This is for all the Trump haters out there!

  Hey, wait . . .

~

My kinda guy!!

"Providing a platform that allows freedom of speech, which coincidentally doesn't negatively impact anyone's reproductive rights, screw over minorities, or harm our country's relationships with allies. You're welcome."

Like. :)

To me, truly hating a politician is a waste of one's energy, but there are valid reasons to dislike Trump, and doing so does not make one a "hater".

This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at December 31, 2018 10:53 AM MST

How are you contributing to the welfare of the country?
I work, pay taxes, volunteer regularly, and perform my civic duties, such as voting and jury duty. And you?

Word for word!!

Spewing hatred and vitriol?
Fake news. Not all Trump-haters do that. 

Hatred is a strong word, and you admit to it!!

What are you accomplishing?

Providing a platform that allows freedom of speech, which coincidentally doesn't negatively impact anyone's reproductive rights, screw over minorities, or harm our country's relationships with allies. You're welcome. 
And you think that he somehow represses free speech? And by impacting women's reproductive rights, I am assuming that you mean abortion? allowing the killing of innocent children, for the convenience of the mother, the one who is supposed to love, them and cherish them, huh? Screw over minorities, how do you figure this? And our allies all respect him.

Do you feel good about yourself at the end of the day?
Yes. Amazing, actually. 
That is good I am glad you do!!

Do you really think it is needed or wanted by normal citizens?
Statistically speaking, yes, but only by the majority. 

The majority put him in , and continue to stand by him, while the rest pick apart everything that he does, and finds fault with it.

Trump’s approval rating hovers in the mid 30’s to low 40’s. This is not a majority. Trump lost the popular vote in 2016, by over 3 million votes. You can do math, correct?

Not sure where you came up with “..our allies all respect him”. Alternative facts?

Clearly our traditional allies are all moving on without him (maybe you are aware of the many protests that arise in countries he visits?) and he has done little to show respect for them (or anyone, except Putin and occasionally Kim) in return. 

History will not reflect well on Trump. The coming year will be harder for him than the last two.  This post was edited by Don Barzini at January 1, 2019 10:26 PM MST

It’s kind of difficult to keep an orderly discussion with so much going on, and I’m not entirely sure there’s a point in responding at all because I believe your opinions are rooted in a belief system I don’t share, but I’ll give it a go anyway.

“Providing a platform that allows freedom of speech” was a reference to this site. It was a nod to the fact that you’re entitled to state your opinion every bit as much as someone who dislikes Trump. It actually was not a reference to Trump limiting free speech, but, now that you mention it, yeah… See “Literary group sues Trump, alleges free speech stifling” (AP News) for one example.

“Reproductive Rights” goes so much deeper than abortion. He’s systematically removing sex ed funding and is fighting to allow employers the right to ban contraceptives. I hate to break it to you, but if you want to reduce the number of abortions, removing access to contraceptives and failing to educate our youth is not going to help. See “Trump Proposes a New Way Around Birth Control Mandate: Religious Exemptions and Title X” (NY Times) for more details.

“Screwing Over Minorities” occurs on more fronts than I can count. The man constantly makes derogatory racial remarks, resulting in a resurgence of white nationalists and white supremacy groups. Because of Trump, these groups are now out in the open, spreading racial hate and causing riots. We haven’t seen this level of racial tension as a nation since the 50s and 60s. Charlottesville is a prime example.

That said, the President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund sums everything up better than I can in the Time Magazine essay “President Trump's First Year Was an Affront to Civil Rights.” If you’re short on time, “52 Harms in 52 Weeks: How the Trump Administration Hurt Communities of Color in 2017” on the Center for American Progress website has a very scannable list that covers Trump’s first year in office.

“Relationships with Allies” was addressed by Don Barzini, but I’ll add to it.

Canada- You might want to review what Justin Trudeau (Canada) said about Trump after the G7. Now, Trudeau is the epitome of Canadian diplomacy and civilized behavior, so for him to use the word “insulting” and “unjust” to describe Trump’s actions and say that Trump “was not helping in our renegotiation of NAFTA,” leaving them with no choice but to retaliate… yeah… he ticked off an ally. You can see Trudeau’s speech on The Guardian’s website.

Mexico- Former president Vicente Fox went on CNN and actually dropped an F-bomb on live TV regarding Trump and the wall. And, the most recent president, Peña Nieto, got into it with Trump on Twitter, calling him out for lying. He instituted retaliatory tariffs as well. As of this month, Mexico has a new president, Andrés Manuel Luís Obrador. He has been quite diplomatic about not making retorts to Trump, simply saying what the US was doing with its border is its business. However, he won the vote with working class and farmers because he told them he’d stand up to Trump and his tariffs.

The UK- I’m not entirely sure where to start with the UK. About a year ago, Trump skipped a visit to the UK due to protests. The people hate him that much. When Trump eventually visited the queen last summer, Prince Charles and Prince William refused to attend. The Mirror reported on Trump posing in Churchill’s chair, with a headline reading, “How Dare You?” Churchill’s grandson has referred to Trump as a “daft twerp.” Labor MP Emily Thornberry said of Trump in an interview, “This man is a bully,” and later adds, “I’m furious at his behavior.” She added that she felt sorry for Prime Minister Theresa May for having to deal with him and his constant slams against her and the UK. Thresa May has been insanely diplomatic and doesn’t respond to Trump’s bait, but has repeatedly stated that she opposes his opinions.

The EU- The UK is still part of the EU (for now), which, by the way, established $7.1 billion in retaliatory tariffs against the US, and while all of the EU are not always considered allies, they tend to stick together. Donald Tusk of Poland and President of the European Council has said of Trump, “Thanks to him, we have got rid of all illusions,” and also, “Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think: With friends like that, who needs enemies?” And also, “He has made us realize that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm.”

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is referred to as “anti-Trump” by the media and has gone on the record to call him a “hate preacher,” and essentially said the election of Trump would bring about the end of the world as we know it. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Europe cannot rely on the US for protection, which has also led Germany to reconsider its stance on nuclear warfare.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said Trump doesn’t keep his word and cannot be trusted. “We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America.” France sees Trump, and thus the US, as a physical threat. He was also so disgusted with Trump’s remark about sh*thole countries that he blasted Trump publicly over it.

Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden Tweeted of Trump, “What has he been smoking?” when Trump erroneously went off about non-existent terror attacks in Sweden. A recent poll revealed only 10% of Swedes like Trump, though the new PM has remained largely diplomatic.

I could go on seemingly forever, but I’ll leave you with two more: “The world is laughing at President Trump” (The Washington Post) and “World leaders conclude: Trump is a liability, not a leader” (CNN).

Indeed, the world, and the majority of Americans, do not like or respect Trump. (See Don’s comment for US stats.)

:-),,,, Maybe you should go back to the top and reread Silverwings questions.
 Most of your stats above are bias and there's another side of the coin/ story that could be told. But you know that, and so do " we ".
But it won't be because they're controlled by the Democrats such The Washington Post, CNN, maybe yourself, etc.. Carl Bildt is a contributing columnist for The Washington post. Hmmm. Some of why our Allies don't like Mr. Trump is because he is making them pay up on their NATO bills.
 Fake news is nothing new, Joseph Goebbels used fake news very well, forty million died as a result.  :-(
  If we fail to learn from our past we are doomed to repeat it.  

As my intro stated, people seem inclined to believe what they want to believe regardless of facts presented. Instead of actually debating facts, you're focused on the sources. That doesn't make any sense at all. I literally went through and provided direct quotes from global leaders and hard numbers on the retaliatory tariffs and your only response is that you don't like the two sources linked at the end, which I never directly quoted or used as a source. You didn't present an argument. You gave an opinion. You're certainly entitled to an opinion, but unless you care to tell me which specific statistic, quote, or fact I presented was inaccurate, there's no point in having a discussion about it.

Personally, when people show me stats from sources I consider to be biased, I actually look at it. I'm curious to know what the other party thinks and why. I also try to see if there's any truth to the argument they're giving, even if that means doing my own research and looking for alternate sources to confirm the source I don't like, purely because I prefer to be working with facts, even if that means my original belief was false. I can only think of one member here who ever submits contradictory evidence to my own postings, and I read everything they submit with keen interest. I wish more people would do the same. 

I wish I could give you a big kiss and a hug.  :-)
 Have a very happy NEW YEAR ! !

"...skipped a visit to the UK because of protests. They hate him that much". 

People who go on protest marches are not necessarily representative of the wider population so I would be cautious about drawing any conclusions from this.

But I think it must be a long time since there was a popular Republican president over here anyway. Polls that I have seen in the run up to US elections found British respondents favouring the Democratic candidate by about 6 to 1.

True, protesters usually show up on both sides, and they don't always voice the majority opinion. That being said, my remark was only one example. As you noted, most of our friends on the other side of the pond favor dem candidates. I also read news from other parts of the world on a regular basis. Daily, in fact. Multiple sources. Many countries. I never see Trump cast in a positive light.

That speaks volumes about their mindset!!!..

"Our allies all respect him"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! We're LAUGHING OUR A$$ES OFF AT HIM! And at his supporters, like you. Putin treats him like his tame dog, which he is. Kim treats him with contempt (NK has commissioned five new missile facilities since the Trump summit - the one he decommissioned he had to, the last underground test rendered the site seismically unstable). Name ONE ally who has commented favourably (except with heavy sarcasm). I'll wait. This post was edited by Slartibartfast at December 31, 2018 12:55 PM MST

Best answer.

Ha, ha...….

It’s your double standard that’s funny. 

  (lite lit)

Yup, thank you, your teaching this old dog, never much for righting....or writing. :-)

It's ok, your heart's in the right place!!