As you get older in life, you learn to care less about what others think about you than you may have when you were younger. You decide, if not far sooner in life, to not let what others see about you dictate how you act. Be yourself, as they say.
That is easier said than done in politics. Sometimes you say or do what you want to say or do, others times not. How a president and his administration behave is perceived and reflected back. Trump's approval ratings very low. Congress' ratings ... they have been terrible for years. What you do or don't do is also reflected back around the world. Not that people from other countries didn't have opinions about the U.S. president back in the days of strictly newspapers, but the global world connected by the Internet and twenty-four-hour news cycles in which we live amplifies their reactions and opinions.
No doubt, those opinions will be tested during President Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy, and Belgium, for which he left today. Not only what he has been saying while here in the U.S. will be factored in, but what he says during this trip will be listened to closely. What will he say? No one knows for certain, but it has been reported that Stephen Miller, who authored Trump's Muslim ban, is writing Trump's speech about Islam, which he will deliver in Saudi Arabia. Fingers crossed.
One of the ways on reflecting back via the media is political cartoons. The art form has been around for centuries and has continued to present day. What a treasure trove of material Mr. Trump has been giving them! I would like to offer a small sampling of what political cartoonists from around the world have been etching about President Trump, and let's see how he is perceived.
That is easier said than done in politics. Sometimes you say or do what you want to say or do, others times not. How a president and his administration behave is perceived and reflected back. Trump's approval ratings very low. Congress' ratings ... they have been terrible for years. What you do or don't do is also reflected back around the world. Not that people from other countries didn't have opinions about the U.S. president back in the days of strictly newspapers, but the global world connected by the Internet and twenty-four-hour news cycles in which we live amplifies their reactions and opinions.
No doubt, those opinions will be tested during President Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy, and Belgium, for which he left today. Not only what he has been saying while here in the U.S. will be factored in, but what he says during this trip will be listened to closely. What will he say? No one knows for certain, but it has been reported that Stephen Miller, who authored Trump's Muslim ban, is writing Trump's speech about Islam, which he will deliver in Saudi Arabia. Fingers crossed.
One of the ways on reflecting back via the media is political cartoons. The art form has been around for centuries and has continued to present day. What a treasure trove of material Mr. Trump has been giving them! I would like to offer a small sampling of what political cartoonists from around the world have been etching about President Trump, and let's see how he is perceived.
Australia
© Cathy Wilcox
Belgium
© Cecile Bertrand
Netherlands
© Tjeerd Royaards
Israel
© Michel Kichka
China
© Lichuan Xia
India
© Akshita Monga
United Arab Emirates
© Paresh Nath
Netherlands
Netherlands
© Geert Jegrom
Germany
© Edel Rodriguez / Der Spiegel
Back in November, just two days after the election, I concluded a blog posting with the following:
Is this how the leader of the free world should appear around the world? Is this how you want your president to be perceived? I know I do not!
There have been plenty of political cartoons here in the U.S. about Trump as well, but one that stopped me in my tracks is the cover of the upcoming issue of Time magazine...
"I believe that Donald Trump is dangerous for this country, both domestically
and internationally. I think his proposed policies and actions are ruinous and
will make us more unstable and divided domestically, more hated
internationally, and far less safe as a whole, and I am worried about my
country's future. I am a big enough boy to eat my words and apologize if I
am wrong, but I voted in this election and that is how I sincerely feel in its
aftermath. As a citizen of this country, Mr. Trump, please prove me wrong."
President Trump, sadly, you have proven me right.
Terry
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