Not necessarily. Asking once or twice may be curiosity, but asking why, time after time, is most certainly "bashing".
Example -- and I'm talking about me, not you -- I've bashed your good friend POTUS quite a few times. I try not to make too much of a habit of it or the things I have to say will be lost in the general noise.
I disagree with thee Didge. Every day he says/does something ELSE that is dumbly stupid/dangerous/possibly traitorous. I call attention to it. I'm not the one doing the doing or saying. The Donald is that guy. To not talk about it, ask about it, question it, challenge it gives tacit approval to me. Remaining silent is not an option for me. If he would just start doing good things for people I'd have no reason to call attention to him. But he doesn't. So I will keep on keeping on much to the consternation of those who think he walks on water, will solve all their problems, and is perfect. He is their saviour apparently and they will not tolerate anyone pointing out the flaws/warts/weaknesses/evil. So every day in every way I'm on top of it. Of course that drives his chief worshippers/defenders/supporters crazy. They get infuriated/enraged/hostile. How DARE I question their white knight? I should emphasize the WHITE. I'm as committed to doing that as they are to stopping me. I wonder who will last longest? I'm betting on me. Thank you for your reply! :)
Fair enough. I wasn't suggesting that you should tone it down. (I did that when I first joined and you explained why not.) But for me I'd rather slide the dagger in less frequently and with more humour. The greatest ego will crumble if the world laughs at him. Believe me, outside the US the world is laughing hard, not only at Trump but at the people who put him in office. But that laughter is tempered with fear. Nobody knows if he will take steps that will set international relationships back by many decades.
But on the subject of humour one of the most effective political cartoons I ever saw concerned a peanut farmer from Queensland named Joh Bjelke-Peterson. He had been a dictatorial state premier for many years. He decided he wanted to step up from state to federal politics with an eye to becoming Prime Minister in Canberra, our national capital. As his campaign was getting under way one newspaper published a cartoon of Joh driving his T-model Ford past a sign to Canberra and the number plate of his car was 'EIEIO'. It completely scuttled his campaign. Humour works.
You have the distinct advantage of distance m'dear. As an Aussie you are not tainted with the brush of ridicule/disgust/disbelief. All Americans are tainted because of what some citizens did...willingly did. We can never rid ourselves of that taint. There is nothing remotely humorous about it to those of us who find him contemptible/evil/dangerous. Sure I laugh at his small hands, intemperate temperament, thin skin, outrageous ego, bumbling inarticulate pronouncements, absurd choices. But beneath the ridicule I know full well he could crush me in an instant if he so chose. I'm not important enough to get his attention. But his Intelligence Community is and so is the media. You see what he does daily to them? His worshippers applaud it and embrace it and support it. Millions of them! He is the scariest person I have ever seen.. scariest American person. Not one thing about him speaks Patriot. He supports a murderous despot and attacks his own country and his own people. Treasonous? Traitorous? Yes. In my opinion he is both. What political body in this country will stop him? They are terrified of him. He destroys anyone who questions him. The people who voted for him gave him that power Didge. I have a good sense of humor generally. Not about this evil man. Just my citizenly opinion. Thank you for your thoughtful reply m'dear! :)
Benedict Arnold 