This is an opinion piece. Tommy Kessler is a student at Mendham who writes for school news. All of the views expressed in the following editorial are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Patriot

People say that Donald Trump has been one of the most controversial presidents in the history of the United States. He has added $2.8 trillion in debt, which will have long-term effects on the nation, and he has let Covid-19 get the best of America. He is disrespectful to anyone who is not caucasian and spits on the graves of the dead heroes who fought for our country. So, is Trump truly controversial, or is he the single worst president to step into the executive office and represent the flag of the United States of America?

Trump is going to bring down the economy if he is left in the office for the next four years. Yes, a lot of new jobs were created under his administration. Unemployment had been at a record low since the mid 20th century, but the economy had been growing slowly at a 2.1% rate, which is slower than he had anticipated. None of this lasted very long. Due to the effects of Coronavirus, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has gone down because of less and less consumer spending going on. National revenue has plummeted and has taken away the many jobs that had been created under his administration. In addition to fewer jobs and revenue, the extremely low taxes that he has emplaced have brought federal deficits up to a new time high, and have added 2.8 trillion dollars in debt to our already 20+ trillion debt.

Trump has let Coronavirus run free in America, affecting everyone including himself. So many people have gone unemployed and struggle to find new jobs in this crippling economy. Before Coronavirus the doctors and professionals made predictions of maybe 100k cases in the US. They told Trump that he should encourage people to take caution and to quarantine themselves. Trump instead came out and told the public that it is not that serious at all and that no one needs to do anything. He said in an interview with ABC News, “I still like playing it down because I don’t want to create a panic.” This is a horrible decision because it makes people think that COVID is not a threat pressing the nation today.

In an interview with a reporter at the White House, President Trump said, “So it’s voluntary. You don’t have to do it. They suggested for a period of time, but this is voluntary. I don’t think I’m going to be doing it.” Because of his outrageous claims, what should have been 100k cases, ended up skyrocketing to 7.31m, with 208k deaths. 

Trump has brought down people of color and disrespects them on a daily basis. He has done nothing to help BIPOC avoid fatal police brutality and condemns peaceful protestors for asking for a change. After the death of George Floyd, peaceful protesters lined up in front of the White House. Trump, instead, of acknowledging their pleas, tear-gassed them, and made his way to the church across the street. He held up the bible and said that the protestors were disrespecting the Bible and that they are atheists. By doing this, Trump is trying to get people to turn against each other and bicker amongst each other. Earlier in his presidency, after white supremacists led a fatal attack on peaceful protests in Charlottesville, Trump said that there were very fine people on both sides. He said this because he knows that most of his followers are white supremacists and that if he were to condemn them, then he could lose a lot of supporters. Trump has also put down our fallen soldiers who have given their lives for a country that now does not even support them. In 2018, on a trip to Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, he canceled the visit because he did not want his hair to get ruined because it was raining. In a conversation with some of his senior staff members, he said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It is filled with losers.” He also referred to the marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers and losers” who could not keep from dying. 

Trump is a failure compared to every other president in history. He is running the economy, he has divided the country using race as a weapon, and he has failed the thousands of people who have died from the Coronavirus.