The nice thing about running this Trumpwatch series is there is never a lack of material to consider and often one is challenged with the where to begin question, as is the case this installment.

I write the day following Trump’s acquittal in the Senate Impeachment trial and except in the case of one never Trumper, Mitt Romney, the vote was done, sadly unsurprisingly, on purely party lines, tempting one to cynicism about the lofty ideals of truth and the constitution we have been hit with every day of the trial. While I am not a fan of Susan Collins, the other Republican waverer, her point that while we may disapprove of the way Trump acted in the Ukraine affair, it hardly constituted high crimes and misdemeanors, was valid. Trump should imho be congratulated for investigating corruption even if his in your face, f you way of going about things may be not be to one’s liking. As it was, the impeachment by the Congress, which began the day Trump took office, was a witch hunt, and the lack of evidence which came with the indictment would have meant in other scenarios the case would have been dismissed. It was another ploy by the swap following the collapse of Russian collusion claims, to distract from their crimes. Obviously, watching the circus could have been a full-time occupation although I captured snippets with carefully crafted arguments from both sides. But there was little in Senate trial that led me to believe there was no case. As for more evidence, if due process had been followed, this should have been dealt with before handing over to the Senate for their verdict and the Senate was right to want to move on asap and focus on more needful stuff.

I thought Trump’s State of the Union address, the day before was brilliant, even though it had a sense of a campaign rally (which I don’t entirely approve off). He was quite right to take pride in his economic achievements and lifting minorities out of poverty. I liked especially his calls for religious and other freedoms, his support for the unborn and his evident love for his country, championing its interests. Nancy Pelosi tearing up her copy of the speech was telling and sadly demonstrated the state of partisanship and Trump hatred that is afoot that can only be resolved if Trump gets re-elected as POTUS in November, an event I fully expect to happen and with an increased support. I left my last Trumpwatch episode reflecting on the USA take out of Iran General Qaseem Sulemani. My belief it was a proportionate response to a difficult matter, as is much that Trump does on the foreign stage. I believe Trump is quite right in the way he has dealt with perhaps the biggest threat to world peace, China, with his latest trade deal and response to the Corona virus scare. Less mentioned but still significant is the trade deal involving Mexico and Canada. I am also impressed with his attempt to broker a peace deal with Israel and the Palestinian but where it will turn out successful remains to be seen. While not hitting at the heart of the matter in the eyes of many, his support for the tree planting initiative to help combat climate change is also one that I rather like.

I must confess that all the above suggests I view Trump with rose tinted glasses. I don’t. Rather, I prefer him to any of the alternatives. I agree there needs to be constuctive opposition, especially when it comes to blowing the trumpet and acting accordingly on social justice issues and for the poor and marginalised, but don’t sense it is particularly effective. I agree there needs to be checks and balances but sadly I don’t see that coming from the Democrat party. I look forward to the trade negotiations with his administration and the UK post Brexit and would counsel our standing up to him! I look forward to business as usual continuing under Trump and hopefully we will see more swamp draining. I know God continues on His Throne and it is Him we trust, not Trump or any other human.