Trump’s Attempt
Trump’s Attempt
This reflection addresses the question of Trump’s role as “leader of the free world” in Bibbins Sedaca’s article dated 26 January 2017. Bibbins Sedaca has noted that historically presidents, “leaders-in-chief,” have traditionally used their inaugural speeches to articulate “the United States’ clear commitment to leading the global fight for democracy and human rights.” These speeches have been similar cross party lines with an assumed unity across all American peoples. And yet, here Bibbins Sedaca suggests if Trump does not turn around his first few behaviours soon that the world will no longer be defined by America’s leadership, but instead be in conflict to it. She argues that Trump is breaking the mould and creating a situation where in his “America first” there is no longer a leader of the free world.
This article is important to leadership as it, in a generally articulate, ration and informed manner questioning what is leadership for the president of the most influential country of the world. More than that, if the leadership of the United States becomes something the world cannot tolerate, then what is the path the rest of the world follows. While in other news we have heard Trump compared to Hitler, this article with no reference or implied connection to him, is in all essence making the connection more real by its very absence of mention or comparison. The question becomes is Trump a fool, a zealot, harmless or threatening, and with that thought to how many people in the world are his thoughts as a democratic leaders enlightening or frightening.
Why I found this article interesting is for what is mentioned in the last paragraph. It is what is not said in the article that is the most telling. This is no emotional reactions or guttural responses to Trump’s actions, only logic plan and simple. This journalist has taken the high road, for a situation which I believe most of the world would agree is the low road.
References
Bibbins Sedaca, N. (26 January 2017). Is Donald Trump ‘Leader of the Free World?’ Retrieved from http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/01/26/is-donald-trump-leader-of-the-free-world/
