sends a dangerous message that the consequences for attacking law enforcement are not severe, potentially emboldening others to commit similar acts of violence.”

Elected Republican senators and congressional representatives have been asked for their opinions regarding the blanket pardon. Senator Lisa Murkowski had the courage to denounce the pardon, but most Republican officials claim that haven’t seen the videos of the insurrection. This is a lame alibi, because most of these officials were in the Capitol on that tragic day, and videos of the riot have been widely available for four years. Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, said it wasn’t his “place” to comment on the pardon. What a coward! The House of Representatives was precisely the “place” where the insurrection happened.

This pardon cannot now be undone, but Trump could at least issue an apology. If he doesn’t demonstrate remorse, others will.

Defending the Immigrant: Thanksgiving, Father Abraham, and Brother Jesus

The recent election reveals a lot about us in this country. Polls show that immigration was one of the most important issues and that up to half of our population would like to see millions of undocumented immigrants deported. If you are in favor of this massive deportation, I write this brief article with the hope of changing your mind. I appeal to your conscience, your sense of integrity, and if you are a religious person, your understanding of Biblical teaching.

Let’s begin with Thanksgiving. According to our national folklore, the first Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. Members of the Wampanoag indigenous people shared food (venison, bass, mussels) with the pilgrims. Whether it occurred exactly in this way is not that important for this post. What is important to remember is that on the eve of the European colonization of the Americas (by the Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, and others), these lands were under the stewardship of the indigenous people tribes. Not many Europeans asked the indigenous leaders for “permission” to occupy and settle in the land. In other words, they were “illegal” or “undocumented” immigrants, although they tried to justify their actions by affirming “manifest destiny” or other religious arguments. Others claimed that although their government was wrong, they were individually innocent. Over the next centuries, treaties were made…, and frequently broken. The result was that almost the totality of the land previously under the stewardship of indigenous people was taken by Europeans and their descendants. I am a descendant of those European colonists and a beneficiary of that unjust land takeover. Most of my fellow citizens are in a similar situation. It would be hypocrisy for me to glory in this pursuit of the “American Dream” of my predecessors and to deny other immigrants that same opportunity.

Our national history regarding immigrants has been quite checkered. Protestant immigrants from western or northern nations of Europe have been very privileged. Others, not quite so much. At various times, Italians, Poles, Jews, the Irish, Mexicans, the Chinese, and others have been scapegoated, as if they were the cause of all our country’s ills (as claimed today). Some suffered outright persecution and deportation. Of course, the capture and enslavement of Africans was our nation’s most horrific evil committed against foreigners. If we were honest, we would confess our national sins against immigrants.

Now, let’s turn to the Scriptures. “Father Abraham” is recognized as the founding patriarch of the three great monotheistic religions in our world: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. According to the sacred texts, God called Abraham to leave his father’s house to go to a distant land (Genesis 12). He became an immigrant “par excellence”. God told Abe that those who welcomed and blessed him would also receive the Lord’s blessing. Along the way, Abe made many mistakes. (Like some contemporary immigrants, Abe told some lies to save his own skin.) Nevertheless, people in other countries forgave him and blessed him… and Abraham became a blessing to others, just like God had promised.

Some will say that God’s promise to Abraham was quite specific and does not apply to immigrants today. Not true… at least not for those who want to follow the God of the Bible. The Scriptures tell us that all people, including all immigrants, are made in God’s image, and therefore, have immense value. Because immigrants are frequently subject to mistreatment (just like orphans and widows), God defends them and provides them with special protections (Leviticus 25:35, Deuteronomy 14:29, the entire book of Ruth the immigrant, and Malachi 3:5). The Lord Jesus is even more radical in his teaching: “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me… what you have done to the least of these my brothers and sisters, you have done to me” (Matthew 25:31-46). The way we treat an immigrant is, in fact, how we treat Jesus himself.

How should we treat the millions of undocumented immigrants in our midst? The overwhelming majority of them are working in gainful employment. Our economy, especially the agricultural and construction sectors, needs immigrant labor. It would suffer greatly if millions of immigrants were deported. Undocumented parents would be separated from their children, many of which are U.S. born citizens. A good solution would be to follow the contours of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, carved out by President Reagan and Congress. Let them regularize their legal status, pay a penalty, continue in their jobs, and most importantly, keep their families intact. A good first step would be to increase the pathways for legal immigration.

Let’s do better in the future than we have in the past!

Trump’s Plan to Eliminate the Federal Income Tax: Why would any Sane Person Support It?

Former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has recently floated the idea of eliminating the federal income tax. At first glance, this could be seen as a popular plan. I don’t know anyone who enjoys paying income taxes. Nevertheless, sensible people know that we have to pay our bills, as families and as a nation. The federal government annually receives $2.4 trillion dollars from the collection of personal income taxes, about half of the government’s budget. Common sense reminds us that if you cut your income in half, you must increase your money intake in some other way. Trump claims the funding shortfall could be made up with tariffs on imported goods (see below). Government leaders, including prominent Republicans, have repudiated Trump’s plan while others have suggested that Trump was just “kidding”. Trump responded in his recent interview with Joe Rogan on Friday that he was quite serious about his plan.

It is important for us to remember that during Trump’s presidency (2017-2021), the national debt increased by $7.8 trillion dollars, the largest increase in our country’s history! His idea of raising money by 10-20% tariffs on foreign goods is also quite flawed. Foreign companies and countries would not pay a penny to the U.S. government. The tariffs would be a “sales tax” paid for by U.S. importers who would pass on the higher costs to U.S. consumers! In addition, other countries might retaliate and impose their own tariffs on U.S. products, and thereby hurting companies in our nation.

His plan to implement massive deportation of immigrants is inhumane at a moral level. It is also economical lunacy. Many immigrants work for lower than a minimal wage. If they are deported, labor costs would dramatically increase, especially in the fields of construction, agriculture, and food services. Inflation would skyrocket.

23 winners of the Nobel prize for economics recently wrote a letter to the U.S. public in which they stated, “While each of us has different views on the particulars of various economic policies, we believe that, overall, Harris’ economic agenda will improve our nation’s health, investment, sustainability, resilience, employment opportunities, and fairness and be vastly superior to the counterproductive economic agenda of Donald Trump.”

We must also remember that many of his businesses (like Trump University) have failed. He has declared bankruptcy multiple times. He has also been found guilty of cheating on his payment of state and federal taxes.

Given this massive quantity of evidence, why would anyone of sound mind trust Trump with our nation’s economy? There might be some reasons for voting for Trump (although his lying, womanizing, felonies, racism, bullying, etc., disqualify him according to my conscience), his economic strategy is horrible,

What to Watch for in the Great Debate: Trump and Harris on the Economy

The great debate takes place tonight. What should we look for? Among the many important issues, I suggest we pay close attention to the economy.

Trump, of course, has a record to run on. How successful was our economy during his four-year administration as president (2017-2021)? Although he claims it was the “greatest the world has ever seen”, the facts tell a different story. During his presidency, the national debt increased by $7.8 trillion dollars (U.S. Treasury Department). This was the largest debt increase in a four-year presidential term in our country’s history! (Caveat: The debt rose $9.1 trillion under Obama, but that occurred over his eight years as president, in contrast with Trump’s four years.) Trump’s large deficit was mostly due to his huge tax cuts for the benefit of the wealthy citizens in our midst. He claimed that tax revenue would show an amazing growth due to a boom in the economy. Of course, he was wrong. The debt increase was similar to indulgent parents who buy their children expensive gifts…and buy them with a credit card. Sooner or later, someone has to pay. In this case, it is the U.S. taxpayer.

If this truth is acknowledged, it is difficult to understand why sane voters would trust Trump on the economy. Let’s look at tariffs. Trump has promised, “We will become a tariff nation”. Tariffs are usually applied on products from foreign nations in order to financially punish those countries, by raising prices and, therefore, reducing sales of those products. Trump has claimed that these tariffs will not increase inflation for U.S. consumers. This is illogical! If retail companies in the United States import products that have higher prices due to tariffs, they will pass on that increase to consumers. Even the editorial board of the conservative Wall Street Journal acknowledges this truth: Higher tariffs, by definition, lead to higher inflation.

Where does Vice-President Harris stand on the economy? Usually sitting vice-presidents are not held accountable for the successes and/or failures of the president. A question arises. Tonight will she “own” the Biden-Harris economy? On the one hand, coming out of the Covid pandemic, the U.S. economy is the “envy” of all the major capitalist nations when evaluated on criteria of jobs, inflation, GDP, etc. On the other hand, many middle-class people don’t “feel” good about their family finances. Housing costs are up. Gasoline prices are up. Grocery prices are up around 22% over the last couple of years. Harris needs to enact policies that will offer relief for the middle class. She has promised that first-time home buyers will be able to obtain up to a $25,000 tax credit for that purchase. This is a very popular policy, especially with undecided younger voters. But how will she pay for this policy? Will she, like Trump, increase the national debt? She says that she will pay for her policies, by increasing taxes on the wealthy. Most middle-class people won’t pay even a penny more in income taxes. I would like to see some clear figures tonight to back up her promises.

In a previous presidential race, the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid” became popular. Economic issues determine elections. Who do I trust with our economy? It is not Trump.

The Evangelical Pro-Life Movement: Its early history, its Biblical basis?, and its role in the upcoming election (Part 3)

The Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision back in 1973 essentially legalized abortions across the country, especially during the first two trimesters of a woman’s pregnancy. In the 1960s and 1970s, there was not much difference on abortion in the Republican and Democrat parties. There were many pro-choice and pro-life advocates in both parties. That changed in the 1980s beginning with the Reagan presidency. Republican presidential candidates promised, that if elected, they would appoint conservative judges to the Supreme Court who would overturn Roe. Pro-lifers, especially evangelicals, became a major constituency of the Republican Party. In contrast, the Democrats became staunchly pro-choice. For over four decades abortion has been one of the most important political issues. Many people are “single-issue” voters and are, therefore, a “safe, solid voting block” for their respective parties. These “single-issue” voters seldom criticize their own party on other issues, even when criticism is warranted. In my opinion, these voters are naively allowing failed policies and character flaws to go unchecked.

During his presidency, Trump appointed three judges to the Supreme Court (Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett). In their Senate hearings, they affirmed that they would accept Roe as settled legal precedent and, as a result, hardly anyone across the political landscape thought Roe would be overturned. Nevertheless, these judges broke their promises, and joined the other conservative justices in overturning Roe through the Dobbs decision in 2022. This action returned the abortion issue to every state. Since then, seven states have put abortion on the ballot. In each of these states, the pro-choice position has won, including in conservative “red” states like Kansas and Ohio. (Democrats affirm that their pro-choice position turned the expected Republican “red wave” into a “trickle” in the 2022 midterm elections.) In other places, state legislatures enacted laws regarding abortion access and/or restrictions (for example, no abortions after six weeks, or exceptions like rape, incest, or the life of the mother).

These actions have spurred political activism by Democrats and Republicans. Some politicians, from both sides, have made campaign promises that they would bring federal legislation to Congress (either abortion access or abortion restriction, respectively). There are so many hoops to go through, that a nationwide access or restriction bill is quite unlikely to be implemented. For example, it would need 60 votes in the Senate, and there are neither 60 pro-choice nor 60 pro-life senators.

Abortion will be voted on at the state level. In the upcoming elections in November, at least five states (including Nevada and Florida) have constitutional amendment proposals on the ballot. If passed, they would enshrine abortion rights into their state constitutions. In at least five additional states, including Arizona, similar proposals are in the pipeline and will probably make the ballot. It is likely that the pro-choice position will win in most of these states. Nevertheless, it is an open question to what extent this will help the Democrat presidential, senate, and congressional candidates in their particular races. This depends on the number of Republicans who are, in fact, pro-choice voters.

I encourage all my readers to be alert during this election season. Lies will be flying all around. Let’s use our best discerning skills. Vote well…vote wisely.

Trump is Unbelievable! (Part 4) The facts don’t support his claims about the 2020 election being stolen

For the last four years, former president Trump has repeatedly claimed that the 2020 election was stolen. He claimed that he actually won the election, but irregularities in key battleground states cheated him out of his victory. In addition, he has required that Republicans who want his endorsement in state elections must agree with him, that is, they must also become “election deniers”. The official results revealed that Biden won the electoral college 306 to Trump’s 232 electors. Biden won the crucial battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.

Fact #1 – As was his legal right, Trump appealed the election results in courts across the country. Frequently, these courts were headed up by judges that Trump himself had appointed. Trump lost every appeal!

Fact #2 – When he was president, Trump picked William Barr to be his Attorney General. Throughout his presidency Barr consistently favored Trump in every legal decision. Nevertheless, Barr did not agree with Trump about the 2020 election results. After investigating the results in the key states, Barr concluded, “We have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”

Fact #3 – The most important example comes from the state of Georgia. Although usually a Republican state, elections have been more competitive in the last decade. The Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the official in charge of overseeing the election, (and a conservative Republican with an impeccable reputation) announced that Biden won the election in Georgia. Republicans demanded a recount. Raffensperger implemented a hand recount/audit of the 5 million votes that were cast, and the recount confirmed that Biden had won. On January 2, 2021, Trump telephoned Raffensperger and pressured him to overturn the election. Trump begged, “I just want to find 11,780 votes.” Not only did Raffensperger refused to become complicit in Trump’s crime, he had taped the phone call as evidence. The transcript of the phone call as well as the tape itself are available online for everyone to see and hear.

The 2020 election was not stolen by the Democrats. Trump’s phone call demonstrates that, in fact, Trump tried to steal the election, but was caught red-handed.

Dear MAGA readers, if you value the truth, do not spread Trump’s lie about a stolen election. Have the courage and integrity to face the facts. Trump lost.

Trump is Unbelievable! (Part 3) The facts won’t allow us to believe his comments about crime

President Biden’s announcement yesterday that he will no longer run for re-election and his endorsement of Kamala Harris is rightfully shaking up the race for the White House. I will analyze this historical event later this week. Meanwhile, I will continue my series of the unbelievable Trump.

Crime – On my blog last week, I brought facts to bear on former president Trump’s promises on the border and the budget. Today, let’s compare Trump’s affirmations about violent crime in the United States with the facts. Trump, like most opposition candidates, describes the contemporary situation in the worst possible ways. He stated that the country is “awash in bloodshed and violent crime” and that “our crime rate is going up while crime statistics all over the world are going down”. According to Trump, violent crime has increased under the Biden administration, and this is due to Biden’s “failed” policies. The truth is quite different.

Fact #1 – Violent crime actually increased during Trump’s administration and has decreased during Biden’s. In fact, the largest recent annual increase in the murder rate took place in 2020 (Trump’s last year in office, not under Biden’s watch). In that year, murders rose by almost 30% and assaults by more than 10% (Source: FBI). During the first two years of Biden’s presidency, murders fell by 7%, and in 2023 by 13%, now approaching pre-Covid levels.

Immigrants and Crime – It is a sad fact of our national history that immigrants have frequently been scapegoated, that is, blamed for the ills of society that they did not commit. This has happened to the Irish, the Italians, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Chinese, and many other immigrants. It was easy for white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants to blame newcomers to our country, especially if they were people of color or if they practiced a different religion.

Trump has continued this practice of scapegoating. He began his first campaign in 2015 claiming, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Trump has continued his anti-immigrant rants for over nine years. And now, he bolsters his lies about increased crime, by accusing foreign governments of emptying their jails and insane asylums and sending these “bad apples” to our southern border. Many MAGA supporters believe these lies, but they shouldn’t.

Fact #2 – Foreign born immigrants have a much lower crime rate than U.S. citizens. There is parallel data such as when undocumented immigration plummeted in 2020, murders rose by 30%. Nevertheless, there are numerous studies that back up my affirmation. I refer my readers to the book “Immigration and Crime: Taking Stock” by Kubrin and Ousey for an analysis of these studies. Common sense must also be considered. Why would undocumented immigrants, after risking their lives to travel to and cross over the border and put down roots in a new country, then expose their families and themselves to deportation, by committing violent crime?

As always, I encourage all my readers, especially my MAGA friends, to check out these figures for themselves to see if Trump is telling the truth or lying. In tomorrow’s post, I will shine the light on Trump’s ad nauseum claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

Trump is Unbelievable! The facts won’t allow us to believe his promises about the border and the budget

Biden and Trump both have records to run on… or to hide from. God has given each of us a brain and a conscience to evaluate their actions as a former or current president. I will analyze Biden’s record in upcoming posts, but in my writings today and tomorrow, I will address Trump’s promises and practice in two areas: the Border and the Budget.

The Border

Ever since his escalator descent when he began his first presidential campaign in 2015, the southern border has been one of Trump’s principal issues. A major thrust of his solution to the “immigration crisis” was his promise to build a wall along the two-thousand-mile border between Mexico and the United States. In fact, the phrase “Build the wall… Build the wall” became the standard chant at MAGA rallies. Last night, Trump promised that he would complete the wall, although he had already “finished most of it”.

Fact # 1 – During his previous four-year presidential administration, Trump built a whopping 52 miles of new wall (according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection report). He had the full authority of the White House and a Republican controlled Congress, yet he only constructed fifty-two miles of new wall. We should evaluate people, and especially presidential candidates, by their “fruits”, that is, by their actions (or in this case, inaction). Given this fact, it is incredible that anyone would believe Trump’s words about the border.

Fact # 2 – Earlier this year, the conservative Republican Senator James Lankford was the main author of a tough immigration bill in the Senate. It included everything that Republicans wanted in immigration legislation. Republicans were in favor of the bill… until they weren’t. What happened? Trump urged Republican officials to vote against the legislation. Trump did not want to solve the “immigration crisis”; he wanted the crisis to continue as a political issue for his campaign. This was pure hypocrisy.

In my post tomorrow, I will analyze Trump’s promises about the budget and the national debt. Meanwhile, seek the truth, follow the truth, live the truth. Do not believe lies, whoever they come from.