“Dude, was that plain English? Was that a soaring, presidential speech?”
That’s literally what I thought while listening to Joe Biden give his victory speech in Wilmington recently. It was like waking up out of a nightmare in which reality TV star Donald Trump was president.
Then, upon opening my eyes, I discovered that the president immediately following Barack Obama was his vice president, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Because, how could anything else have happened, right?
As the rest of the world literally rejoices like the Wicked Witch of the West has been slain, the shadow of Trump’s non-concession looms. Van Jones made a very compelling case back in October why all this jubilation could indeed be premature.
There are still some paths Donald Trump could seek to take to remain in the White House for a second term, even after losing both the Electoral College and the popular vote. Lord knows, he’s got the motivation to take these steps. With a reported $421 million in debt, the Southern District of New York hunting him down and the shame of defeat looming over his massively fragile ego, he’s likely going to go for broke. He’s all in like a gambling addict on an Atlantic City roulette table while knee-deep in a losing streak!
And 71 million Americans are here for it. Accepting the defeat of their favorite con man is as unsavory as publicly admitting they were conned in the first place. He’s not the bully in their mind, he’s the underdog.
For them, Trump represents the embattled champion of economic nationalism in the face of an ever globalizing economy. For evangelicals, he’s the imperfect King Herod, doing the Lord’s will in spite of his flawed character. After all, in their belief system, God promised them the victory, and delay is not denial. The “Lord” will have the final say.
Here’s where I admit that I sympathize with the right, to a small degree. By and large, these are not stupid people. Many of them are friends of mine. As a Black male millennial, I get the trepidation in voting for Biden after the ‘94 crime bill mass incarceration fallout.
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I say this understanding there is some context missing in the narrative of the bill. For example, it offered other things such as a ban on assault weapons, and it was supported by the Congressional Black Caucus. Biden and the Dems could very well have been following their lead in the tone of the tough-on-crime rhetoric. This is explained beautifully in the book, “Locking Up Our Own,” which details the complex relationship Black Americans have had with crime throughout our turbulent history.
I also understand the fears around vaccine mandates and us having to trust Big Pharma to save us from COVID-19. I mean, this is the same industry that is now being held legally liable for the opioid crisis.
Caring about all these issues doesn’t make you un-American, it’s just that Trump is an un-American president. Sorry, but you’ve got to release your tax returns before we give you the nuclear codes.
This can’t happen again, period! You can’t sow division in your rallies, and have white supremacist terrorists cite you as inspiration in 54 court cases. The guy who brought us Trump University and Trump Vodka, and has filed for six bankruptcies is unfit for office.
This startling lack of integrity means one thing to me: Trump could never be trusted to deliver on anything his supporters wanted from him. His words were bound to come back void given enough time.
Even the things that looked like they worked in the first term could be jeopardized in the second if his back were against the wall. The rhetoric of a compulsive liar has no currency.
Trump has displayed no moral throughline or principle worth hinging any bets on that he’d execute as president. Frankly, I’m not sure if this man was ever elected to anything in his life before 2016. Not class president, not president of Glee Club or city alderman. He was as unfit as they get, and therefore, my heart can’t count him as a president.
Watching Kamala Harris and Joe Biden speak on that recent Saturday in Delaware made me wonder something else. Are Trump supporters even a little relieved that the embarrassment of following him might soon be over? No more 5 a.m. tweets sending the stock market into freefall. No more fourth-grade-level word salad when he’s off the teleprompter. No more defending yourself against people who think you’re racist just because you agree with him.
That had to suck, for sure. Put that behind you, and let the historical autopsy on this era in history begin. Please, learn your lesson, and let’s get out of Trump’s weird “opposite world.” Because, ironically, with the Biden/Harris administration, I could almost feel America getting … great, again.
Theo Wilson is a poet, speaker, author and activist. Learn more about him at TheoWilson.net.
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